Lebanon

State of Greater Lebanon (1920-1926), Republic of Lebanon (1926-present)

French Mandate (1923-1943), Independent Country (1943-present)

Location: Levant

Capital City: Beirut

Government type: French Mandate (1923-1943), Republic (1943-present)

Main languages: Arabic

Main religions: Sunni Islam, Shia Islam, Catholic Christianity, Orthodox Christianity, Druze

Chronology

1920: Greater Lebanon established within French-Occupied former Ottoman territory

1923: League of Nations grants France a mandate over Syria and Lebanon

1940-1941: Aligned with Vichy France

1975-1990: Lebanese Civil War

1976-2005: Occupied by Syria

1982-2000: Partially occupied by Israel

2008: Syria and Lebanon normalize relations

Currency

First Pound (1920-1939)

1 Pound/Livre = 100 Piastres/Ghirsh

Second Pound (1939-present)

1 Pound/Livre = 100 Piastres/Ghirsh

Coins from Lebanon in the collection

French Mandate (1920-1943)

•5 Piastre, 1924 (aluminum bronze, Paris mint, KM#2)

•25 Piastre, 1929 (silver (.680), Paris mint, KM#7)

•2.5 Piastre, 1940 (aluminum bronze, Paris mint, KM#10)

Republic (1943-present)

•1 Piastre, 1955 (aluminum bronze, Paris mint, KM#19)

•2.5 Piastre, 1955 (aluminum bronze, Paris mint, KM#20)

•5 Piastre, 1954 (aluminum, Société Orientale des Métaux Précieux (Beirut), KM#18)

•5 Piastre, 1975 (nickel brass, Paris mint, KM#25)

•10 Piastre, 1961 (cupronickel, London mint, KM#24)

•10 Piastre, 1969 (nickel brass, Paris mint, KM#26)

•25 Piastre, 1952 (aluminum bronze, Utrecht mint, KM#16)

•50 Piastre, 1952 (silver (.600), Utrecht mint, KM#17)

•50 Pound, 1996 (stainless steel, Winnipeg mint, KM#37)

•250 Pound, 1996 (aluminum bronze, Winnipeg mint, KM#36)

•250 Pound, 2005 (nordic gold, Vienna mint, KM#36)

•500 Pound, 1995 (nickel-plated steel, Winnipeg mint, KM#39)

•500 Pound, 1996 (nickel-plated steel, Winnipeg mint, KM#39)

Banknotes from Lebanon in the collection

Republic (1943-present)

•1 Pound, 1972 (P#61)

•50 Pound, 1983 (P#65)

•1,000 Pound, 1991 (P#69)

•1,000 Pound, 2004 (P#84)