| Mount Lebanon Governorate | |
| Native Name: | Arabic: محافظة جبل لبنان |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Lebanon |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Baabda |
| Leader Title: | Governor |
| Leader Name: | Charbel Tabet |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 1238 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Est: | 1520016 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 31 December 2017 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Iso Code: | LB-JL |
| Timezone1: | EET |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | EEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +3 |
Mount Lebanon Governorate (Arabic: محافظة جبل لبنان) is one of the nine governorates of Lebanon. Its capital is Baabda. Other notable towns and cities include Aley, Bikfaya, and Beit Mery.
This governorate is named after the mountainous region of Mount Lebanon and, except for the small Beirut Governorate which it surrounds, spans the stretch of the Mediterranean coast between Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate and South Governorate.
The Governorate of Mount Lebanon (except the area around Beirut) extends along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders the Northern Governorate in the northern part and the Southern Governorate in the southern part. On the eastern side, it borders the governorates of Bekaa and Baalbek-Hermel.
The governorate's altitude ranges from zero to 3,000 meters above sea level. It has diverse geographical features, including urban areas, mixed rural areas and natural areas. It is crossed by 5 rivers (Nahr El Kalb, Nahr Beirut, Damour, Awali River and Nahr Ibrahim) and includes the Shabrouh Dam with a capacity of 8 million cubic meters of water.
The governorate is divided into four districts (, singular qaḍāʼ):
| District | Arabic name | Capital | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic: قضاء عاليه | Aley | ||
| Arabic: قضاء بعبدا | Baabda | ||
| Arabic: قضاء الشوف | Beiteddine | ||
| Arabic: قضاء المتن | Jdeideh |
The districts of Jbeil and Keserwan were part of Mount Lebanon Governorate until 7 September 2017, when they were separated to form Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate.[3] [4]
Mount Lebanon has a Christian majority[5] [6] with the presence of other religious groups such as Muslims. Maronites live in the Metn and Baabda districts (other Christian denominations such as Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Greek Catholics make up the rest of the population alongside Muslims). The Druze are the majority in the Aley district and a plurality in the Chouf district (nearly equal in numbers with Sunni Muslims and Christians). Shia minorities live in the Coast areas of Baabda District like Borj Al Barajneh, Haret Hreik, Ghobeiry and Chiyah.[7]
There are no accurate statistics, but according to the number of registered voters in 2005, the percentage of Christians is 65.8%, followed by Druze with 15.43%, then Sunnis with 8.23%, followed by Shiites with 7.76%.[8]
The economy of Mount Lebanon Governorate depends mainly on industrial activities. The Governorate includes the highest percentage of industrial establishments in Lebanon (about 58% of the total Lebanese industrial establishments). Most of these establishments work in the food industries sector (17.93%), thus representing 34% of the total number of companies engaged in food industries. This sector is followed by paper and printing companies, which constitute 13.15% of the industrial establishments in Mount Lebanon. There are more than 12 industrial zones in Mount Lebanon, near the port of Beirut.
The Governorate of Mount Lebanon includes five tourist sites out of the nine most attractive sites for tourists. It also includes 260 hotels, which is the highest percentage among the governorates, with the exception of Beirut.