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. The US rescinded Libya's designation as a state
sponsor of terrorism in June 2006. In January 2008, Libya assumed a
nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2008-09 term. In
August 2008, the US and Libya signed a bilateral comprehensive claims
settlement agreement to compensate claimants in both countries who
allege injury or death at the hands of the other country, including the
Lockerbie bombing, the LaBelle disco bombing, and the UTA 772 bombing.
In October 2008, the US Government received $1.5 billion pursuant to the
agreement to distribute to US national claimants, and as a result
effectively normalized its bilateral relationship with Libya. The two
countries then exchanged ambassadors for the first time since 1973 in
January 2009. QADHAFI in February 2009 took over as chairman of the
African Union for the 2009-10 term; in September 2009, a Libyan took
over the year-long presidency of UN General Assembly.
Geography ::Libya
Location:
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia
Geographic coordinates:
25 00 N, 17 00 E
Map references:
Africa
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: 4,348 km
border countries:
Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,115 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km
Coastline:
1,770 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
note:Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees, 30 minutes north
exclusive fishing zone:
62 nm
Climate:
Current Weather
Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior
Terrain:
mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions
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; 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
65 years and over:
4.5% (male 141,422/female 147,735) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 24.2 years
male:
24.3 years
female:
24.2 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.117% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 45
Birth rate:
24.58 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67
Death rate:
3.4 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
14
Net migration rate:
NA
Urbanization:
urban population: 78% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization:
2.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
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 (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 20.87 deaths/1,000 live births
00
male:
22.87 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
18.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.47 years
country comparison to the world: 58
male:
75.18 years
female:
79.88 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.01 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.3% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
10,000 (2001 est.)
01
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Libyan(s)
adjective:
Libyan
Ethnic groups:
Berber and Arab 97%, other 3% (includes Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians)
Religions:
Sunni Muslim 97%, other 3%
Languages:
Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities
Literacy:
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):
total: 17 years
male:
16 years
female:
17 years (2003)
Education expenditures:
2.7% of GDP (1999)
52
Government ::Libya
Country name:
conventional long form: Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
conventional short form:
Libya
local long form:
Al Jamahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uthma
local short form:
none
Government type:
Jamahiriya (a state of
the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils;
in practice, an authoritarian state
Capital:
name: Tripoli (Tarabulus)
geographic coordinates:
32 53 N, 13 10 E
time difference:
UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
22 states (shabiyat,
singular - shabiyat); Al Butnan, Al Jabal al Akhdar, Al Jabal Al Gharbi,
Al Jafarah, Al Jafrah, Al Kafrah, Al Maraj, Al Marqab, Al Murzuq, Al
Wahat, An Nuqat al Khams, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi, Darnah, Ghat, Misratah,
Nalut, Sibha, Surt, Tarabulus, Wadi al Hayat, Wadi ash Shati
Independence:
24 December 1951 (from UN trusteeship)
National holiday:
Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)
Constitution:
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:
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:
18 years of age; universal and technically 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 (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 in March 2010 (next elections expected in early 2011)
election results:
NA
Legislative branch:
unicameral General People's Congress (760 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:
other: Arab nationalist movements; anti-QADHAFI Libyan exile Movement; Islamic elements
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:
chief of mission: Ambassador Gene A. CRETZ
embassy:
off Jaraba Street, behind the Libyan-Swiss clinic, Ben Ashour
mailing address:
US Embassy, 8850 Tripoli Place, Washington, DC 20521-8850
telephone:
[218] 91-220-3239
Flag description:
plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state religion)
Economy ::Libya
Economy - overview:
The Libyan economy depends
primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contribute about 95%
of export earnings, 25% of GDP, and 60% of public sector wages. The
weakness in world hydrocarbon prices in 2009 reduced Libyan government
tax income and constrained economic growth. 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. The process of lifting US unilateral
sanctions began in the spring of 2004; all sanctions were removed by
June 2006, helping Libya attract greater foreign direct investment,
especially in the energy sector. Libyan oil and gas licensing rounds
continue to draw high international interest; the National Oil
Corporation (NOC) set a goal of nearly doubling oil production to 3
million bbl/day by 2012. In November 2009, the NOC announced that that
target may slip to as late as 2017. 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):
$95.88 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70
$92.46 billion (2008 est.)
$87.23 billion (2007 est.)
note:data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$61.32 billion (2009 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.7% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 48
6% (2008 est.)
5.6% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$15,200 (2009 est.)
$14,900 (2008 est.)
$14,400 (2007 est.)
note:data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.9%
industry:
71.2%
services:
25.9% (2009 est.)
Labor force:
1.686 million (2009 est.)
25
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 17%
industry:
23%
services:
59% (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate:
30% (2004 est.)
9
Population below poverty line:
7.4% (2005 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Italy 37.5%, Germany 11.9%, France 7.3%, Spain 6.8%, US 6.3%, Switzerland 4.5% (2008)
Imports:
$22.11 billion (2009 est.)
$21.66 billion (2008 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery, semi-finished goods, food, transport equipment, consumer products
Imports - partners:
Italy 22.2%, China 9.3%, Germany 8.6%, Turkey 6.1%, Tunisia 5.8%, South Korea 4.7%, US 4.1%, France 4.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$99.22 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
9
$92.51 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Debt - external:
$6.491 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
$6.223 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$17.41 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69
$12.89 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$18.58 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 39
$12.75 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Exchange rates:
Libyan dinars (LYD) per US dollar - 1.2641 (2009), 1.2112 (2008), 1.2604 (2007), 1.3108 (2006), 1.3084 (2005)
Communications ::Libya
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.033 million (2008)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
4.828 million (2008)
Telephone system:
general assessment: telecommunications
system is state-owned and service is poor, but investment is being made
to upgrade; state retains monopoly in fixed-line services;
mobile-cellular telephone system became operational in 1996
domestic:
multiple
providers for a mobile telephone system that is growing rapidly;
combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is approaching 100
telephones per 100 persons
international:
country
code - 218; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat, NA Arabsat, and NA
Intersputnik; submarine cable to France and Italy; microwave radio relay
to Tunisia and Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece; participant in
Medarabtel (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 16, FM 3, shortwave 3 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
12 (plus 1 repeater) (1999)
Internet country code:
.ly
Internet hosts:
11,751 (2009)
15
Internet users:
323,000 (2008)
23
Transportation ::Libya
Airports:
137 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 41
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 59
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:
1 (2009)
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:
41
under 914 m:
17 (2009)
Heliports:
2 (2009)
Pipelines:
condensate 776 km; gas 2,860 km; oil 6,987 km (2009)
Roadways:
total: 100,024 km
country comparison to the world: 42
paved:
57,214 km
unpaved:
42,810 km (2003)
Merchant marine:
total: 17
01
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:
As Sidrah, Az Zuwaytinah, Marsa al Burayqah, Ra's Lanuf, Tripoli, Zawiyah
Military ::Libya
Military branches:
Armed Peoples on Duty (APOD, Army),
Libyan Arab Navy, Libyan Arab Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya
al-Jamahiriya al-Arabia al-Libyya, LAAF), Libyan Coast Guard (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
17 years of age (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,746,512
females age 16-49:
1,683,390 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,490,011
females age 16-49:
1,436,613 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 59,842
female:
57,357 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
3.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
6
Transnational Issues ::Libya
Disputes - international:
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:
refugees (country of origin): 8,000 (Palestinian Territories) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
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)
