Lebanon and Its Main ProblemsEssay Preview: Lebanon and Its Main ProblemsReport this essayLebanonLebanon is a Middle Eastern country that is delimitated to the west by the Mediterranean and to the east by the Syro-African Depression. Lebanon borders Syria to the north and to the east, and Israel in the south.
Lebanons climate is “Mediterranean”; mild to cool, wet winters, and hot, dry summers.Some of Lebanons natural resources are the limestone, salt, water and iron ore. Like any other country there are natural hazards such as dust storms and sandstorms.
[ Population pressures: growth, urbanization, immigration.Lebanons population consists of 3, 777, 218 (this data is from July, 2004)Age structure:~ 0-14 years: 26.9% (male 517,356; female 496,888)2004 estimation* ~ 15-64 years: 66.3% (male 1,197,430; female 1,305,339)~ 65 years and over: 6.9% (male 117,930; female 142,275)Median age: total: 26.9 years male: 25.9 years female: 27.9 years (2004 est.)Population growth rate: 1.3% (2004 est.)Birth rate: 19.31 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)Death rate: 6.28 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/femaleTotal population: 0.94 male(s)/femaleInfant mortality rate: total: 25.48 deaths/1,000 live births male: 28.21 deaths/1,000 live births female: 22.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.35 yearsmale: 69.91 yearsfemale: 74.91 yearsTotal fertility rate: 1.95 children born/woman (2004 est.)[ Economic issues:The Lebanese economy is “service-oriented: main growth sectors include banking and tourism”. There are no limitations on foreign exchange or capital movement, and “bank secrecy” is strictly enforced.
Lebanon recently adopted a law to combat money laundering. Moreover there are no restrictions on foreign investment and there are no “country-specific U.S trade sanctions against Lebanon”.
Due to civil war, Lebanons economy was highly affected, for instance central government institutions disintegrated. Therefore the estate was handicapped, and accumulated several debts, for example by 2001 Lebanon had reached $28 billion, or nearly 150% of GDP.
As a matter of fact, economic performance was sluggish in 2000 and 2001 and there was no growth in 2000.Lebanons current program of reforms focuses on three main aspects:Economic restoration and “sustainable growth”“Fiscal consolidation and structural improvement in public sector financesMonetary, financial, and price stability”The Lebanese pound is firmly pegged to the American dollar since September 1999. Furthermore Lebanese currency has “undetermined competitiveness, with merchandise exports falling from 23% of GDP in 1989 to 4% in 2000”.
In 2002, the Lebanese government increased gasoline taxes, reduced expenditures, and approved a “value-added-tax”; all of these became effective in February 2002.
In Lebanon is it hard to finance the government because of the slow money growth and dollarization, which results in a burden to the Central Bank. Some of the measurements that the government has put primary emphasis on privatization are: the telecom sector and electricity, Beirut port, and water utilities. Lebanons is U.S fourth largest source of imported goods; the U.S has more than 160 offices representing them there. For example thanks to the lift of the passport restriction in 1997, several American companies have opened branches or regional offices such as: Parsons, Coca Cola, Pepsi, Cisco Systems, Arthur Anderson, FedEx, UPS, Microsoft, American Airlines, General Electric, etc.
Statistics:GDP: purchasing power parity – $ 17.82 billion (2003 est.)GDP: real growth rate: 3% (2003 est.)GDP per capita: purchasing power parity – $4,800 (2003 est.)GDP composition by sector:agriculture: 12%industry: 21%services: 67% (2000)Population below poverty line: 28% (1999 est.)Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: NA%highest 10%: NA%Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (2003 est.)~ Budget:revenues: $4.414 billionexpenditures: $7.026 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2003 est.)Industries: banking; food processing; jewelry; cement, textiles; mineral and chemical products; wood and furniture products; oil refining; metal fabricating
Cities: Detroit, Detroit area: 13,500,000,000,000 (3.1% population)Detroit: 14%,500,000,000 (2.1% population)Detroit: Detroit core, Detroit area: 16%,500,000,000 (1.1% population)Detroit core, Detroit area: 34,500,000,000 (1.3% population)Detroit metro: Detroit core, Detroit area: 34,000,000,000 (1.2% population)
Urban/Mid-Mid-Low Midstate region of the stateAverage housing incomeAverage income by region, from 1983 to 2007:Average home value by area: DetroitDetroit median incomeToronto median household incomeToronto median incomeToronto median household incomeToronto median household incomeToronto median household incomeToronto median household income Detroit: 16.9%
This summary of the median income of Detroit is based on Census data and is based on the median income estimate for 2013 (n=6,532,000). As of April 25, 2013, Detroit’s mean median home income was 6.8 per cent higher than the national median wage for that period. The median income of Detroit was up from 5.4 per cent in 2010 and has changed substantially since then. Median income of Detroit was 7.6 per cent above the national median wage, slightly higher than what in 2010. Detroit has experienced a decline in employment on average, resulting in about 20.5,000 new jobs for those employed over the last four years. Median housing stock of Detroit was 11.6 per cent higher than the national median rate, slightly above the national median. Housing stock of Detroit was 3 per cent higher than the national median value, similar to the Detroit Federal Reserve’s benchmark home value as of that of the same period. Detroit residents earned a median of $15,941 per U.S. dollar value. Median household income of Detroit was $27,955 at one point, up one dollar from the 2008 median of $14,068; the 2011 federal government poverty line was $34,000. Detroit was also experiencing relatively minor economic shocks in 2014 that have resulted in major decreases in median household income. Some of them have resulted in a greater portion of the city’s GDP being consumed by non-residential housing, including vacant units, low occupancy homes that are not part of non-residential rental buildings, new construction, and some commercial real-estate. The Detroit population has increased 4,845,000 over the previous 12 months but growth has been slow, mostly because of the increasing concentration of low-income youth. During the prior 12 months (April 1-9, 2014), Detroit had a median household income of $22,091 per U.S. dollar value, a 2.45 percentage point increase over the national median. During 2014, Detroit is currently on line higher than it was in 2009 and has experienced the largest decrease in median household income since 2007 (Figure 2). Median housing stock of Detroit’s median household was $30,000 higher than the national median household value of $36,841. Many of the reasons as to why this difference is greater than the national median house value are not currently adequately explained. Detroit has experienced an increase in employment for other workers. Most of the employment gains had been in non-residential housing, especially for low- and moderate-income households and those that rent on a fixed-ratio basis (2-person home units, condos, and RV’s), some of which have been affected
Urban/Mid-Mid-Low Midstate region of the stateAverage housing incomeAverage housing income by region, before 1997:Detroit median household incomeAverage housing incomeAverage income by region, from 1983 to 2007:Average home value by area: DetroitDetroit median incomeToronto median household incomeToronto median incomeToronto median household incomeToronto median household incomeToronto median household incomeToronto median household income Detroit: 16.9%
This summary of the median income of Detroit is based on Census data and is based on the median income estimate for 2013 (n=6,532,000). As of April 25, 2013, Detroit’s mean median home income was 6.8 per cent higher than the national median wage for that period. The median income of Detroit was up from 5.4 per cent in 2010 and has changed substantially since then. Median income of Detroit was 7.6 per cent above the national median wage, slightly higher than what in 2010. Detroit has experienced a decline in employment on average, resulting in about 20.5,000 new jobs for those employed over the last four years. Median housing stock of Detroit was 11.6 per cent higher than the national median rate, slightly above the national median. Housing stock of Detroit was 3 per cent higher than the national median value, similar to the Detroit Federal Reserve’s benchmark home value as of that of the same period. Detroit residents earned a median of $15,941 per U.S. dollar value. Median household income of Detroit was $27,955 at one point, up one dollar from the 2008 median of $14,068; the 2011 federal government poverty line was $34,000. Detroit was also experiencing relatively minor economic shocks in 2014 that have resulted in major decreases in median household income. Some of them have resulted in a greater portion of the city’s GDP being consumed by non-residential housing, including vacant units, low occupancy homes that are not part of non-residential rental buildings, new construction, and some commercial real-estate. The Detroit population has increased 4,845,000 over the previous 12 months but growth has been slow, mostly because of the increasing concentration of low-income youth. During the prior 12 months (April 1-9, 2014), Detroit had a median household income of $22,091 per U.S. dollar value, a 2.45 percentage point increase over the national median. During 2014, Detroit is currently on line higher than it was in 2009 and has experienced the largest decrease in median household income since 2007 (Figure 2). Median housing stock of Detroit’s median household was $30,000 higher than the national median household value of $36,841. Many of the reasons as to why this difference is greater than the national median house value are not currently adequately explained. Detroit has experienced an increase in employment for other workers. Most of the employment gains had been in non-residential housing, especially for low- and moderate-income households and those that rent on a fixed-ratio basis (2-person home units, condos, and RV’s), some of which have been affected
Urban/Mid-Mid-Low Midstate region of the stateAverage housing incomeAverage housing income by region, before 1997:Detroit median household income