| 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. Those
sanctions were suspended in April 1999. |
| Location: |
Northern Africa,
bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
25 00 N, 17 00 E |
| 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:
4,383 km
border countries: Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055
km, Egypt 1,150 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459
km |
| Maritime
claims: |
territorial
sea: 12 NM
note: 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 |
| 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 |
| Environment
- current 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 |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to:
Climate Change, Desertification, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Law of
the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban |
| Population: |
5,240,599
note: includes 662,669 non-nationals, of which
an estimated 500,000 or more are Africans living in Libya
(July 2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
35.41% (male 947,645; female 907,854)
15-64 years: 60.64% (male 1,645,085; female
1,533,066)
65 years and over: 3.95% (male 101,701; female
105,248) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
2.42% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
27.67
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
3.51 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
28.99
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 75.65 years
male: 73.53 years
female: 77.88 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
3.64 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.05% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| 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.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya
conventional short form: Libya
local long form: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al
Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma
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 |
| Administrative
divisions: |
25 municipalities
(baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); 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 13
regions |
| 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); note - holds no
official title, but is de facto chief of state
head of government: Secretary of the General
People's Committee (Premier) Mubarak al-SHAMEKH (since 2
March 2000)
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 2 March 2000 (next to be held NA)
election results: Mubarak al-SHAMEKH elected
premier; percent of General People's Congress vote - NA% |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral
General People's Congress (NA 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: |
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,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM,
OAPEC, OAU, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO |
| 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
- overview: |
The
socialist-oriented economy depends primarily upon revenues
from the oil sector, which contributes practically all
export earnings and about one-quarter of GDP. These oil
revenues and 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. In this statist
society, 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.
Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit
agricultural output, and Libya imports about 75% of its food
requirements. Higher oil prices in 1999 and 2000 led to an
increase in export revenues, which improved macroeconomic
balances and helped to stimulate the economy. Following the
suspension of UN sanctions in 1999, Libya has been trying to
increase its attractiveness to foreign investors, and
several foreign companies have visited in search of
contracts. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $45.4 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
6.5% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $8,900 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
7%
industry: 47%
services: 46% (1997 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
18.5% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
1.5 million (2000
est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
services and
government 54%, industry 29%, agriculture 17% (1997 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
30% (2000 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$6.85 billion
expenditures: $4.4 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
| Industries: |
petroleum, food
processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
18.9 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
17.577 billion
kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
wheat, barley,
olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts, soybeans; cattle |
| Exports: |
$13.9 billion
(f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
crude oil,
refined petroleum products |
| Exports
- partners: |
Italy 33%,
Germany 24%, Spain 10%, France 5%, Turkey 4%, Tunisia 4%
(1999) |
| Imports: |
$7.6 billion
(f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery,
transport equipment, food, manufactured goods |
| Imports
- partners: |
Italy 24%,
Germany 12%, Tunisia 9%, UK 7%, France 6%, South Korea 5%
(1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$4.1 billion
(2000 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$8.4 million
(1995) |
| Currency: |
Libyan dinar (LYD) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Libyan dinars per
US dollar - 0.5101 (January 2001), 0.5081 (2000), 0.4616
(1999), 0.3785 (1998), 0.3891 (1997), 0.3651 (1996)
note: Libya currently has two rates for foreign
trade; one for government operations and foreign companies
and one for Libyan individuals (0.45 dinars per US dollar in
December 1998) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
380,000 (1996) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
NA |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: telecommunications system is being
modernized; mobile cellular telephone system became
operational in 1996
domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable,
cellular, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite
system with 14 earth stations
international: satellite earth stations - 4
Intelsat, NA Arabsat, and NA Intersputnik; submarine cables
to France and Italy; microwave radio relay to Tunisia and
Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece; participant in
Medarabtel (1999) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 17, FM 4,
shortwave 3 (1998) |
| Radios: |
1.35 million
(1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
12 (plus one
low-power repeater) (1998) |
| Televisions: |
730,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.ly |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
7,500 (2000) |
| 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 little
progress; other plans made jointly with Egypt would
establish a rail line from As Sallum, Egypt, to Tobruk with
completion originally set for mid-1994; Libya signed
contracts with two private companies - Bahne of Egypt and
Jez Sistemas Ferroviarios of Spain - in 1998 for the supply
of crossings and pointwork (1001) |
| Highways: |
total:
24,484 km
paved: 6,800 km
unpaved: 17,684 km (1996) |
| 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:
28 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 399,725 GRT/654,843
DWT
ships by type: cargo 10, chemical tanker 1,
liquefied gas 3, petroleum tanker 6, roll on/roll off 4,
short-sea passenger 4 (2000 est.) |
| Airports: |
136 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
58
over 3,047 m: 23
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 22
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
| 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: 40
under 914 m: 18 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Navy, Air
and Air Defense Command |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
17 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 1,459,400 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 866,012 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
61,694 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$1.3 billion
(FY99/00) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
3.9% (FY99/00) |
| Disputes
- international: |
Libya claims
about 19,400 sq km in northern Niger and also a part of
southeastern Algeria |
|
