Region / Country specific information - Libya
| Background: |
Since he took power in a 1969
military coup, Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI has espoused his own
political system - a combination of socialism and Islam - which he calls
the Third International Theory. Viewing himself as a revolutionary leader,
he used oil funds during the 1970s and 1980s to promote his ideology
outside Libya, even supporting subversives and terrorists abroad to
hasten the end of Marxism and capitalism. Libyan military adventures
failed, e.g., the prolonged foray of Libyan troops into the Aozou Strip
in northern Chad was finally repulsed in 1987. Libyan support for terrorism
decreased after UN sanctions were imposed in 1992. Those sanctions were
suspended in April 1999. |
| Location: |
Northern Africa, bordering the
Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia |
| Geographic coordinates: |
25 00 N, 17 00 E |
| Area: |
total: 1,759,540
sq km
land: 1,759,540 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly larger than Alaska |
| Land
boundaries: |
total: 4,383 km
border countries: Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt
1,150 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
territorial sea:
12 NM
note: Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees, 30 minutes
north |
| Climate: |
Mediterranean along coast; dry,
extreme desert interior |
| Terrain: |
mostly barren, flat to undulating
plains, plateaus, depressions |
| Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Sabkhat
Ghuzayyil -47 m
highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m |
| Natural
resources: |
petroleum, natural gas, gypsum
|
| Land
use: |
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 8%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 91% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated land: |
4,700 sq km (1993 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is
a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms,
sandstorms |
| Environment - current issues: |
desertification; very 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: |
party to: Climate
Change, Desertification, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Law of the Sea,
Nuclear Test Ban |
| Population: |
5,240,599
note: includes 662,669 non-nationals, of which an estimated
500,000 or more are Africans living in Libya (July 2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 35.41%
(male 947,645; female 907,854)
15-64 years: 60.64% (male 1,645,085; female 1,533,066)
65 years and over: 3.95% (male 101,701; female 105,248)
(2001 est.) |
| Population growth rate: |
2.42% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
27.67 births/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
3.51 deaths/1,000 population (2001
est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
28.99 deaths/1,000 live births
(2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
75.65 years
male: 73.53 years
female: 77.88 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
3.64 children born/woman (2001
est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.05% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun: Libyan(s)
adjective: Libyan |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese,
Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians |
| Religions: |
Sunni Muslim 97% |
| Languages: |
Arabic, Italian, English, all
are widely understood in the major cities |
| Literacy: |
definition: age 15
and over can read and write
total population: 76.2%
male: 87.9%
female: 63% (1995 est.) |
| Country
name: |
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: |
Jamahiriya (a state of the masses)
in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in fact,
a military dictatorship |
| Administrative divisions: |
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: |
24 December 1951 (from Italy)
|
| National
holiday: |
Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)
|
| Constitution: |
11 December 1969, amended 2 March
1977 |
| Legal
system: |
based on Italian civil law system
and Islamic law; separate religious courts; no constitutional provision
for judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal and
compulsory |
| Executive branch: |
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
(Premier) Mubarak al-SHAMEKH (since 2 March 2000)
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 2 March 2000 (next to be held NA)
election results: Mubarak al-SHAMEKH elected premier; percent
of General People's Congress vote - NA% |
| Legislative branch: |
unicameral General People's Congress
(NA seats; members elected indirectly through a hierarchy of people's
committees) |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court |
| Political parties and leaders: |
none |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: |
various Arab nationalist movements
with almost negligible memberships may be functioning clandestinely,
as well as some Islamic elements |
| International organization participation: |
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU,
CAEU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MONUC,
NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: |
Libya does not have an embassy
in the US |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: |
the US suspended all embassy activities
in Tripoli on 2 May 1980 |
| Flag
description: |
plain green; green is the traditional
color of Islam (the state religion) |
| Economy
- overview: |
The socialist-oriented economy
depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contributes
practically all export earnings and about one-quarter of GDP. These
oil revenues and 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. In this statist society, import restrictions and
inefficient resource allocations have led to periodic shortages of basic
goods and foodstuffs. The nonoil manufacturing and construction sectors,
which account for about 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 requirements.
Higher oil prices in 1999 and 2000 led to an increase in export revenues,
which improved macroeconomic balances and helped to stimulate the economy.
Following the suspension of UN sanctions in 1999, Libya has been trying
to increase its attractiveness to foreign investors, and several foreign
companies have visited in search of contracts. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $45.4
billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
6.5% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $8,900
(2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: 7%
industry: 47%
services: 46% (1997 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
18.5% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
1.5 million (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
services and government 54%, industry
29%, agriculture 17% (1997 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: |
30% (2000 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $6.85 billion
expenditures: $4.4 billion, including capital expenditures
of $NA (2000 est.) |
| Industries: |
petroleum, food processing, textiles,
handicrafts, cement |
| Industrial production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity - production: |
18.9 billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - production by source: |
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity - consumption: |
17.577 billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture - products: |
wheat, barley, olives, dates,
citrus, vegetables, peanuts, soybeans; cattle |
| Exports: |
$13.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
|
| Exports
- commodities: |
crude oil, refined petroleum products
|
| Exports
- partners: |
Italy 33%, Germany 24%, Spain
10%, France 5%, Turkey 4%, Tunisia 4% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$7.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
|
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery, transport equipment,
food, manufactured goods |
| Imports
- partners: |
Italy 24%, Germany 12%, Tunisia
9%, UK 7%, France 6%, South Korea 5% (1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$4.1 billion (2000 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$8.4 million (1995) |
| Currency: |
Libyan dinar (LYD) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Libyan dinars per US dollar -
0.5101 (January 2001), 0.5081 (2000), 0.4616 (1999), 0.3785 (1998),
0.3891 (1997), 0.3651 (1996)
note: Libya currently has two rates for foreign trade;
one for government operations and foreign companies and one for Libyan
individuals (0.45 dinars per US dollar in December 1998) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones - main lines in use: |
380,000 (1996) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: |
NA |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment:
telecommunications system is being modernized; mobile cellular telephone
system became operational in 1996
domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, cellular,
tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth
stations
international: 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 (1999) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 17, FM 4, shortwave 3 (1998)
|
| Radios: |
1.35 million (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: |
12 (plus one low-power repeater)
(1998) |
| Televisions: |
730,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.ly |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
7,500 (2000) |
| Railways: |
note: Libya has had
no railroad in operation since 1965, all previous systems having been
dismantled; current plans are to construct a 1.435-m standard gauge
line from the Tunisian frontier to Tripoli and Misratah, then inland
to Sabha, center of a mineral-rich area, but there has been little progress;
other plans made jointly with Egypt would establish a rail line from
As Sallum, Egypt, to Tobruk with completion originally set for mid-1994;
Libya signed contracts with two private companies - Bahne of Egypt and
Jez Sistemas Ferroviarios of Spain - in 1998 for the supply of crossings
and pointwork (1001) |
| Highways: |
total: 24,484 km
paved: 6,800 km
unpaved: 17,684 km (1996) |
| Pipelines: |
crude oil 4,383 km; petroleum
products 443 km (includes liquefied petroleum gas or LPG 256 km); natural
gas 1,947 km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Al Khums, Banghazi, Darnah, Marsa
al Burayqah, Misratah, Ra's Lanuf, Tobruk, Tripoli, Zuwarah |
| Merchant
marine: |
total: 28 ships (1,000
GRT or over) totaling 399,725 GRT/654,843 DWT
ships by type: cargo 10, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas
3, petroleum tanker 6, roll on/roll off 4, short-sea passenger 4 (2000
est.) |
| Airports: |
136 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 58
over 3,047 m: 23
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 22
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total: 78
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 40
under 914 m: 18 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense
Command |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
17 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49:
1,459,400 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49:
866,012 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males: 61,694 (2001
est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$1.3 billion (FY99/00) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
3.9% (FY99/00) |
| Disputes
- international: |
Libya claims about 19,400 sq km
in northern Niger and also a part of southeastern Algeria |
|
INTRO to site 
Your Information
budget
Top
Home Shop the Souk
Grant & Susan's RTW Trip
Subscribe to the
E-zine
HUBB
Community
Travellers' Stories