Lebanon, which lies on the eastern coast of the
Mediterranean, is surrounded by Syria on the north and east, and Israel on
the south. Lebanon has an area of 10,452 sq km and a coastline of 225 km,
which stretches from the rivers Nahar al-Kabir in the north to Ras en
Naqoura in the south. From west to east it stretches about 25 to 90 km.
This narrow quadrangle of Lebanon has four geographical divisions that run
north to south, parallel to each other. The coastal plain is in the west,
followed by Mt Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and the Anti Lebanon range in the
east.
Lebanon
has hardly any wild life left as a result of the horrific effects of war
and over- hunting. The only animals that you may get to see would be the
domestic animals such as sheep and goats on the hills. Even the camel,
which was a familiar sight in the Bekaa Valley, is hardly seen now.
At
the Horsh Ehden Forest Nature Reserve, the last of the ancient natural
forests of Lebanon, you may get to see several rare orchids and other
flowering plants. You may also see some of the protected animals such as
badgers, jackal, porcupine, the Levant vole, and also several species of
shrew, bats, golden eagle, the red kite, the buzzard and the sparrow hawk.
The Cedars have a grove of cedar trees known since biblical times.
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