Lebanon

two limestone mountain ranges of northern Syria. The name signifies white. The ranges run parallel to the eastern shore of the Mediterraanean. They inclose a valley drained by the upper course of the River Jordan. The range east of this valley is called Anti-Lebanon by way of distinction. The highest peak of Lebanon is about 10,000 feet high, higher than any peak in eastern North America. The upper ridges are barren; the lower slopes and valleys afford tillage and pasturage. The fig, olive, and oak are seen. The famous cedars of Lebanon that once clothed the ranges in evergreen have been exterminated save a few venerable trees. Hyenas, wolves, jackals, foxes, and other wild beasts still lurk in rocky glens in the caverns in which a limestone range abounds. The northern part of the region is occupied by the Maronites, a sect of Christians; the southern by a turbulent sect, called Druses. There are also members of the Orthodox Greek Church, Catholics, and several thousand Mohammedans. See Palestine; Jordan; Druses; Cedar; Damascus