Location of Libya. Source: Vardion/Wikipedia

Map of Libya. (Source: EIA)

Libya is a nation in northern-Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt to the east and Tunisia and Algeria to the west. More than 90% of the country is desert or semi-desert with barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions (including the large Qattara Depression). This northern and eastern part of the Sahara Desert is known as the Libyan Desert. Libya is a significant source of oil for the world.

Libya's major environmental issues include: desertification; limited natural fresh water resources; the Great Manmade River Project, which is the largest water development scheme in the world, and is being built to bring water from large aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities. It is susceptible to hot, dry, dust-laden southern wind called the sirocco or "ghibli" which lasts one to four days in spring and fall; and, from dust storms and sandstorms.

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-Qadafi 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." Qadafi 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 organizations abroad working to hasten the end of Marxism and capitalism, often using terrorism as a tactic to achieve their ends. 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. In 1986, 45 United States attacked and bombed sites near Tripoli.  UN sanctions in 1992 isolated Qadafi politically following the planting of a bomb on Pan AM Flight 103 which exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland and killed all on board. During the 1990s, Qadafi 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. Qadafi 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, and several other bombings. 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.

Geography

Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia

Geographic Coordinates: 25 00 N, 17 00 E

Area: total: 1,759,540 km² (1,759,540 km² land and 0 km²water)

arable land: 1.03%
permanent crops: 0.19%
other: 98.78% (2005)

Land Boundaries: 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

Natural Hazards: hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms

Terrain: Mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions. Its lowest point is Sabkhat Ghuzayyil (-47 metres) and its highest point is Bikku Bitti (2,267 metres).

Climate: Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior

Government

Government Type: Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in practice, an authoritarian state

Capital: Tripoli

Independence Date: 24 December 1951 (from UN trusteeship)

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 compulsory

International Environmental Agreements

Libya is party to international agreements on: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, and Wetlands. It has signed, but not ratified the international agreement known as the Law of the Sea.

People and Society

Population: 6,173,579

Age Structure:

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.)

Population Growth Rate: 2.216% (2008 est.)

Birth Rate: 25.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death Rate: 3.46 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net Migration Rate: NA

Life Expectancy at Birth: 77.07 years (2008 est.)

Total Fertility Rate: 3.15 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Languages: Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities

Literacy:  82.6% (2003 est.)

Water

Total Renewable Water Resources: 0.6 cu km (1997)

Freshwater Withdrawal: Total: 4.27 cu km/yr (14% domestic, 3% industrial, 83% agricultural). Per capita: 730 cu m/yr (2000)

Agriculture

Agricultural Products: wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts, soybeans; cattle

Irrigated Land: 4,700 sq km (2003)

Resources

Natural Resources: petroleum, natural gas, gypsum.

Energy

Conflict

International Disputes: 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)

Economy

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): $74.75 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (Official Exchange Rate): $57.06 billion (2007 est.)

GDP- real growth rate: 6.8% (2007 est.)

GDP- per capita (PPP): $12,300 (2007 est.)

GDP- composition by sector:

agriculture: 2.1%
industry: 83.1%
services: 14.9% (2007 est.)

Population Below Poverty Line: 7.4% (2005 est.)

Industries: petroleum, iron and steel, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement

Exports: crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas, chemicals

Export Partners: Italy 40.6%, Germany 12.2%, US 7.4%, Spain 7.4%, France 6.3% (2006)

Imports: machinery, semi-finished goods, food, transport equipment, consumer products

Import Partners: Italy 19%, Germany 7.7%, China 7.6%, Tunisia 6.4%, France 5.7%, Turkey 5.4%, South Korea 4.3%, US 4.3% (2006)

Economic Aid Recipient: ODA, $24.44 million (2005 est.)

Currency: Libyan dinar (LYD)

Ports and Terminals: As Sidrah, Az Zuwaytinah, Marsa al Burayqah, Ra's Lanuf, Tripoli, Zawiyah

Further Reading

1. CIA World Factbook