Atlas of Lebanon
Part 2 - Population and migration
Part 2 – Population and migration
Texte intégral
1The lack of reliable and extensive data about population in Lebanon is a challenge for social sciences. It forces the researchers to rely on estimates that harden time comparison and geographical analysis. For a century, rural population has flocked to the main urban areas, mostly located on the coast, emptying many rural and mountainous regions from their blood. The war-induced population displacements during the Civil War somehow prolonged this exodus and led to sectarian homogenization in many regions and urban sectors.
2Population growth in Lebanon seemed to have smoothed until the recent wave of Syrian refugees. This can be explained by a decrease of the fertility rate and steady out-migrations, the epicenter of which has shifted from America to the Arab Gulf countries since the Civil War. Conversely, Lebanon is also a country of immigrations, receiving a blend of Arab, Asian and African workers.
3The settlement of over one million Syrian refugees represents a social, political and geographical upheaval, which is mostly felt in the northern and eastern districts of the country, already considered as the poorest. Even if only a minority of Syrians live in camps, their lives are very precarious and their access to work, infrastructural and social services is limited.
Table des illustrations
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Titre | Figure II-I : An unofficial campsite inhabited by Syrian refugees in the Bekaa Valley |
Crédits | (© Russell Watkins/Department for International Development, November 2013) |
URL | http://books.openedition.org/ifpo/docannexe/image/13218/img-1.jpg |
Fichier | image/jpeg, 225k |
© Presses de l’Ifpo, 2019