[bey-root, bey-root] 
| a seaport in and the capital of Lebanon. 702,000. |
[leb-uh-nuh
n or, especially for 1, -non] | 1. | a republic at the E end of the Mediterranean, N of Israel. 3,858,736; 3927 sq. mi. (10,170 sq. km). Capital: Beirut. |
| 2. | a city in SE Pennsylvania. 25,711. |
| 3. | a city in N central Tennessee. 11,872. |
| 4. | a town in central Indiana. 11,456. |
| 5. | a town in W New Hampshire. 11,134. |
| 6. | a town in W Oregon. 10,413. |
| Bei·rut (bā-rōōt') The capital and largest city of Lebanon, in the western part of the country on the Mediterranean Sea. Founded by the Phoenicians, it was an important Greek and Roman trade center. Beirut was the scene of bitter factional fighting between Christians and Muslims after the outbreak of the Lebanese civil war in 1975 and was further destroyed by an Israeli siege in 1982. Population: 1,250,000. |
Republic in the Middle East, located on the Mediterranean Sea, bordered to the north and east by Syria and to the south by Israel. Its capital and largest city is Beirut.
Note: Lebanon was established in 1920 from remnants of the Ottoman Empire. Its mixed Christian and Muslim population generally lived peacefully under a weak central government until the 1970s. Israel invaded in 1978 to challenge the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) influence in Lebanon and to stop PLO raids on Israel. During the 1980s Lebanon became the scene of intense fighting between PLO, Syrian, and Israeli forces, as well as indigenous Christian and Muslim factions. Terrorist bombings and the taking of foreign nationals (including American citizens) as hostages became common events. By 1992, Syria had emerged as the dominant influence in Lebanon. Democratic elections were held in the mid-1990s.
Capital of Lebanon, located in western Lebanon on the Mediterranean Sea.
Note: Often called “the Paris of the Middle East,” the city was badly damaged during Lebanon's civil war in the 1970s and 1980s. It is now being rebuilt.