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Beirut

Capital of LebanonBeirut stands on a peninsula on Lebanon's Mediterranean coast, with the Lebanon Mountains rising behind it to the east.

Why it's the capital

People have lived in Beirut for more than 5,000 years. When France created the State of Greater Lebanon on 1 September 1920, General Henri Gouraud named Beirut its capital, and it stayed the capital when Lebanon became independent in 1943.

Fun facts

  1. The name comes from an old Phoenician word meaning 'wells'.
  2. The name first appears in the 14th century BC, on clay tablets known as the Amarna letters.
  3. In Roman times, as Berytus, the city had a famous law school, until an earthquake in 551 forced its students to move to Sidon.

Finding it on the globe

Lebanon's coast is short and runs north to south: Beirut is halfway along it, west of Damascus, where a knob of land pokes into the sea.

Sources: Wikipedia: Beirut, Wikipedia: State of Greater Lebanon