Sadly knocked off its road to recovery, Lebanon will almost certainly rebuild and once again charm us with its great Mediterranean geniality and glamour.

• TOTAL AREA: 10,400 sq km

• LAND AREA: 10,230 sq km

• WATER AREA: 170 sq km

• POPULATION: 3,874,050

• RELIGIONS: Muslim 59.7% (Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Syrian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Chaldean, Assyrian, Copt, Protestant), other 1.3%

• LANGUAGES: Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian

• GOVERNMENT TYPE: Republic

• CAPITAL CITY: Beirut

• OFFICIAL CURRENCY: Lebanese pound (LBP)

• TIME ZONE: GMT/UTC +2