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Lebanon, a Middle East country, borders Syria (north and east) and Israel (south), while the west is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea. It was under French occupation for 20 years before becoming independent on November 22, 1943. For this reason, in addition to Arabic being the official language, French is used as a second language. The official currency of Lebanon is the pound, while you can also trade in US dollars. The country's capital and largest city is Beirut, which once earned the nickname "Paris of the East".
In ancient times Lebanon was known as Phenicia. Over the centuries the country was conquered by Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Turks and French. In 1975 a civil war broke out in the country, which lasted 15 years, leaving behind about 120,000 dead. Sixteen years after the end of the civil war, another war broke out between Lebanon and Israel, resulting in the death of thousands of people.
Lebanon is connected by direct
flights from Athens and the journey takes less than two hours.