Beirut bio

Beirut ( ) is the capital, largest city, and chief seaport of Lebanon. It is sometimes referred to by its French name, Beyrouth. There are wide-ranging estimates of Beirut's population, from as low as 938,940 people, to 1,303,129 people, to as high as 2,012,000. The lack of an exact figure is due to the fact that no "comprehensive" population census has been taken in Lebanon since 1932. Beirut is regained its title as the commercial center of the region. Beirut had undergone major reconstruction in recent years and had been set to host the Jeux de la Francophonie (Francophone Games) in 2009. Beirut has suffered setbacks in recent years, and many question if the city still retains the necessary ingredients for the rebirth it had planned. Beirut was considered as a possible candidate for the 2024 Summer Olympics games. The massive $1.2 billion Sannine Zenith project would have made Lebanon capable of holding the games. The city is home to numerous international organizations. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) is headquartered in Downtown Beirut while the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) both have regional offices in Beirut covering the Arab world. The Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO) is also headquartered in Beirut. In Travel and Leisure magazine's 'World Best Awards 2006' Beirut was ranked the 9th (out of 10) city in the world, falling just short of New York City and coming ahead of San Francisco. Beirut has both developed and less developed neighborhoods. Its most famous religiously mixed neighborhoods are Zarif and Verdun; Saifi Village is its most prominent and expensive residential one (a bit too expensive, maybe, as approximately half the residential unites still remain unsold). Its most prominent Christian neighborhoods are Achrafieh and Gemmayzih, which has lately become a 'hot' neighborhood, full of trendy restaurants and cafes, and hip bars.

Source: Wikipedia