Editing Demographics of Lebanon (section)

==Ethnic groups==
{{Main|Lebanese people}}
Ethnic identity revolves increasingly around aspects of cultural self-identification more than descent. To an extent, religious affiliation has also become a substitute in some respects for ethnic affiliation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/lebanon/40.htm|title=Sectarian and Clan Consciousness – Lebanon|work=U.S. Library of Congress|publisher=Country Studies|access-date=2009-01-08}}</ref> Generally, the cultural and linguistic heritage of the People of Lebanon is a blend of both indigenous elements and the foreign cultures that have come to rule the land and its people over the course of thousands of years. Moreover, in a 2013 interview, the lead investigator, [[Pierre Zalloua]], pointed out that genetic variation preceded religious variation and divisions: "Lebanon already had well-differentiated communities with their own genetic peculiarities, but not significant differences, and religions came as layers of paint on top. There is no distinct pattern that shows that one community carries significantly more [[Phoenicia]]n than another".<ref name="Maroon">{{cite journal|last=Maroon|first=Habib|title=A geneticist with a unifying message|journal=Nature|date=31 March 2013|doi=10.1038/nmiddleeast.2013.46}}</ref>