The Christian communities, especially the Maronites, have a larger proportion of educated people than the other Lebanese groups. The major centers of learning include St. Joseph University, the American University, the Lebanese University, and the Arab University, all in Beirut. More than half of Lebanon's students attend parochial and missionary schools, and the remainder attend public schools. This educational division tends to keep the communities apart, because from early childhood the people regard themselves as belonging to their community rather than as citizens of the Lebanese nation. Other principal cities include Tripoli, Zahlah, and Sidon.
Petroleum tankers load offshore from pipeline terminals at Tripoli and near Sidon.
A railroad system links Lebanon with other Arab countries and, through Turkey, with Europe. Lebanese industries include petroleum refining, food processing, textile manufacturing, services, the manufacture of cement and chemicals, metal fabricating, and tourism. Among Lebanon's major exports are pharmaceutical products, textiles, tobacco, manufactured goods, and precious metals, stones, jewelry, and coins. Civil war and foreign occupation in the 1970s and 1980s disrupted the economy. When Lebanon became independent in 1943, a government had to be established that would enable the various communities to live in harmony.