Baabda District

Baabda District
District
بعبدا

Location in Lebanon
Country  Lebanon
Governorate Mount Lebanon Governorate
Capital Baabda
Area
 • Total 75 sq mi (194 km2)
Population
 • Total 500,000
Time zone EST (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) +3 (UTC)

Baabda District (Arabic: قضاء بعبدا, translit: Qada' Baabda), sometimes spelled B'abda, is a district (qadaa) in Mount Lebanon, Lebanon, to the south and east of the Lebanon's capital Beirut. The district capital is town of Baabda.

The region is also popularly known as Southern Matn (Arabic: المتن الجنوبي, translit: ِAl Matn al Janoubi), as distinct from Matn District (Arabic: قضاء المتن الشمالي, translit: Qada' Al Matn ash Shimali),

Demographics

The inhabitants of the Baabda district are mainly Maronite Catholics, Shi'a Muslims and Druze. The Maronites are the largest group, followed by Shi'a Muslims and Druze. However, Sunni Muslims, Greek Catholics and Orthodox Christians also inhabit the area. It is important to note that Shiite Muslims in the Baabda district mostly inhabit the coastal area of the district which lies directly south of Beirut. This area is also known as "Dahieh" or the southern suburbs of Beirut. The Druze on the other hand, live in the mountainous area further inland.

As of the 2005 elections, Baabda has six seats allocated to it in the Lebanese Parliament. Three of these seats are allocated to Maronite Catholics, while two are allocated to the Shi'a Muslims and one to the Druze.

History

Baabda is the source of Amber sites dating from 120 million years ago that have uncovered among the oldest lizards including the Baabdasaurus, and also many insects.

Cities and towns

References

Coordinates: 33°50′05″N 35°32′31″E / 33.8347°N 35.542°E