new internationalist
issue 258 - August 1994
B E I R U T
-T
H EF
A C T S
Beirut is Lebanon in a nutshell. One-third
of the population of the country lives in the
capital, and 800,000 more commute in every day. Today, it is Lebanon's showpiece,
its shopfront, where most of the post-war rebuilding is being concentrated.1
|
NOW
|
| THE ECONOMY
Between 1990 and 1992:  Industrial exports
increased from $190 million to $420 million Construction permits
increased from 2,180 to 10,745 Passengers passing
through Beirut airport have increased from 709,000 to 1,043,000 Electricity production
increased from 1,394 to 4,033 million kilowatts The number of ships
coming to Beirut's port increased from 671 to 3,054 Horizon 2000 is a ten-year
plan for rebuilding Lebanon which will cost $29 billion |
| THE PEOPLE 90,000
families are still internal refugees; several hundred thousand are still
living abroad A minimum of 350,000
Palestinians have no hope of citizenship either in Lebanon or in a new Palestinian
state Unemployment has risen
from 5.5% before the war to 35% today Private income: the
richest fifth of the population receive 55% of private income while the
poorest fifth receive only 4% |
| EDUCATION Teachers
went on strike this year to protest about the Government's strategy on wages Literacy: because they
missed out on education during the war, 382,300 people, or 20% of the population
aged 20 and above are illiterate 3 Government schools
are under-funded. There are not enough state schools to cater for the whole
school population The gap is sometimes
filled by confessional groups; many children would not go to school if it
were not for privately-funded Islamic education |
| ENVIRONMENT The
Government has set up a Ministry for the Environment - but this is still
very weak and a range of new legislation is needed The water table and
most of the natural springs have been polluted - large numbers of illegal
wells were dug during the war Solid and also toxic
waste has been dumped into the sea Air pollution in Beirut
is among the highest in the world Deforestation - including
the mountain cedars which are the Lebanon's national emblem - has left only
3% of the country forested, compared with 18% in the 1950s, though reforestation
is now beginning Improper use of fertilizers
has rendered some previously fertile areas of the Beq'aa valley infertile
due to soil salination |
|
AND
DURING THE WAR...
|
| THE
ECONOMY The
budget deficit rose from 21.8% in 1975 to 81.1% in 1986 In 1980 one US$ bought
3.4 Lebanese pounds. In 1992 this had increased to 1,730 pounds to the $ Gross Domestic Product
declined from 8.1 billion Lebanese pounds in 1974 to 3.8 billion in 1986 Income per head of
the population fell from $1,869 in 1974 to $979 in 1985 Inflation rose from
23.7% in 1980 to 620% in 1987 |
| THE PEOPLE At
least 360,000 people (14% of the population) had at least one member of
their family killed, wounded or kidnapped during the war: Dead 125,000 Wounded 250,000 Missing 174,152 Internal refugees:
1.46 million - more than half the population - between 1975 and 1987 Migration: 637,254
people, mostly professionals or skilled labourers, left the country between
1975 and 1987. Nearly one-quarter of all Lebanese were abroad at some point
during the war 180,000 household units
were destroyed during the war, and as many were seriously damaged |
| EDUCATION There
was not a single year during the war in which most schools did not have
to close due to fighting and shelling - many acted as refugee centres for
long periods To ensure that pupils
covered the basic subjects during these closures, those considered less
important, like art, history, geography and sport were skipped In 1982 50% of schools
were private - today these are too expensive for the majority of the population
Universities split and catered for different confessions; courses with any
'political' content had to be taught in Cyprus |
|
NOW: THE BASICS
Notes: |
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