Levantines
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The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Levantines
small ethnic groups that make up part of the Syrian and Lebanese population; descendants of European colonists (mainly Italian and French) who settled in the coastal regions of Syria and Lebanon at the beginning of the Crusades (late 11th and early 12th centuries) and mingled with the local inhabitants. Most Levantines speak Arabic. Their religion is primarily Maronite or Catholic; a small number of Levantines are Muslims.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.