The Tripoli District is a small, but very densely populated district in the North Governorate of Lebanon. It consists of the city Tripoli, its port town El Mina and the surrounding area. The vast majority of residents are Sunni Muslim (approximately 80%), a small minority Orthodox and Maronite Christians, and a small minority of Alawites.
The history of Tripoli dates back at least to the 14th century BC. It was called Athar by the Phoenicians, and later Tripolis by the Greek settlers, whence the modern Arabic name Ṭarābulus derives. In the Arab world, Tripoli has been historically known as Ṭarābulus ash-Shām (Arabic: طرابلس الشام, lit. 'Tripoli of the Levant'), to distinguish it from its Libyan counterpart, known as Ṭarābulus al-Gharb (Arabic: طرابلس الغرب, lit. 'Tripoli of the West').