Douma attractivie tourism spot sees stagnant population growth

Location

Douma is located in the Batroun caza as part of the mohafaza of the North and is 75 km. away from Beirut. It stands at an altitude of 1,060 meters and occupies an area of 1,147 hectares.

Residents

Douma’s registered population reaches approximately 5,000 people. It is worth noting that in 1965, the registered population was in the region of 4,800 individuals (an increase of less than 2,000 people over the last 35 years).

The resident population is estimated at around 1000, but increases in the summer season to approximately 2000. Confessionally, the breakdown of residents is as follows:

• Orthodox: 50%
• Catholic: 37.5%
• Maronites: 11.5%
• Other: 1%

The residents of Douma belong to around 50 families, namely the families of Chalhoub, Maalouf, Issa, Murr, Haddad, Bacha, Sawaya, Chammas, Hajj, Wehbe and Samaha.

The number of households is estimated at around 520, while that of commercial institutions reaches 50. In addition, Douma has one hotel with 44 rooms which continues to attract tourists.

Number of Voters

Registered voters in the year 2000 reached 3,100, 866 of whom participated in the election process (28% of the registered population). The main families are distributed as follows:

• Chalhoub: 340 voters
• Maalouf: 306 voters
• Bacha: 183 voters
• Sawaya: 167 voters
• Chammas: 159 voters
• Ghanma: 135 voters
• Hajj: 110 voters
• Wehbe: 92 voters
• Samia: 71 voters
• Chahine: 66 voters
• Issa: 55 voters
• Murr: 50 voters
• Haddad: 47 voters
• Sammour: 45 voters
• Ayoub: 44 voters
• Kheir: 40 voters
• Safi: 40 voters

Local Authorities

Douma has two mayors (Salah Chalhoub and Nicolas Bacha) and the local administration is run by a municipal council composed of 15 members and headed by Hanna Ayoub.

Education Sector

There are 4 educational institutes in Douma: The Douma Public High school (57 students), the Public Intermediate School of Douma (100 students), the Choueiri Sisters School (60 students) and the Vocational School of Douma (200 students).

Public Institutions

The public bodies are made up of a Lower Court, an Internal Security Forces post and a Census Bureau.

Associations

The three associations that exist in the town are social, cultural and sports oriented, in addition to two agricultural cooperatives that engage in apple and olive production.

Religious Establishments

There are nine churches in Douma, with six for the Maronite sect, two for the Orthodox and one church for Catholics, in addition to three Maronite convents and one Orthodox convent.

Link :

http://www.information-international.com/iimonthly/issue6/discover.html