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Location Information:
Beirut
is the capital and largest city of
Lebanon with a population of over
2.1 million as of 2007. Located on a
peninsula at the midpoint of
Lebanon's coastline with the
Mediterranean sea, it serves as the
country's largest and main seaport
and also forms the Beirut
Metropolitan Area, which consists of
the city and its suburbs. The first
mention of this metropolis is found
in the ancient Egyptian Tell el
Amarna letters, dating to the 15th
century BC, and the city has been
continuously inhabited since.
Beirut holds Lebanon's seat of
government and plays a central role
in the Lebanese economy with its
city centre, Hamra, Verdun, and
Ashrafieh based corporate firms and
banks. The city is the focal point
of the region's cultural life,
renowned for its press, theatres,
cultural activities, and nightlife.
After the destructive Lebanese civil
war, Beirut underwent major
reconstruction, and the redesigned
historic city centre, marina, pubs
and nightlife districts have once
again rendered it a tourist
attraction. Beirut was named the top
place to visit in 2009 by The New
York Times. It was also listed as
one of the ten liveliest cities in
the world by Lonely Planet in 2009.
Beirut has been a destination for
European Summer travelers and
wealthy Arabs. The once destroyed
city centre is thriving once again.
Its former reputation as a
crossroads between three continents
and gateway to the East has been
restored. Beirut is the oft-invoked
“Paris of the East”, and there is
plenty of sightseeing, shopping,
cuisine, and nightlife to keep a
tourist within the city limits. The
city has sleek, modern buildings
alongside arabesque Ottoman
buildings, giving Beirut a unique
and distinctive style often not seen
in other Middle Eastern cities.
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