Map of Libya | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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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.


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Location: Northern Africa, on the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total: total: 1,759,540 km²

Land boundaries: total 4,383 km, Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,150 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km

Coastline: 1,770 km
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Gulf of Sidra closing line: 32 degrees 30 minutes north

Maritime claims

Climate: Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior

Terrain: mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions

Elevation

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, gypsum

Land use
Arable land: 2%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 8%
Forest and woodland: 0%
Other: 90%

Irrigated land: 2,420 km² (1989 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 4,872,598 (July 1993 est.)
Growth rate: 3.73% (1993 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Libyan(s)
Adjective: Libyan

Ethnic groups:

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

Religions: Sunni Muslim 97%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 3.73% (1993 est.)

Birth rate: 45.66 births/1000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate: 8.37 deaths/1000 population (1993 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1993 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; desertification; sparse natural surface-water resources
Current issues note: 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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 65.5 deaths/1000 live births (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Male: 61.35 years
Female: 65.7 years (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.44 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
Total population: 64%
Male: 75%
Female: 50%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Conventional short form: Libya
Local long form:
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

Capital: Tripoli

Administrative divisions:

Dependent areas

Independence: 24 December 1951 (from Italy)

National holiday: Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)

Constitution

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch: revolutionary leader, chairman of the General People's Committee (premier), General People's Committee (cabinet)

Legislative branch: unicameral General People's Congress

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none
From the us: none

Flag description: plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state religion)

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The socialist-oriented economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contributes practically all export earnings and about one-third of GDP. In 1990 per capita GDP was the highest in Africa at$5,410, but GDP growth rates have slowed and fluctuate sharply in response to changes in the world oil market. Import restrictions and inefficient resource allocations have led to shortages of basic goods and foodstuffs, although the reopening of the Libyan-Tunisian border in April 1988 and the Libyan-Egyptian border in December 1989 have eased shortages. Austerity budgets and a lack of trained technicians have undermined the government's ability to implement a number of planned infrastructure development projects. Windfall revenues from the hike in world oil prices in late 1990 improved the foreign payments position and resulted in a current account surplus for the first time in five to include petrochemicals, iron, steel, and aluminum. Although agriculture accounts for only 5% of GDP, it employs about 20% of the labor force. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit farm output, and Libya imports about 75% of its food requirements.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 0.2% (1992 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: 5% of GNP; cash crops - wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus fruits, peanuts; 75% of food is imported

Industries: petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate 10.5%; accounts for 7.6% of GDP (not including oil) (1990)

Labor force: 1 million includes about 280,000 resident foreigners
By occupation industry: 31%
By occupation services: 27%
By occupation government: 24%
By occupation agriculture: 18%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $8.1 billion; expenditures $9.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (1989 est.)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $9.71 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
Commodoties: crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas
Partners:

Imports: $8.66 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
Commodoties: machinery, transport equipment, food, manufactured goods
Partners: Italy, former USSR, Germany, UK, Japan, Korea

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Libyan dinars (LD) per US$1 - 0.2998 (January 1993), 0.3013 (1992), 0.2684 (1991), 0.2699 (1990), 0.2922 (1989), 0.2853 (1988)


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 4,935,000 kW capacity; 14,385 million kWh produced, 2,952 kWh per capita (1992)

Electricity consumption

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: exchange rate conversion - $3.3 billion, 15% of GDP (1989 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 138
Usable: 124
With permanentsurface runways: 56
With runways over 3659 m: 9
With runways 2440-3659 m: 27
With runways 1220-2439 m: 47

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 4,383 km; natural gas 1,947 km; petroleum products 443 km (includes liquified petroleum gas 256 km)

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: none

Merchant marine:

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international:

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs