A cedar can grow up to 40 metres tall - that is taller than a 12-storey building. Its branches stretch out sideways instead of pointing up, so a really old cedar looks more like a giant green table than a normal tree. The wood smells warm and sweet, a bit like a freshly sharpened pencil.
Cedars grow high up in the mountains, in places where the winters are snowy and the summers are dry. The most famous grove is called the 'Cedars of God' (Arz el-Rab) and sits at around 2,000 metres above sea level. Some of the trees there are thought to be 1,000 to 2,000 years old.
Cedar wood is famously strong and never seems to rot. Thousands of years ago, sailors used it to build ships, and builders used it for the roofs of palaces and temples. Today the old cedars are protected, so the wood is no longer cut - the job of the cedars now is simply to stand and be old.
The cedar is the symbol of Lebanon. It appears on the flag, on coins, on schoolbook covers and on the badges of football teams. When Lebanese families travel far from home, the cedar is the picture they often hang on the wall to remember where they come from.