Lebanon (Listeni/ˈlɛbənɒn/ or /ˈlɛbənən/; Arabic: لبنان Libnān or Lubnān; Lebanese Arabic: [lɪbˈneːn]; Aramaic: לבנאן; French: Liban), officially the Lebanese Republic[nb 1] (Arabic: الجمهورية اللبنانية al-Jumhūrīyah al-Lubnānīyah; Lebanese Arabic: [elˈʒʊmhuːɾɪjje l.ˈlɪbneːnɪjje]; French: République libanaise), is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south. Lebanon's location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland facilitated its rich history and shaped a cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity.[7]
The earliest evidence of civilization in Lebanon dates back more than seven thousand years,