The flag of the Lebanese Republic has a rectangular shape, the sides of which are proportional to each other in a ratio of 2: 3. It consists of three stripes of unequal width of red and white, located horizontally on the panel. The lower and upper stripes are narrower and bright red, while the middle of the flag is white. A green Lebanese cedar tree is schematically depicted in the center of the panel on a white background.
The Lebanese flag in its current form was officially approved on February 1, 1967. The previously existing state symbol was somewhat different in the image of a cedar, which was two-colored. The former flag was adopted as part of the state symbols in 1943. It was then that Lebanon was officially recognized as an independent state, and its struggle for sovereignty ended.
The fate of the state of Lebanon was very difficult. Extreme religious diversity and geopolitical position on the world map have more than once become the reasons for civil wars and protracted armed conflicts. All internal contradictions are reflected on the flag of the country, and it is no coincidence that the red color symbolizes the blood of Lebanese patriots shed in the war of liberation. White stripes are not only the purity of the snowy mountain peaks, but also the thoughts of the best representatives of the Lebanese people.
The Lebanese cedar, the image of which adorns the Lebanese flag, is a traditional symbol of the country and is associated with the Christian religion. It is mentioned in the Bible and symbolizes immortality and righteous thoughts. In the 18th century, the cedar was adopted as a symbol of its faith by the Maronite sect, whose influence on the Lebanese people was the strongest. According to the current traditions of the country's political structure, the post of President of Lebanon and some significant portfolios in the government belong by law to representatives of the Maronites. Thus, the silhouette of a cedar on the Lebanese flag takes on a completely understandable meaning.
Many worthy people were born under the Lebanese flag. The writers Gibran Khalil Gibran and Nassim Nicholas Taleb were born here. On the territory of modern Lebanon, the first alphabet was invented, glass was obtained and the first soap in the history of civilization was brewed. Today's Lebanon is a country with a rich cultural heritage, a historical past, which is often called the Middle Eastern Switzerland.
