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Background:
|
 From
the earliest days of his rule following his 1969 military
coup, Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI has espoused 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." QADHAFI 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 subversives and terrorists abroad to hasten the end
of Marxism and capitalism. 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. Chadian forces were able to force the
Libyans to retreat from the Aozou Strip in 1987. UN sanctions
in the 1990s isolated QADHAFI politically following the
downing of Pan AM Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Later,
when QADHAFI found that he could not easily break free of the
sanctions and when he realized that Arab nations were lukewarm
to his many unusual political initiatives, he turned his
attention to Africa where he achieved mixed success at
influence-building. Libyan support for terrorism appears to
have decreased after UN sanctions were imposed in 1992. During
the 1990s QADHAFI also began to rebuild his relationships with
Europe. UN sanctions were suspended in April 1999 and finally
lifted in September 2003 after Libya resolved the Lockerbie
case. In December 2003, Libya announced that it had agreed to
reveal and end its programs to develop weapons of mass
destruction. |
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Location:
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Northern Africa,
bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia |
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total:
1,759,540 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 1,759,540 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger
than Alaska |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
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 |
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Coastline:
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1,770 km |
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Climate:
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Mediterranean
along coast; dry, extreme desert interior |
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Terrain:
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mostly barren,
flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m
highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m |
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Natural resources:
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petroleum,
natural gas, gypsum |
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Land use:
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arable land:
1.03%
permanent crops: 0.17%
other: 98.8% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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4,700 sq km (1998
est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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hot, dry,
dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days
in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
Protection
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
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Geography - note:
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more than 90% of
the country is desert or semidesert |
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Population:
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5,631,585
note: includes 166,510 non-nationals (July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
34.2% (male 983,050; female 941,603)
15-64 years: 61.7% (male 1,794,396; female 1,679,828)
65 years and over: 4.1% (male 113,391; female 119,317)
(2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
22.4 years
male: 22.5 years
female: 22.2 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.37% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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27.17
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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3.48 deaths/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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: 0.95 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
25.7 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 23.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 28.04 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 76.28 years
male: 74.1 years
female: 78.58 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.2% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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7,000 (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Libyan(s)
adjective: Libyan |
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Ethnic groups:
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Berber and Arab
97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks,
Indians, Tunisians |
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Religions:
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Sunni Muslim
97% |
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Languages:
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Arabic, Italian,
English, all are widely understood in the major cities |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 82.6%
male: 92.4%
female: 72% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
conventional short form: Libya
local short form: none
local long form: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah
ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma |
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Government type:
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Jamahiriya (a
state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace
through local councils; in fact, a military dictatorship |
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Capital:
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Tripoli |
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Administrative divisions:
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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 |
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Independence:
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24 December 1951
(from Italy) |
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National holiday:
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Revolution Day, 1
September (1969) |
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Constitution:
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11 December 1969,
amended 2 March 1977 |
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Legal system:
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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 |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age;
universal and compulsory |
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Executive branch:
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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
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: NA
cabinet: General People's Committee established by the
General People's Congress
head of government: Secretary of the General People's
Committee (Prime Minister) Shukri Muhammad GHANIM (since 14
June 2003) |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral
General People's Congress (NA seats; members elected
indirectly through a hierarchy of people's committees) |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court |
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Political parties and leaders:
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none |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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various Arab
nationalist movements with almost negligible memberships may
be functioning clandestinely, as well as some Islamic elements |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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Libya does not
have an embassy in the US but maintains an interest section
under the protective power of the Unites Arab Emirates Embassy
in the US |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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the US suspended
all embassy activities in Tripoli on 2 May 1980, and then
resumed embassy activities in February 2004 under the
protective power of the US interests section of the Belgian
Embassy |
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Economy - overview:
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The Libyan
economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector,
which contribute 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. Libyan officials in the past three 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.
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
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. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power
parity - $35 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3.2% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power
parity - $6,400 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
9%
industry: 45%
services: 46% (2001 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2.8% (2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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1.6 million (2001
est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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services 54%,
industry 29%, agriculture 17% (1997 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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30% (2001) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$10.2 billion
expenditures: $7.8 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2003 est.) |
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Industries:
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petroleum, food
processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA% |
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Electricity - production:
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20.18 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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18.77 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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1.429 million
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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216,000 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - production:
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6.18 billion cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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5.41 billion cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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wheat, barley,
olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts, soybeans; cattle |
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Exports:
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$14.32 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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crude oil,
refined petroleum products (1999) |
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Exports - partners:
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Italy 42.8%,
Germany 14.1%, Spain 13.6%, Turkey 6.9% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$6.282 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery,
transport equipment, food, manufactured goods (1999) |
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Imports - partners:
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Italy 25.4%,
Germany 9.9%, South Korea 6.5%, UK 6.5%, Tunisia 6.4%, Japan
6.3%, France 5.7% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$4.2 billion
(2003 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$15 million
(2000) |
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Currency:
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Libyan dinar (LYD) |
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Currency code:
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LYD |
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Exchange rates:
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Libyan dinars per
US dollar - 1.29 (2003), 1.27 (2002), 0.61 (2001), 0.5 (2000),
0.39 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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660,000 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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70,000 (2002) |
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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: country code - 218; 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) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 16, FM 3,
shortwave 3 (2002) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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12 (plus one
low-power repeater) (1999) |
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Internet country code:
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.ly |
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Internet hosts:
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83 (2002) |
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Internet users:
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125,000 (2002) |
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Railways:
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0 km |
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Highways:
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total:
83,200 km
paved: 47,590 km
unpaved: 35,610 km (1999 est.) |
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Waterways:
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none |
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Pipelines:
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condensate 225
km; gas 3,196 km; oil 6,872 km (2003) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Al Khums,
Banghazi, Darnah, Marsa al Burayqah, Misratah, Ra's Lanuf,
Tobruk, Tripoli, Zuwarah |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 20
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 129,627 GRT/105,110 DWT
by type: cargo 8, liquefied gas 3, petroleum tanker 1,
roll on/roll off 4, short-sea/passenger 4
foreign-owned: Algeria 1, Kuwait 1 (2003 est.) |
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Airports:
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140 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 60
over 3,047 m: 23
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 3 (2003 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 23 |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 80
under 914 m: 18 (2003 est.)
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 41
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 |
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Heliports:
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1 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Armed Peoples on
Duty (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command |
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Military manpower - military age:
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17 years of age
(2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age
15-49: 1,588,533 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age
15-49: 938,196 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males:
61,828 (2004 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
$1.3 billion
(FY99) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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3.9% (FY99) |
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Disputes - international:
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Libya has claimed
more than 32,000 sq km in southeastern Algeria and about
25,000 sq km in Niger in currently dormant disputes; various
Chadian rebels from the Aozou region reside in southern Libya |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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