Mount Lebanon Governorate (Arabic: محافظة جبل لبنان) is one of the nine governorates of Lebanon, of which it is the most populous. Its capital is Baabda. Other notable towns and cities include Aley, Bikfaya, and Beit Mery.
The Governorate of Mount Lebanon (except the area around Beirut) extends along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders the Northern Governorate in the northern part and the Southern Governorate in the southern part. On the eastern side, it borders the governorates of Bekaa and Baalbek-Hermel.
The governorate's altitude ranges from zero to 3,000 meters above sea level. It has diverse geographical features, including urban areas, mixed rural areas and natural areas. It is crossed by 5 rivers (Nahr El Kalb, Nahr Beirut, Damour, Awali River and Nahr Ibrahim) and includes the Shabrouh Dam with a capacity of 8 million cubic meters of water.
Districts
Districts of the Mount Lebanon Governorate
The governorate is divided into four districts (aqḍiyah, singular qaḍāʼ):
The districts of Jbeil and Keserwan were part of Mount Lebanon Governorate until 7 September 2017, when they were separated to form Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate.[3][4]
There are no accurate statistics, but according to the number of registered voters in 2005, the percentage of Christians is 65.8%, followed by Druze with 15.43%, then Sunnis with 8.23%, followed by Shiites with 7.76%.[9]
The Christian and Druze communities have a long history of interaction dating back roughly a millennium, particularly in Mount Lebanon.[10] Over the centuries, they have peacefully interacted and lived together, sharing common social and cultural landscapes, although occasional exceptions have occurred. This interaction been marked by shared economic activities, cultural exchange, and even political alliances in some cases.[11] The two communities lived among each other and interacted socially on an everyday basis. The close bonds between Christian and Druze neighbors led to Christian communities thriving in some Druze towns.[12]
Economy
The economy of Mount Lebanon Governorate depended mainly on industrial activities.[when?]cn The Governorate includes the highest percentage of industrial establishments in Lebanon (about 58% of the total Lebanese industrial establishments). Most of these establishments work in the food industries sector (17.93%), thus representing 34% of the total number of companies engaged in food industries. This sector is followed by paper and printing companies, which constitute 13.15% of the industrial establishments in Mount Lebanon. There are more than 12 industrial zones in Mount Lebanon, near the port of Beirut.[citation needed]
The Governorate of Mount Lebanon includes five tourist sites out of the nine most attractive sites for tourists. It also includes 260 hotels, which is the highest percentage among the governorates, with the exception of Beirut.[citation needed]
^Barakat, Halim (2011). Lebanon in Strife: Student Preludes to the Civil War. University of Texas Press. ISBN978-0-292-73981-9. the Druzes make up almost half the district, of Aley, one third of Rashaya, and more than a quarter of Shuf and Matn...
