The Republic of Lebanon is a small state located in the Middle East. The coat of arms of Lebanon is not difficult and has a lot of details. Its central figure is a tree. What tree is depicted on the coat of arms of Lebanon? What does it mean for the country?
Republic of Lebanon
Lebanon is located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Its only neighbors are Israel (in the south) and Syria (in the north and east). The republic occupies 10, 542 square kilometers. It is inhabited by 4.5 million inhabitants.
Almost the entire territory of the country is covered by mountains. For this, it is often called the Middle East Switzerland. Low flat areas of relief are found only in the Bekaa Valley and on the coast. Lebanon is the most wooded country in the Middle East. The basis of the plant world is represented by conifers.
Muslim and Christian cultures have long been arguing on the territory of the republic. The population professing Islam is almost 60%, Christianity - 40%. Moreover, under the Constitution, Lebanon is considered a secular state.
Of all the Arab countries, the largest number of Christians are here. In this regard, state power in Lebanon is built on the basis of confessionalism. The president of the country should be a Christian, the prime minister should be a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker should be a Shia Muslim. This ensures that religious denominations have equal access to power.
Lebanon flag and coat of arms
The flag and coat of arms of the country are its official symbols. They were adopted in 1943, immediately after gaining independence from France. The flag represents a rectangular panel with an aspect ratio of 2: 3. His composition is very similar to the coat of arms of Lebanon. The difference is only in the direction of the stripes.
The coat of arms of Lebanon and its flag are divided into three stripes. They are diagonal in the emblem, and horizontal in the flag. The extreme ones are colored red, and the middle one is white. In the center of the white area is a green tree.
In the traditional interpretation, the red sections symbolize the struggle against the enslavers of the republic, namely the French and Ottomans. White color means purity, and is also a symbol of snowy mountain peaks.
According to another version, the coat of arms of Lebanon depicts clans of two tribes - the Causites and the Yemenites. From the 7th to the 18th centuries, they constantly argued for influence in the country, which earned them the right to get on the coat of arms and flag in the form of colored stripes.
