Lebanon

Lebanon - Is officially known as the Republic of Lebanon. Lebanon is an Asian Country and shares borders with Syria, and Israel and the Mediterranean Sea. After France granted this area independence in 1943, it went through a lengthy civil war (1975-1990) which devastated the country. Beirut's reconstruction was almost complete and an increasing number of tourists were coming into Lebanon's resorts. This was until the one month long 2006 Lebanon War, between Israel and the Lebanese Resistance Hezbollah, which caused significant civilian death and caused an estimated $3.6 billion in infrastructure damage, and prompted international donors to pledge nearly $1 billion in recovery and reconstruction assistance. Donors met again in January 2007 at the Paris III Donor Conference and pledged more than $7.5 billion to Lebanon for development projects and budget support, conditioned on progress on Beirut's fiscal reform and privatization program. It is considered one of the banking capitals of Western Asia, and during its heyday was known to some as the "Switzerland of the East" due to its financial power and diversity at the time.
The earliest known settlements in Lebanon date back to earlier than 5000 BC.