Libya

CIA stats below.

Map failed to give any detail on the Aozou strip.

Reagan's bombing that killed a 5 yr. old girl and provoked
the Lockerbie tragedy not even mentioned.

2001 info unless noted otherwise, w/ slight edit by me.

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.

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

Transnational Issues
Disputes - international:
Libya claims about 19,400 sq km in northern
Niger and also a part of southeastern Algeria

Government
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note - the 25 municipalities may have been replaced by 13 regions

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

Executive branch:
Chief of state:
Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI (since 9/1/69);
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 3/2/00)
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;
% 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)

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
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.

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)

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 withcompletion 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)

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,
petrol tanker 6, roll on/roll off 4, short-sea passenger 4
(2000 est.)

People
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 yrs: 35.41%
(m 947,645; fe 907,854)
15-64 yrs: 60.64%
(m 1,645,085; fe 1,533,066)
65 yrs and up: 3.95%
(m 101,701; fe 105,248)

Population growth rate:
 2.42%

Birth rate:
 27.67 births/1,000 population

Death rate:
 3.51 deaths/1,000 population

Net migration rate:
 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population

Sex ratio:
 at birth: 1.05 m/fe
under 15 years: 1.04 m/fe
15-64 years: 1.07 m/fe
65 years and over: 0.97 m/fe
total population: 1.06 m/fe

Infant mortality rate:
 28.99 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
 total population: 75.65 yrs
male: 73.53 yrs   fe: 77.88 yrs

Total fertility rate:
 3.64 children born/woman

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
 0.05% (1999 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 up can read/write
76.2% male:   87.9% fe: 63%
(1995 est.)

Government
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

Capital:
 Tripoli

Independence:
12/24/51 (from Italy)

National holiday:
 Revolution Day, 1 Sept. (1969)

Constitution:
12/11/69, amended 3/2/77

Suffrage:
 18 years of age;
universal and compulsory

Judicial branch:
 Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:
 none

Economy
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 % 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,
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 - by source:
 fossil fuel: 100%
(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)

Communications
Telephones - main lines in use:
 380,000
Mobile cellular NA
(1996)

Radio broadcast stations:
 AM 17, FM 4, shortwave 3 (1998)

Radios:
 1.35 million (1997)

TV broadcast stations:
12 (plus one low-power repeater)
(1998)

Televisions:
 730,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
 .ly

ISPs:
 1 (2000)

Internet users:
 7,500 (2000)

Transportation

Highways:
 total: 24,484 km
paved: 6,800 km
unpaved: 17,684 km
(1996)

Waterways:
None

Pipelines:
Crude oil 4,383 km; petrol products 443 km
(includes liquefied petrol gas 256 km);
natural gas 1,947 km

Ports and harbors:
 Al Khums, Banghazi, Darnah,
Marsa al Burayqah, Misratah,
Ra's Lanuf, Tobruk, Tripoli, Zuwarah

Airports:
 136 (2000 est.)

Airports - paved:
 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

Airports -  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

Military
Military branches:
 Army, Navy, Air and
Air Defense Command

Military age:
 17 years of age

Manpower - availability:
 males age 15-49: 1,459,400

Fit for military service:
 males age 15-49: 866,012

Reach military age annually:
Males: 61,694

Expenditures - $ figure:
 $1.3 billion (FY99/00)

Expenditures - % of GDP:
 3.9% (FY99/00)

Geography
Location:
Northern Africa,
borders 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 1 to 4 days in
spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms

Economy

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)

Currency code:
 LYD

Exchange rates:
 Libyan dinars/US dollar -
0.5101 (Jan. 2001), 0.5081 (2000),
0.4616 (1999), 0.3785 (1998),
0.3891 (1997), 0.3651 (1996)
note:
Currently has 2 rates for foreign trade;
1 for govt. operations and foreign
companies and 1 for Libyan individuals
(0.45 dinars/US $ in Dec.1998)

Fiscal year:
Calendar year

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