Lebanon Profile
Demography and Politics
The following profile of Lebanon describes the politicalupheaval of 2005, the subsequent elections, and other events leading to thecurrent conflict. Political Profile Sectarianism. Lebanon,with a population of 3.8 million, has the most religiously diverse society inthe Middle East, comprising 17 recognized religioussects. “Confessionalism, or the distribution of governmental posts byreligious sect, is a longstanding feature of Lebanese political life, despitefrequent calls to abolish it. Because of political sensitivities related topower sharing among the various communities, no census has been taken in Lebanon since 1932, when Lebanon wasunder a French mandate. According to current estimates by the CentralIntelligence Agency…
