Baalbek-Hermel Arabic:بعلبك - الهرمل | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Baalbek | |
 Location of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate in Lebanon | |
| Coordinates:34°12′N36°18′E / 34.2°N 36.3°E /34.2; 36.3 | |
| Country |  Lebanon |
| Gazetted | 16 July 2003 |
| Capital | Baalbek |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Bashir Khodr |
| Area | |
• Total | 3,009 km2 (1,162 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Estimate (31 December 2017)[2] | 457,932 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Baalbek-Hermel (Arabic:بعلبك - الهرمل) is agovernorate ofLebanon and is the largest by area in the country. It comprises thedistricts ofBaalbek andHermel,[3] which in turn are subdivided into a total of 74municipalities.[2] The capital is atBaalbek.[3] The governorate covers an area of 3,009 km2 (1,162 sq mi)[1] and is bounded byAkkar Governorate to the northwest,North Governorate to the west,Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate andMount Lebanon Governorate to the southwest,Beqaa Governorate to the south, and theSyriangovernorates ofHoms andRif Dimashq to the northeast and southeast. The governorate occupies the northern portion of theBeqaa Valley, Lebanon's most important agricultural area.[4]
TheUNHCR estimated the population of the governorate at 416,427 in 2015, including 137,788 registered refugees of theSyrian Civil War and 8,117Palestinian refugees.[2] The Lebanese citizen population is predominantlyShiite with pockets ofChristians andSunnis, while the refugee population is predominantly Sunni Muslims.[2]
Baalbek-Hermel Governorate was created by the enactment of Law 522 on 16 July 2003, in which the districts of Baalbek and Hermel were separated from Beqaa Governorate.[5] Implementation of the new region only began in 2014 with the appointment of the first and current governor,Bashir Khodr.[6]
Already one of Lebanon's poorest regions, the recent influx of Syrian refugees has placed additional strain on the governorate's fragile infrastructure and services.[4] Violence in Syria hasspilled over into the governorate, especially in the area aroundArsal andRas Baalbek.[4] The northern Beqaa valley and Baalbek has hadHezbollah or theAmal Movement electoral victories but 46% of the electorate voted for the opposition Baalbek Madinati party in recent elections.[7][8]
According to registered voters in 2014:
| Year | Christians | Muslims | Druze | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Maronites | Greek Catholics | Greek Orthodox | Other Christians | Total | Shias | Sunnis | Alawites | Druze | |
| 2014[9] | 13.82% | 7.53% | 5.14% | 0.91% | 0.24% | 85.79% | 71.69% | 14.06% | 0.04% | 0.01% |
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Capital:Hermel | ||
| Towns and villages |  | |
| Notable landmarks | ||
Capital:Baalbek | ||
| Towns and villages |
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| Notable landmarks | ||
