LEBANON

Republic of Lebanon Al-Jumhuriyah al-Lubnaniyah CAPITAL: Beirut (Bayrut) FLAG: The national flag, introduced in 1943, consists of two horizontal red stripes separated by a white stripe which is twice as wide; at the center, in green and brown, is a cedar tree. ANTHEM: Kulluna lil watan lil‘ula lil‘alam (All of Us for the Country, Glory, Flag). MONETARY UNIT: The Lebanese pound, or livre libanaise (LL), is a paper currency of 100 piasters. There are coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, and 50 piasters and 1 Lebanese pound, and notes of 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 250, 1,000 and 10,000 Lebanese pounds. LL1 = $0.000666 (or $1 = LL1,501) as of March 2003. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES: The metric system is the legal standard, but traditional weights and measures are still used. HOLIDAYS: New Year’s Day, 1 January; Arab League Day, 22 March; Independence Day, 22 November; Evacuation Day, 31 December. Christian religious holidays include Feast of St. Maron, 9 February; Good Friday; Easter Monday; Ascension; Assumption, 15 August; All Saints’ Day, 1 November; and Christmas, 25 December. Muslim religious holidays include ‘Id al-Fitr, ‘Id al-‘Adha’, and Milad an- Nabi. TIME: 2 PM = noon GMT.