Ethnicity: Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1% note: many Christian Lebanese do not identify themselves as Arab but rather as descendents of the ancient Canaanites and prefer to be called Phoenicians
Language: Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian
Largest Cities: (by population) Beirut, Tripoli, Sayda
Name: Lebanon's name is derived from the Semitic root lbn, which means "white," and references Mount Lebanon's snowy peaks
National Day: November 22
Religion: Muslim 59.7% (Shia, 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% note: 17 religious sects recognized
