Southern Lebanon () is the area of

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

comprising the

South Governorate South Governorate ( ar, الجنوب; transliterated: al-Janub) is one of the governorates of Lebanon. South Lebanon has a population of 500,000 inhabitants and an area of 929.6 km2. The capital is Sidon. The lowest elevation is sea-level ...

and the Nabatiye Governorate. The two entities were divided from the same province in the early 1990s. The

Rashaya Rashaya, Rachaya, Rashaiya, Rashayya or Rachaiya ( ar, راشيا), also known as Rashaya al-Wadi or Rachaya el-Wadi (and variations), is a town of the Rashaya District in the west of the Jnoub Government of Lebanon. It is situated at around ab ...

and Western Beqaa Districts, the southernmost districts of the

Beqaa Governorate Beqaa ( ') is a governorate in Lebanon. Districts Since 2014, Beqaa Governorate contains three districts: * West Beqaa * Rashaya * Zahle A law was passed in 2003 to separate Baalbek District and Hermel District from Beqaa Governorate to form ...

, in Southern Lebanon are sometimes included. The main cities of the region are

Sidon Sidon ( ; he, צִידוֹן, ''Ṣīḏōn'') known locally as Sayda or Saida ( ar, صيدا ''Ṣaydā''), is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate, of which it is the capital, on the Mediterranean coast. ...

, Tyre,

Jezzine Jezzine ( ''Jizzīn'') is a town in Lebanon, located from Sidon and south of Beirut. It is the capital of Jezzine District. Surrounded by mountain peaks, pine forests (like the Bkassine Pine Forest), and at an average altitude of 950 m ...

and

Nabatiyeh Nabatieh ( ar, النبطية, links=no, ', ), or Nabatîyé (), is the city of the Nabatieh Governorate, in southern Lebanon. The population is not accurately known as no census has been taken in Lebanon since the 1930s; estimates range from ...

. The

caza Caza (), the pseudonym of Philippe Cazaumayou (; born 14 November 1941), is a French comics artist. Biography At 18, Cazaumayou started a career in advertising which lasted for ten years, but in 1970 he entered the field of bandes dessinées, ...

s of

Bint Jbeil Bint Jbeil () is the second largest town in the Nabatiye Governorate in Southern Lebanon. The town has an estimated population of 30,000. Its exact population is unknown, because Lebanon has not conducted a population census since 1932. Histo ...

, Tyre, and Nabatieh in Southern Lebanon are known for their large Shi'a Muslim population with a minority of

Christians 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� ...

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 disagree ...

, with the rest of the caza of Sidon having a Shi'a Muslim majority, with a considerable Christian minority, mainly

Melkite Greek Catholic el, Μελχιτική Ελληνική Καθολική Εκκλησία , image = Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Damascus, Syria.jpg , imagewidth = 200px , alt = , caption = , abbreviatio ...

s. The cazas of

and

Marjeyoun Marjayoun ( ar, مرج عيون: Lebanese pronunciation), also Marj 'Ayoun, Marjuyun or Marjeyoun (lit. "meadow of springs") and Jdeideh / Jdeida / Jdeidet Marjeyoun, is a Lebanese town and an administrative district, the Marjeyoun District, in ...

have a Christian majority and also Shia Muslims. The villages of

Ain Ebel ʿAin Ebel ( ar, عين إبل; Syriac: ), the ancient 'En Bol, is a village located in the Lebanese Upper Galilee in the Caza of Bint Jbeil in the Nabatiye Governorate in Lebanon. Etymology Historian Taissier Khalaf writes that the name of t ...

, Debel, Qaouzah, and

Rmaich Rmeish ( ar, رميش) is located in the District of Bint Jbeil, Lebanon near the Lebanese-Israeli border covering an area of . The ruins found in the village indicate that the area was occupied by the Romans and the Crusaders at some stage in hi ...

are entirely Christian Maronite. The caza of

Hasbaya Hasbeya or Hasbeiya ( ar, حاصبيا) is a town in Lebanon, situated at the foot of Mount Hermon, overlooking a deep amphitheatre from which a brook flows to the Hasbani. In 1911, the population was about 5000. Hasbaya is the capital of the Wa ...

has a

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 ...

majority.

History

Free Lebanon State and South Lebanon security belt

Southern Lebanon became the location of the self-proclaimed

Free Lebanon State The Free Lebanon State ( ar, دولة لبنان الحر, translit=Dawlat Lubnān al-Ḥurr), also known as the State of Free Lebanon, was a short-lived state that existed from 1979 to 1984. Proclaimed on 18 April 1979 by Saad Haddad, a Lebanes ...

, announced in 1979 by

Saad Haddad Saad Haddad ( ar, سعد حداد; 1936 – 14 January 1984) was the founder and head of the South Lebanon Army (SLA) during the Lebanese Civil War. For years Haddad was closely collaborating and receiving arms and political support from Israel ...

. The state failed to gain international recognition, and its authority deteriorated with the death of Saad Haddad in 1984. Southern Lebanon has also featured prominently in the Israel-Lebanon conflict.

Ahmadinejad's state visit

In October 2010

Iranian President The president of Iran ( fa, رئیس‌جمهور ایران, Rayis Jomhur-e Irān) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The president is the second highest-ranking official of Iran after the Supreme Leader. The president i ...

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ( fa, محمود احمدی‌نژاد, Mahmūd Ahmadīnežād ), born Mahmoud Sabbaghian ( fa, محمود صباغیان, Mahmoud Sabbāghyān, 28 October 1956),

visited South Lebanon. This was his first visit to Lebanon since he first assumed office in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

in 2005. Both

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

condemned the trip as being "provocative." Ahmadinejad was welcomed by tens of thousands of supporters of

Hezbollah Hezbollah (; ar, حزب الله ', , also transliterated Hizbullah or Hizballah, among others) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group, led by its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah since 1992. Hezbollah's paramili ...

, Iran's Shiite Muslim ally in Lebanon which has been branded a terrorist organization in part or whole by much of South America, the EU, the Arab League, the United States and Israel. This is despite its participation in Lebanon's fragile government.

Cities and districts

* Aaramta * Al Rihan * Alma ash-Shab (Aalma ach Chaab) * Abbasieh * Adlun * Al Mansuri *

Ain Baal Ain Baal ( ar, عين بعال) is a Lebanese village located in the Caza of Tyre in the South Governorate of Lebanon. The municipality is member of Federation of Tyr (Sour) District Municipalities. Origin of name E. H. Palmer wrote that the ...

or Ayn Bal * Aitaroun or Aytarun * Ansariyeh or Insariye * Ansar * Ash Shawmara * At Tayyabah * At Tiri * Aitit *

Aynata Aynata ( ar, عيناتا) is a village in Lebanon. It is located in the southern portion of the country. A stronghold for Hezbollah, during the war with Israel in 2006, about 60% of the homes in the town were destroyed. The terrain consists of ...

* Ayta ash Shab (Ayta al-Sha'b, Ayta) * Baraachit * Barish * Bayt Lif * baytulay * Bazouryeh * Beit Yahoun *

* Blida, Lebanon * Borj el Shamali or Borj Chemali * Borj Qalaouiyeh * Borj Rahal * Boustane * Brashit * Braikeh * Chaqra *

Chtoura Chtaura ( ar, شتورا) is a town in Lebanon in the fertile Beqaa valley located between the Mount Lebanon and Syria. It is located halfway on the Beirut - Damascus highway. It is located from Beirut. Chtaura is the valley's hub for banking, ...

* Deir Kifa * Deyrintar * Dayr Qanunc * Deir Qanoun En Nahr * Derdghaya * Dibil or Debel * Dibbine *

Doueir Doueir (Arabic: دوير, ''ad-Duwayr''), or Dweir, is a village of 7,500 inhabitants in Southern Lebanon near Nabatieh, and north of the Litani River. It is located directly next to the village of Charkiyeh. Although Doueir is considered a big ...

* Ebel el Saki * El Biyyadah or Al Bayyadah * El Hennyeh or Al Hinniyah * El Mansoun or Al Mansuri * El Qlaile or Al Qulaylah * El Soultaniyeh *

Fardis Fardis (Persian: فردیس) is a city in Alborz Province, Iran. Gallery 2nd square of Fardis.jpg, Second square of main blvd. of Fardis See also * Karaj Karaj ( fa, کرج, ) is the capital of Alborz Province, Iran, and effectively a sat ...

* Frun * Ghandouriyeh * Ghaziyeh * Ghassaniyeh * Hadata or Haddathah *

Hanaway Hanaouay, Henawei, ( ar, حانويه) is a village in the Tyre District in Southern Lebanon, located north-west of Qana. Name According to E. H. Palmer, ''Henawei'' means "the little bend". History In the early 1860s, Ernest Renan noted: ...

Harris Harris may refer to: Places Canada * Harris, Ontario * Northland Pyrite Mine (also known as Harris Mine) * Harris, Saskatchewan * Rural Municipality of Harris No. 316, Saskatchewan Scotland * Harris, Outer Hebrides (sometimes called the Isl ...

or Harres *

Hula Hula () is a Hawaiian dance form accompanied by chant (oli) or song (mele). It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Native Hawaiians who originally settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visual ...

or Houla * Hounin *

Jabal Amel Jabal Amil ( ar, جبل عامل, Jabal ʿĀmil), also spelled Jabal Amel and historically known as Jabal Amila, is a cultural and geographic region in Southern Lebanon largely associated with its long-established, predominantly Twelver Shia Musl ...

* Jarjouh * Jarmaq * jebchet * Jmaijmah * Joiya or Jouaya or Jwayya *

Qabrikha Qabrikha (), also spelled Abrika or Kabrika, is a village in the Marjeyoun District, in southern Lebanon. Name According to E. H. Palmer, the name ''Abrika'' comes from a personal name. History In 1852 Edward Robinson noted: "On approaching the ...

or Kabrikha * Kaakaeit al-Jesser * Kafra, Lebanon * Kafr Dunin * Kafr Kila *

Kawkaba Kawkaba (), known to the Crusaders as Coquebel, was a Palestinian Arab village that was occupied by Israel during Operation Yoav during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and depopulated. Location The village was situated on an uneven stretch of red-bro ...

or Kaoukaba * Kfar Melki * Kafarrouman * Khirbet Selm *

Khiam Khiam ( ar, الخيام; sometimes spelled Khiyam) is a large town in the Nabatieh Governorate of Southern Lebanon. Location Khiam is situated approximately south from the capital city of Beirut and south-east from the city of Nabatieh. The b ...

* Kfarchouba * Kfarfila * Kfarhamam * Kfar Tebnit * Kounin * Maachouq * Mahrouna * Majdel Balhis *

Majdel Selm Majdal Selem, or Mejdel Islim and Majdal Zun, ( ar, مجدل سلم) is a village the Marjeyoun District in Southern Lebanon. Name According to E. H. Palmer, the name ''Mejdel Islim'' means ''Islim’s watch-tower'', p.n. Majdel Selem means ...

or Majdal Zun * Marakeh *

Marjayoun Marjayoun ( ar, مرج عيون: Lebanese pronunciation), also Marj 'Ayoun, Marjuyun or Marjeyoun (lit. "meadow of springs") and Jdeideh / Jdeida / Jdeidet Marjeyoun, is a Lebanese town and an administrative district, the Marjeyoun District, i ...

—a Lebanese Christian village * Markaba (Marqaba) *

Maroun al-Ras Maroun el-Ras ( ar, مارون الراس) is a Lebanese village nestled in Jabal Amel (Mount Amel) in the district of Bint Jbeil in the Nabatiye Governorate in southern Lebanon. It is located around south east of Beirut, roughly one km (0.62&n ...

* Marwahin * Maaroub * Mayfadoun * Meiss el Jabal or Mays al Jabal *

Mlikh Mlikh () is a mountain village in the Jezzine district, located in the South Governorate in Southern Lebanon. It lies on the Al Rihan mountain chain (around 4,000-7,000 feet above sea level, Mlikh is located at around 1,280 meters and higher at o ...

Miye ou Miye Miye ou Miye ( ar, المية ومية, ) is a village in southern Lebanon located 5 km (3.2 mi) East of Sidon and 45 km (28 mi) south of the capital Beirut and it overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. The village lies at an avera ...

* Maghdouche * Nabatiye or

Naqoura Naqoura (, ''Enn Nâqoura, Naqoura, An Nāqūrah'') is a small city in southern Lebanon. Since March 23, 1978, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been headquartered in Naqoura. Name According to E. H. Palmer (1881), the nam ...

(Nakoura, An-Naqurah) * Niha * Nmairiyeh * Odaisseh * Oum el Ahmad * Qlayaa *

Qana Qana, also spelled Cana or Kana, ( ar, قانا) is a town in southern Lebanon located southeast of the city of Tyre and north of the border with Israel, in an area historically known as Upper Galilee. The 10,000 residents of Qana are prim ...

Qantara Qanater (plural of Qantara, the Arabic word for bridge) may refer to: Places Algeria * El Kantara * El Kantara District Egypt * El Qantara, Egypt, a city on both sides of the Suez Canal Giza Governorate * Manshiyat al Qanater Qalyubia Governor ...

* Rab El Thalathine * Rachaf—a small town * Rachaya El Foukhar—Hasbaya Qaza * Ramyah * Ras Al-Biyada *

* Rmadyeh * Roûm *

Selaa Selaa, Silảh, ( ar, سلع) is a village in the Tyre District in Southern Lebanon. Name According to E. H. Palmer, Silảh comes from "the crevasse". History In 1875, Victor Guérin found here 250 Metuali inhabitants. He further noted: "H ...

* Shabriha * Shebaa and

Shebaa Farms The Shebaa Farms, also spelled Sheba'a Farms ( ar, مزارع شبعا, '; he, חוות שבעא, ''Havot Sheba‘a'' or הר דוב, ''Har Dov''), are a small strip of land at the intersection of the Lebanese-Syrian border and the Israeli-oc ...

(ownership disputed, occupied by Israel since 1967) * Shihin, Lebanon * Shhur * Siddiqine *

or Saida * Sir el Gharbiyeh *

Srifa Srifa ( ar, صريفا) is a town in Southern Lebanon, located in Tyre District, Governorate of South Lebanon. It is located 22 kilometres east of the city Tyros and 90 kilometers south of the capital Beirut. It is the birthplace of Rima Fakih, ...

* Sujod * As-Sultaniyah * Tallousa * Tair Debbe * Tayr Harfa or Tair Harfa * Tayr Falsayh * Taibeh *

Tebnine Tebnine ( ar, تبنين ''Tibnīn'', also Romanized ''Tibnine'') is a Lebanese town spread across several hills (ranging in altitude from 700m to 800m (2,275 ft to 2,600 ft) above sea level) located about east of Tyre (Lebanon), ...

(Tebnine, Tibneen), site of the former

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

town

Toron Toron, now Tibnin or Tebnine in southern Lebanon, was a major Crusader castle, built in the Lebanon mountains on the road from Tyre to Damascus. The castle was the centre of the Lordship of Toron, a seigneury within the Kingdom of Jerusalem ...

* Tulin, Lebanon (Toulin) * Tura * Tyre or Sur * Saida district *

district * Tyre district *

Wadi al-Taym Wadi al-Taym ( ar, وادي التيم, Wādī al-Taym), also transliterated as Wadi el-Taym, is a wadi (dry river) that forms a large fertile valley in Lebanon, in the districts of Rachaya and Hasbaya on the western slopes of Mount Hermon. It adj ...

Yarin Yarine ( ar, يارين) is a village in the Tyre District in South Lebanon, located 19 kilometres south of Tyre. The people of the village are Sunni Muslims. Name According to E. H. Palmer in 1881, the name ''Kh. Yarin'' comes from "the ruin of ...

Yaroun Yaroun (also spelled Yarun; ar, يارون)From personal name, according to Palmer, 1881, p104"perhaps the Iron of Josh. xix 38" is a Lebanese village located in the Caza of Bint Jbeil in the Nabatieh Governorate in Lebanon. Geography Yaroun oc ...

or Yarun * Yahun * Yater or Yatar * Zibdine * Zibqin

Other notable sites

* Abou Assouad River *

Awali River The Awali ( ar, نهر الأولي / ALA-LC: ''Nahr al-Awalī'', ancient Bostrenus / Bostrenos) is a perennial river flowing in Southern Lebanon. In ancient times it was known as the River Asclepius. It is long, originating from the Barouk moun ...

* El Zahrani River *

Litani River The Litani River ( ar, نهر الليطاني, Nahr al-Līṭānī), the classical Leontes ( grc-gre, Λέοντες, Léontes, lions), is an important water resource in southern Lebanon. The river rises in the fertile Beqaa Valley, west of Ba ...

* Saitaniq River * Kasmieh River *

Blue Line (Lebanon) The Blue Line is a demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel and Lebanon and the Golan Heights published by the United Nations on 7 June 2000 for the purposes of determining whether Israel had fully withdrawn from Lebanon. It has been describe ...

* Beaufort Castle *

Palestinian refugee camps Camps are set up by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to accommodate Palestinian refugees registered with UNRWA, who fled or were expelled during the 1948 Palestinian ...

in Lebanon, including

Ain al-Hilweh Ain al-Hilweh ( ar, عين الحلوة, lit. meaning "sweet natural spring"), also spelled as Ayn al-Hilweh and Ein al-Hilweh, is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. It had a population of over 70,000 Palestinian refugees but swel ...

, Nabatieh camp and Wavel * Ras al-Ain, Lebanon

References

External links

South Lebanon Website
{{Coord missing, Lebanon Regions of Lebanon Geography of Lebanon Israeli–Lebanese conflict 2006 Lebanon War