Lebanon, officially the Lebanese Republic is a small, largely mountainous country in the Middle East, located at the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. Lebanon is bordered by Syria to the north and east, and Israel to the south. Until the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), the country enjoyed remarkable regional prosperity. It was considered the banking capital of the Arab world and attracted large numbers of tourists, to the point that the capital Beirut became widely known as the "Paris of the Middle East" and Lebanon was widely known as the "Switzerland of the Middle East" due to financial power. Immediately following the end of the war, there were widespread efforts to revive the economy and rebuild national infrastructure, with the first positive results becoming evident in recent years. By early 2006, a considerable degree of stability had been achieved throughout much of the country, Beirut's reconstruction was almost complete, and an increasing number of foreign tourists were pouring into Lebanon's resorts. However, the commencement of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict on July 12, 2006 brought mounting civilian and military casualties, great damage to civilian infrastructure, and massive population displacement.