Libya |
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Geography |
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
Areacomparative: 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
Coastline: 1,770 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
note: Gulf of Sidra closing line32 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
Environmentcurrent 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
Environmentinternational agreements:
party to: Desertification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
People |
Population:
5,690,727 (July 1998 est.)
note: includes 144,363 non-nationals (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 48% (male 1,399,354; female 1,351,442)
15-64 years: 49% (male 1,412,067; female 1,361,372)
65 years and over: 3% (male 81,711; female 84,781) (July
1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.68% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 43.95 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 7.15 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 55.81 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.44 years
male: 63.21 years
female: 67.78 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.18 children born/woman (1998 est.)
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.)
Government |
Country name:
conventional long form: Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
conventional short form: Libya
local long form: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash
Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah
local short form: none
Data code: LY
Government type: Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in fact, a military dictatorship
National capital: Tripoli
Administrative divisions:
25 municipalities (baladiyah, singularbaladiyat); 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 1,500
communes in 1992
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); noteholds no official title, but is de facto chief of state
head of
government: Secretary of the General People's Committee (Premier) Muhammad Ahmad al-MANQUSH (since NA January 1998)
cabinet: General People's Committee established by the General
People's Congress
elections: national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of peoples' committees; head of government elected by the General People's Congress; election last held NA
(next to be held NA)
election results: Muhammad Ahmad al-MANQUSH elected head of government; percent of General People's Congress voteNA
Legislative branch: unicameral General People's Congress (NA seats; members elected indirectly through a hierarchy of peoples' 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, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
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 |
Economyoverview: The socialist-oriented economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contributes practically all export earnings and about one-third of GDP. Per capita GDP is the highest in Africa at $6,700, but disproportionately little of national income flows down to the lower orders of society. GDP growth fluctuates sharply in response to changes in the world oil market; GDP has either contracted or grown very sluggishly since 1992. 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. Although agriculture accounts for only 5% of GDP, it employs 18% 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 do not have a major impact on the economy although they have increased transaction and transportation costs.
GDP: purchasing power parity$38 billion (1997 est.)
GDPreal growth rate: 0.5% (1997 est.)
GDPper capita: purchasing power parity$6,700 (1997 est.)
GDPcomposition by sector:
agriculture: 5%
industry: 55%
services: 40% (1996 est.)
Inflation rateconsumer price index: 30% (1997 est.)
Labor force:
total: 1 million
by occupation: industry 31%, services 27%, government 24%, agriculture 18%
note: 3% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July
1998 est.)
Unemployment rate: 25% (1997 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $10.4 billion
expenditures: $10.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.5 billion (1995 est.)
Industries: petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricitycapacity: 4.6 million kW (1995)
Electricityproduction: 17 billion kWh (1995)
Electricityconsumption per capita: 3,239 kWh (1995)
Agricultureproducts: wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts; meat, eggs
Exports:
total value: $9 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
commodities: crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas
partners: Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Turkey, Greece,
Egypt
Imports:
total value: $6.2 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
commodities: machinery, transport equipment, food, manufactured goods
partners: Italy, Germany, UK, France, Spain, Turkey,
Tunisia, Eastern Europe
Debtexternal: $2.6 billion excluding military debt (1995 est.)
Economic aid: $NA
Currency: 1 Libyan dinar (LD) = 1,000 dirhams
Exchange rates: Libyan dinars (LD) per US$10.3902 (January 1998), 0.3891 (1997), 0.3651 (1996), 0.3532 (1995), 0.3596 (1994), 0.3250 (1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications |
Telephones: 370,000
Telephone system:
modern telecommunications system
domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations
international:
satellite earth stations2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); planned Arabsat and Intersputnik satellite earth stations; submarine cables to France and Italy; microwave radio relay
to Tunisia and Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece; participant in Medarabtel
Radio broadcast stations: AM 17, FM 3, shortwave 0
Radios: 1 million (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 12 (1987 est.)
Televisions: 500,000 (1993 est.)
Transportation |
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 no progress; other plans made jointly with Egypt would establish a rail line from As Sallum,
Egypt, to Tobruk with completion set for mid-1994; no progress has been reported
Highways:
total: 83,200 km
paved: 47,590 km
unpaved: 35,610 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: none
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: 30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 615,505 GRT/1,044,175 DWT
ships by type: cargo 9, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas tanker 3, oil tanker 9, roll-on/roll-off cargo
4, short-sea passenger 4 (1997 est.)
Airports: 145 (1997 est.)
Airportswith paved runways:
total: 60
over 3,047 m: 24
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 23
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 3 (1997 est.)
Airportswith unpaved runways:
total: 85
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 43
under 914 m: 20 (1997 est.)
Military |
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Command
Military manpowermilitary age: 17 years of age
Military manpoweravailability:
males age 15-49: 1,229,080 (1998 est.)
Military manpowerfit for military service:
males: 731,963 (1998 est.)
Military manpowerreaching military age annually:
males: 59,730 (1998 est.)
Military expendituresdollar figure: $1.4 billion (1994 est.)
Military expenditurespercent of GDP: 6.1% (1994 est.)
Transnational Issues |
Disputesinternational: maritime boundary dispute with Tunisia; Libya claims about 19,400 sq km in northern Niger and part of southeastern Algeria