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This page was last updated on 18 December 2008


Map of Libya



Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Libya Top of Page
Background:
Definition Field Listing
The Italians supplanted the Ottoman Turks in the area around Tripoli in 1911 and did not relinquish their hold until 1943 when defeated in World War II. Libya then passed to UN administration and achieved independence in 1951. Following a 1969 military coup, Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI began to espouse his own political system, the Third Universal Theory. The system is a combination of socialism and Islam derived in part from tribal practices and is supposed to be implemented by the Libyan people themselves in a unique form of "direct democracy." QADHAFI has always seen himself as a revolutionary and visionary leader. He used oil funds during the 1970s and 1980s to promote his ideology outside Libya, supporting subversives and terrorists abroad to hasten the end of Marxism and capitalism. In addition, beginning in 1973, he engaged in military operations in northern Chad's Aozou Strip - to gain access to minerals and to use as a base of influence in Chadian politics - but was forced to retreat in 1987. UN sanctions in 1992 isolated QADHAFI politically following the downing of Pan AM Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. During the 1990s, QADHAFI began to rebuild his relationships with Europe. UN sanctions were suspended in April 1999 and finally lifted in September 2003 after Libya accepted responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing. In December 2003, Libya announced that it had agreed to reveal and end its programs to develop weapons of mass destruction and to renounce terrorism. QADHAFI has made significant strides in normalizing relations with Western nations since then. He has received various Western European leaders as well as many working-level and commercial delegations, and made his first trip to Western Europe in 15 years when he traveled to Brussels in April 2004. Libya has responded in good faith to legal cases brought against it in US courts for terrorist acts that predate its renunciation of violence. Claims for compensation in the Lockerbie bombing, LaBelle disco bombing, and UTA 772 bombing cases are ongoing. The US rescinded Libya's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism in June 2006. In late 2007, Libya was elected by the General Assembly to a nonpermanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2008-09 term.
   Geography    Libya Top of Page
Location:
Definition Field Listing
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
25 00 N, 17 00 E
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Africa
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 1,759,540 sq km
land: 1,759,540 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly larger than Alaska
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
total: 4,348 km
border countries: Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,115 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
1,770 km
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
territorial sea: 12 nm
note: Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees, 30 minutes north
exclusive fishing zone: 62 nm
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m
highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
petroleum, natural gas, gypsum
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 1.03%
permanent crops: 0.19%
other: 98.78% (2005)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
4,700 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
Definition Field Listing
0.6 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
Definition Field Listing
total: 4.27 cu km/yr (14%/3%/83%)
per capita: 730 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
desertification; limited natural fresh water resources; the Great Manmade River Project, the largest water development scheme in the world, is being built to bring water from large aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities
Environment - international agreements:
Definition Field Listing
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
more than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert
   People    Libya Top of Page
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6,173,579
note: includes 166,510 non-nationals (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 33.2% (male 1,046,400/female 1,002,148)
15-64 years: 62.6% (male 1,988,038/female 1,875,034)
65 years and over: 4.2% (male 128,386/female 133,573) (2008 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 23.6 years
male: 23.7 years
female: 23.5 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.216% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
25.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.46 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 21.94 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 24.14 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 19.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 77.07 years
male: 74.81 years
female: 79.44 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.15 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0.3% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
10,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Libyan(s)
adjective: Libyan
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
Berber and Arab 97%, other 3% (includes Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians)
Religions:
Definition Field Listing
Sunni Muslim 97%, other 3%
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 82.6%
male: 92.4%
female: 72% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
Definition Field Listing
total: 17 years
male: 16 years
female: 17 years (2003)
Education expenditures:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.7% of GDP (1999)
   Government    Libya Top of Page
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long form: Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
conventional short form: Libya
local long form: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma
local short form: none
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in practice, an authoritarian state
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
name: Tripoli
geographic coordinates: 32 53 N, 13 10 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
25 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ajdabiya, Al 'Aziziyah, Al Fatih, Al Jabal al Akhdar, Al Jufrah, Al Khums, Al Kufrah, An Nuqat al Khams, Ash Shati', Awbari, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi, Darnah, Ghadamis, Gharyan, Misratah, Murzuq, Sabha, Sawfajjin, Surt, Tarabulus, Tarhunah, Tubruq, Yafran, Zlitan; note - the 25 municipalities may have been replaced by 13 regions
Independence:
Definition Field Listing
24 December 1951 (from UN trusteeship)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
none; note - following the September 1969 military overthrow of the Libyan government, the Revolutionary Command Council replaced the existing constitution with the Constitutional Proclamation in December 1969; in March 1977, Libya adopted the Declaration of the Establishment of the People's Authority
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
based on Italian and French civil law systems and Islamic law; separate religious courts; no constitutional provision for judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
chief of state: Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI (since 1 September 1969); note - holds no official title, but is de facto chief of state
head of government: Secretary of the General People's Committee (Prime Minister) al-Baghdadi Ali al-MAHMUDI (since 5 March 2006)
cabinet: General People's Committee established by the General People's Congress
elections: national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of people's committees; head of government elected by the General People's Congress; election last held March 2006 (next to be held NA)
election results: NA
Legislative branch:
Definition Field Listing
unicameral General People's Congress (approximately 2,700 seats; members elected indirectly through a hierarchy of people's committees)
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
none
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
other: Arab nationalist movements; anti-QADHAFI Libyan exile Movement; Islamic elements
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Ali Suleiman AUJALI
chancery: 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Suite 705, Washington, DC 20037
telephone: [1] (202) 944-9601
FAX: [1] (202) 944-9060
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires J. Christopher STEVENS
embassy: Serraj Area, Tripoli
mailing address: US Embassy, 8850 Tripoli Place, Washington, DC 20521-8850
telephone: [218] 91-220-0125
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing
plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state religion)
   Economy    Libya Top of Page
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
The Libyan economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contribute about 95% of export earnings, about one-quarter of GDP, and 60% of public sector wages. Substantial revenues from the energy sector coupled with a small population give Libya one of the highest per capita GDPs in Africa, but little of this income flows down to the lower orders of society. Libyan officials in the past five years have made progress on economic reforms as part of a broader campaign to reintegrate the country into the international fold. This effort picked up steam after UN sanctions were lifted in September 2003 and as Libya announced in December 2003 that it would abandon programs to build weapons of mass destruction. Almost all US unilateral sanctions against Libya were removed in April 2004, helping Libya attract more foreign direct investment, mostly in the energy sector. Libyan oil and gas licensing rounds continue to draw high international interest; the National Oil Company set a goal of nearly doubling oil production to 3 million bbl/day by 2015. Libya faces a long road ahead in liberalizing the socialist-oriented economy, but initial steps - including applying for WTO membership, reducing some subsidies, and announcing plans for privatization - are laying the groundwork for a transition to a more market-based economy. The non-oil manufacturing and construction sectors, which account for more than 20% of GDP, have expanded from processing mostly agricultural products to include the production of petrochemicals, iron, steel, and aluminum. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit agricultural output, and Libya imports about 75% of its food. Libya's primary agricultural water source remains the Great Manmade River Project, but significant resources are being invested in desalinization research to meet growing water demands.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$74.72 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
Definition Field Listing
$57.06 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5.8% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$12,400 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 2%
industry: 83.1%
services: 14.8% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.83 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 17%
industry: 23%
services: 59% (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
30% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Investment (gross fixed):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
8.8% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $39.88 billion
expenditures: $19.48 billion (2007 est.)
Public debt:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.7% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6.3% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$18.04 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$3.192 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts, soybeans; cattle
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
petroleum, iron and steel, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5.6% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
23.98 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
20.71 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.845 million bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
278,700 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.455 million bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
575.3 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
41.46 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
14.8 billion cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6.39 billion cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
9.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.419 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$26.38 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$42.97 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas, chemicals
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
Italy 40.5%, Germany 12.2%, US 7.4%, Spain 7.4%, France 6.3% (2007)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$14.43 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
machinery, semi-finished goods, food, transport equipment, consumer products
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
Italy 18.9%, Germany 7.7%, China 7.3%, Tunisia 6.8%, France 5.7%, Turkey 5.4%, US 4.3% (2007)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$79.6 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$4.837 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$6.286 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$3.333 billion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$NA
Currency (code):
Definition Field Listing
Libyan dinar (LYD)
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
Libyan dinars (LYD) per US dollar - 1.2604 (2007), 1.3108 (2006), 1.3084 (2005), 1.305 (2004), 1.2929 (2003)
   Communications    Libya Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
852,300 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.5 million (2007)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
general assessment: telecommunications system is being modernized; mobile cellular telephone system became operational in 1996; combined fixed line and mobile telephone density approached 90 telephones per 100 persons in 2007
domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, cellular, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations
international: country code - 218; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat, NA Arabsat, and NA Intersputnik; submarine cables to France and Italy; microwave radio relay to Tunisia and Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece; participant in Medarabtel (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
AM 16, FM 3, shortwave 3 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
12 (plus 1 repeater) (1999)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.ly
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
31 (2008)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
260,000 (2006)
   Transportation    Libya Top of Page
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
141 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 60
over 3,047 m: 23
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 23
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 81
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 41
under 914 m: 18 (2007)
Heliports:
Definition Field Listing
2 (2007)
Pipelines:
Definition Field Listing
condensate 882 km; gas 3,425 km; oil 6,956 km (2007)
Railways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 km
note: Libya has announced plans to build seven lines totaling 2,757 km of 1.435-m gauge track (2006)
Roadways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 100,024 km
paved: 57,214 km
unpaved: 42,810 km (2003)
Merchant marine:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 17
by type: cargo 9, liquefied gas 3, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 4 (Kuwait 1, Norway 1, Syria 2)
registered in other countries: 3 (Malta 3) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Definition Field Listing
As Sidrah, Az Zuwaytinah, Marsa al Burayqah, Ra's Lanuf, Tripoli, Zawiyah
   Military    Libya Top of Page
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Armed Peoples on Duty (APOD, Army), Libyan Arab Navy, Libyan Arab Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriya al-Arabia al-Libyya, LAAF) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
Definition Field Listing
17 years of age (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 16-49: 1,682,183
females age 16-49: 1,611,001 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 16-49: 1,439,941
females age 16-49: 1,381,914 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
Definition Field Listing
male: 61,305
female: 58,788 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
   Transnational Issues    Libya Top of Page
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
Libya has claimed more than 32,000 sq km in southeastern Algeria and about 25,000 sq km in the Tommo region of Niger in a currently dormant dispute; various Chadian rebels from the Aozou region reside in southern Libya
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
Definition Field Listing
refugees (country of origin): 8,000 (Palestinian Territories) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
Definition Field Listing
current situation: Libya is a transit and destination country for men and women from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Libya is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to address trafficking in persons in 2007 when compared to 2006, particularly in the area of investigating and prosecuting trafficking offenses; Libya did not publicly release any data on investigations or punishment of any trafficking offenses (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008


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