Following World War I, France acquired a mandate over the northern portion of the former Ottoman Empire province of Syria. The French set boundaries in the region of Lebanon in 1920 and granted this area independence in 1943. Since independence the country has been marked by periods of political turmoil interspersed with prosperity built on its position as a regional center for finance and trade.
Under an agreement between representatives of Lebanon and the French National Committee of Liberation, most of the powers exercised by France were transferred to the Lebanese government on Jan. 1, 1944. The evacuation of French troops was completed in 1946.
Lebanon is considered part of Middle Eastern North Africa. It is located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, north of Israel and west of Syria. It’s geography is best characterized by rough and rocky terrain. The Biqa valley divides the Anti-Lebanon and Lebanon Mountains. Lebanon's geography is varied and exhibits various kinds of soils, vegetation and land forms. In the map above you can see all the trains , roads, rivers, peaks and more of Lebanon. It shows the geographical divide down the middle of the country by the mountains.
Reports have been showing that Lebanon could become "one of the big global players in luxury travel". The list was made by ranking them according to the projected growth per annum of tourism as a direct contribution to GDP. This goes to show what a great place Lebanon is. In my travels I experienced an amazing country and a phenomenal city (Beirut). It's too bad the media makes traveling anywhere in the MENA seem like a dangerous chore. Traveling to Lebanon was the furthest thing from it. I can still smell the salty sea breeze as I walked along the Corniche. I hope that someday I can travel back here with some friends because great travels are better shared with friends. I will never forget the locals hospitality, kindness and all the good vibes that this country produced. You should travel to Lebanon as a political act because the people there are down-to-earth and lighthearted, it is 7,000 years old and has a ton of historical sites for a country that is the size of Connecticut (Tyre and Byblos, the Roman ruins at Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley, the monasteries of the holy valley Quadi Qadisha, and the ancient city Anjar), it is peaceful at the moment, the Lebanese have great food and if you're 18 you can experience their great wine, and it has a wide variety of natural diversity. 
