Geography, Weather, & Wildlife of Lebanon
WARNING: Terrorist threats and violence exist in Lebanon, please read this travel warning before going!
Geography
Church in the mountains
Lebanon is a small Middle Eastern country that sits on the Mediterranean Sea. To Lebanon's south is Israel, to their east and north is Syria, and to their west is the Mediterranean.
Along the Mediterranean coast, Lebanon is fairly flat and hospitable. Moving to the east the Jabal Lubnan Mountains rise up before dipping into the country's fertile valley, which is where much of the population lives outside of the coastal areas. Moving towards Syria, another small mountain range rises up called the Jabal ask sharqi.
Weather
Lebanon has hot and dry summers, with short and wetter winters. Winters tend to be riddled with high humidity and short rainstorms and temperatures can get to freezing as snow does occasionally fall; this is especially true in the northern mountains, where some mountain peaks are snow covered for much of the year. However, most of the country remains relatively warm with Beirut receiving average temperatures of about 55° F (13° C) in the winter months. Summers can be very hot or quite cool depending on the wind direction, but they generally are more arid than winters. Winds from Europe tend to cool the country, while winds from the east or south tend to heat the region. However, the coast isn't as susceptible to these changes as the Mediterranean tends to even the changes. During the summers, the coast including Beirut averages 80° F (27° C).