Greater Beirut ( ar, بيروت الكبرى; french: Grand Beyrouth) is the

urban agglomeration An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities ...

comprising the city of Beirut ( Beirut Governorate) and the adjacent municipalities over the

Mount Lebanon Governorate french: Gouvernorat du Mont-Liban , native_name_lang = , image_map = Administrative divisions of Lebanon 2017-08 (Numbered).png , map_caption = The governorates of Lebanon, including Mount Lebanon (in pink, label ...

. It does not constitute a single administrative unit. Greater Beirut geographically stretches south to the

Damour River Damour river or (, Nahr Al Damour) is a coastal river in the Mount Lebanon Governorate in Lebanon. The river's headwaters originate in and around the slopes of the 1943-meter peak Jabal el-Barouk, site of a nature preserve where some of Lebanon' ...

in the Chouf District until it reaches the "

Nahr al-Kalb The Nahr al-Kalb ( ar, نهر الكلب, meaning ''Dog River'') is a river in Lebanon. It runs for from a spring in Jeita near the Jeita Grotto to the Mediterranean Sea. Inscriptions Nahr al-Kalb is the ancient Lycus River. Past generals and c ...

" river in the

Keserwan District Keserwan District ( ar, قضاء كسروان, transliteration: ''Qaḍā' Kisrawān'') is a district (''qadaa'') in Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon, to the northeast of Lebanon's capital Beirut. The capital, Jounieh, is overwhelmingly Maroni ...

in the north. It also comprises many towns and cities in the mountains in the

Aley District Aley ( ar, عاليه) is a district ('' qadaa'') in Mount Lebanon, Lebanon, to the south-east of the Lebanon's capital Beirut. The capital is Aley. Aley city was previously known as the "bride of the summers" during the 1960 and 1970s, when Al ...

Baabda District Baabda District ( ar, قضاء بعبدا, transliteration: ''Qada' Baabda''), sometimes spelled ''B'abda'', is a district (''qadaa'') of Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon, to the south and east of the Lebanon's capital Beirut. The region is als ...

and

Metn District Matn ( ar, قضاء المتن, '), sometimes spelled Metn (or preceded by the article El, as in El Matn), is a district (''qadaa'') in the Mount Lebanon Governorate of Lebanon, east of the Lebanon's capital Beirut. The district capital is J ...

Districts, most notably being the cities of

Baabda Baabda ( ar, بعبدا) is the capital city of Baabda District as well as the capital of Mount Lebanon Governorate, western Lebanon. Baabda was the capital city of the autonomous Ottoman Mount Lebanon. Baabda is known for the Ottoman Castle (t ...

, Beit Mery, Bchamoun and

Mtaileb Mtaileb or Mtayleb ( ar, المطيلب) is a suburb north of Beirut in the Matn District of Mount Lebanon Governorate in Lebanon. Mtaileb I Mtaileb I or Rabiya is an archaeological site located east northeast of Antelias in a wooded ravin ...

. The

conurbation A conurbation is a region comprising a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ca ...

spreads south, east, and north of Beirut city. To the west, the Eastern Mediterranean Sea serves as a natural boundary.

Demographics

Greater Beirut is equally split between Christians and Muslims: * West Beirut is predominantly

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

(30%). * South Beirut is predominantly

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...

(15%). * East and North Beirut are predominantly

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

(55%), of which 35%

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and 20%

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

. Other minorities including

Druze The Druze (; ar, دَرْزِيٌّ, ' or ', , ') are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group from Western Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion based on the teachings of ...

amount to 1%.

List of settlements

* Ain Aanoub *

Ain Saadeh Ain Saadeh ( ar, عين سعادة, also spelled Ain Saadée and Ain Saade) is a suburb located northeast of the capital Beirut in Lebanon. Demography Ain Saade is a traditional Christian village located in the mountains of Lebanon overlooking t ...

* Antelias * Aramoun *

* Basateen * Bdadoun * Bechamoun *

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

* Beit Chabab * Beit Mery *

Bourj Hammoud Bourj Hammoud (also spelled Burj Hammud; ar, بُرْجُ حَمُّودٍ; hy, Պուրճ Համուտ) is a town and municipality in Lebanon located north-east of the capital Beirut, in the Matn District, and is part of Greater Beirut. The t ...

Bourj el-Barajneh Bourj el-Barajneh ( ar, برج البراجنة, lit=Tower of Towers) is a municipality located in the southern suburbs of Beirut, in Lebanon. The municipality lies between Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport and the town of Haret Hrei ...

* Bsalim * Choueifat * Chemlane *

Chiyah Chiyah () is situated in the west region of the Lebanese capital of Beirut and is part of Greater Beirut. Location Chiyah is located in the southwest suburbs of the capital Beirut, bordered by Haret Hreik, Ghobeiry, Hadath, Hazmiyeh, Furn-el-c ...

Damour Damour ( ar, الدامور) is a Lebanese Christian town that is south of Beirut. The name of the town is derived from the name of the Phoenician god Damoros who symbolized immortality ( in Arabic). Damour also remained the capital of Mount ...

Dahieh Dahieh ( ar, الضاحية الجنوبية, lit=the southern suburb, french: Banlieue Sud de Beyrouth, Dâhiye de Beyrouth) is a predominantly Shia Muslim suburb, located south of Beirut, in the Baabda District of Lebanon. It is composed of sev ...

Dbayeh Dbayeh ( ar, ضبية) is a city in Lebanon located on the Mediterranean Sea in the Matn District, Mount Lebanon, between Beirut and Jounieh. The majority of the population is Christian, apart from some Gulf Arab Muslims who live there during th ...

* Dora *

Dekwaneh Dekwaneh ( ar, دكوانة translit. Dikwene) (also Dekweneh) is a suburb north of Beirut in the Matn District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon. The population is predominantly Maronite Christian. Tel al-Zaatar, an UNRWA administered ...

* Hadath *

Hazmieh Hazmieh (also Romanized as Hazmiyé, Hazmie, Hasmiyeh, Al Ḩāzimīyah, and El Hâzmîyé) is a town in Mount Lebanon Governorate of Lebanon, and a suburb of Beirut, part of Greater Beirut. Geography Hazmieh covers an area of 2.73 square kilom ...

Jal el Dib Jal El Dib or Jal Ed Dib ( ar, جل الدّيب) is a Lebanese city in the kaza of Matn District, Matn in the Mount Lebanon Governorate11 kilometers north of the capital city of Beirut. History Jal el Dib was originally a small village that gr ...

Jdeideh Jdeideh ( ar, جديدة المتن translit. al-Judaydat), also Jdayde, Jdaideh and Jdeidet el-Matn, is a coastal municipality and the administrative capital of the Matn District in the Mount Lebanon Governorate. Jdeideh has an area of approxim ...

* Khaldeh *

Kfarshima Kfarshima ( ar, كفرشيما), also spelled Kfarchima, is a town in the Baabda District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, southeast of Beirut and is part of Greater Beirut. The town is populated by Lebanese Christians: mainly Melkite Greek ...

* Mansourieh *

Mkalles Mkalles ( ar, المكلس translit. al-Mkalles) is a town in the Matn District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republ ...

Na'ameh Na'ameh ( ar, الناعمة), or Haret en Naameh ( ar, حارة الناعمة, links=no), is a Lebanon, Lebanese coastal town located in the Chouf District, an administrative division of the Mount Lebanon Governorate. Naameh was the site of G ...

* Naccache * Qornet Shehwan *

Rabieh Rabieh () is a suburban area on the northern edge of Greater Beirut, Lebanon, about 13 kilometers driving distance from Beirut. It is located in the foothills of Mount Lebanon, on the road to Bikfaya. Rabieh saw its population increase sharply in ...

Roumieh Roumieh is a village north-east of Beirut in Lebanon. Surrounded by pine-forested hills, Roumieh is a 10- or 15-minute drive from the coast. Roumieh is known as a pleasant, picturesque small mountain town with many gardens. Agriculture In addi ...

Yarze Yarze ( ar, يرزة) is a village in Baabda District southeast of Beirut in Lebanon. The headquarters of the Lebanese Ministry of Defense is located in Yarze. This facility includes the Lebanese Military Museum. In October 1990, following Gen ...

Zalka Zalka or Zalqa ( ar, زلقا), part of Zalka - Amaret Chalhoubis a suburban area located in the northern part of Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon. It is a residential and commercial district that is known for its bustling shopping streets, rest ...

References

Beirut Metropolitan areas of Lebanon {{Lebanon-geo-stub