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.

Map reference: Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total area total: 1,759,540 km²
Land: 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

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
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

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.)

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

Population: 5,057,392 (July 1994 est.)
Growth rate: 3.72% (1994 est.)

Nationality: noun:Libyan(s)

Ethnic groups: Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians

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

Religions: Sunni Muslim 97%

Population growth rate: 3.72% (1994 est.)

Birth rate: 45.29 births/1000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate: 8.14 deaths/1000 population (1994 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1994 est.)

Environment
Current issues: desertification; sparse natural surface-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

Infant mortality rate: 63.4 deaths/1000 live births (1994 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 63.88 years
Male: 61.73 years
Female: 66.13 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.38 children born/woman (1994 est.)

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

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

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: 25 municipalities (baladiyah, singular - baladiyat; 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

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. Mu'ammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI (since 1 September 1969)
Head of government: Chairman of the General People's Committee (Premier) Abd al Majid al-Qa'ud (since 29 January 1994)

Legislative branch: Armed Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah (including Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Command)
General People's Congress: national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of peoples' committees

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

International organization participation: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CAEU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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-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. Windfall revenues from the hike in world oil prices in late 1990 improved the foreign payments position and resulted in a current account surplus through 1992. The nonoil manufacturing and construction sectors, which account for about 20% of GDP, have expanded from processing mostly agricultural products 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. The UN sanctions imposed in April 1992 have not yet had a major impact on the economy because Libya's oil revenues generate sufficient foreign exchange that, along with Libya's large currency reserves, sustain food and consumer goods imports as well as equipment for the oil industry and ongoing development projects.

Real gdp growth rate: 1% (1993 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $6,600 (1993 est.)

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: 10.5% (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%

Budget: revenues:$8.1 billion

Fiscal year: calendar year

Exports: $7.7 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
Commodities: crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas
Partners: Italy, Germany, Spain, France, UK, Turkey, Greece, Egypt

Imports: $8.26 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
Commodities: machinery, transport equipment, food, manufactured goods
Partners: Italy, Germany, UK, France, Spain, Turkey, Tunisia, Eastern Europe

Debt external: $3.5 billion excluding military debt (1991 est.)

Exchange rates: Libyan dinars (LD) per US$1 - 0.3233 (January 1994), 0.3250 (1993), 0.3013 (1992), 0.2684 (1991), 0.2699 (1990), 0.2922 (1989)

Electricity
Capacity: 4,935,000 kW
Production: 14.385 billion kWh
Consumption per capita: 2,952 kWh (1992)

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

Airports: 145
Usable: 132
With permanentsurface runways: 57
With runways over 3659 m: 8
With runways 2440-3659 m: 28
With runways 1220-2439 m: 52

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

Waterways: none

Merchant marine: 31 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 690,703 GRT/1,211,184 DWT, cargo 10, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 2, oil tanker 10, roll-on/roll-off cargo 4, short-sea passenger 4

Disputes international: the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in February 1994 that the 100,000 km² Aozou Strip between Chad and Libya belongs to Chad, and that Libya must withdraw from it by 31 May 1994; Libya had withdrawn its forces in response to the ICJ ruling, but as of June 1994 still maintained an airfield in the disputed area; maritime boundary dispute with Tunisia; claims part of northern Niger and part of southeastern Algeria