Climate :
Lebanon has a Mediterranean climate -- hot and dry summers and cool, rainy winters. The sun shines 300 days a year. The annual rainfall on the coastal plain is around 35in, and more than 50in in the mountains. Humidity is high along the coast in summer and daytime temperatures average 30°C with night temperatures not much lower. Beirut (the Capital) in summer becomes a commuter society as families move to the mountains to enjoy the cool dry climate. Winters on the coast can be dry and mild one day and wet and chilly the next. Winter daytime temperatures average 15°C. In the mountains summer daytime temperatures average 26°C and the nights are pleasantly cool. Winters are cold and it snows at the higher elevations. The snow ensures good skiing from December through April.

Topography :
There are four main geographical regions running north to south parallel to the Mediterranean -- the coastal plain, the Lebanon mountain chain, the Bekaa Valley and the Anti-Lebanon range. The narrow fertile coastal plain is broken at several points by the foothills and peaks of the Lebanon Mountains. Lebanon's main cities, Beirut, Tripoli, Sidon and Tyre are along this plain. The Lebanon mountains include numerous rivers which flow down to the sea, and Lebanon's highest peak Qornet Es-Sauda at 3090 metres. Behind the Lebanon Mountains is the Bekaa Valley, an extension of the Great Rift Valley. The 15-kilometre-wide fertile Bekaa valley is the country's main agricultural region, growing crops as varied as sugar beet, potatoes, and grapes. The Bekaa's archaeological treasures are among Lebanon's finest. Lebanon's two major rivers, the Litani and the Orontes, rise in the Bekaa Valley. The valley ends abruptly at the foot of the Anti-Lebanon range, an arid mountain mass which forms the boundary with Syria. Its highest summit is Mt. Hermon at 2814 metres. Indiscriminate hunting has greatly reduced the once-rich bird and animal population. A few species of wild animals survive including jackal, wolf and gazelle. The Lebanese Republic is divided into six regional governments, or Mohafazaat: Beirut, North Lebanon, Mount Lebanon, South Lebanon, The Bekaa Valley and Nabatiyeh

The Cedars :
Most of Lebanon has been deforested. The great cedar forests have largely disappeared except in the higher mountains. A Mediterranean brush vegetation is found in most areas. 120 kms from Beirut. Known to the Lebanese as Arz ar-Rab (the Cedars of the Lord), some of the remaining 400 trees are over 1500 years old. It is believed that some of them even date back to the time when King Solomon had a part of the forest cut down to build his temple in Jerusalem (al-Qods). The Cedar tree, majestic and indestructible, is the emblem of Lebanon and adorns its flag. The Phoenicians, Greeks and Egyptians used its wood through the centuries in their homes,
their temples, their sarcophagi and their galleys. The village of the Cedars, over 2000 meters in altitude, is very picturesque ski resort with hotets, chalets, and ski lifts. Nearby is Qadisha grotto, a natural cavern with stalactitic stalagmitic formations.

The Beaches and Mountains :
The narrow strip of coastal plain, rich with golden beaches, natural inlets and rocky promontories accommodates the capital Beirut, and the cities of Tripoli, Byblos, Saida and Tyre. Other large and small towns and villages dot the rest of the coast from north to south in the shadow of Mount Lebanon which seems to rise from the Mediterranean in a sharp sweep. The main peaks of this mountain mass are al-Qorna as-Sawdaa (3088 m) and al-Mounaitra (2911 m) in the north and
Sannin (2628 m) and al-Knaissa (2032 m) above Beirut which is situated almost halfway between the northernmost and southernmost borders.