Today, let's visit
Libya
Libya is a country in Africa, home to about 6.7 million people. Its capital is Tripoli (Tarabulus).
It covers 1,759,540 square kilometres (679,358 square miles). That's about 2.5 times the size of Texas.
A little history
Berbers have inhabited central north Africa since ancient times, but Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Persians, Egyptians, Romans, and Vandals have all settled and ruled the region. In the 7th century, Islam spread through the area. In the mid-16th century, Ottoman rule began; the Italians supplanted the Ottoman Turks in the area around Tripoli in 1911 and held it until 1943, when they were defeated in World War II. Libya then came under UN administration and achieved independence in 1951. Col. Muammar al-QADHAFI assumed leadership with a military coup in 1969 and began to espouse a political system that combined socialism and Islam. During the 1970s, QADHAFI used oil revenues to promote his ideology outside Libya, supporting subversive and terrorist activities that included the downing of two airliners – one over Scotland and another in Northern Africa – and a discotheque bombing in Berlin. UN sanctions in 1992 isolated QADHAFI politically and economically; the sanctions were lifted in 2003 when Libya accepted responsibility for the bombings and agreed to claimant compensation. QADHAFI also agreed to end Libya's program to develop weapons of mass destruction, and he made significant strides in normalizing relations with Western nations.
Unrest that began in several Middle Eastern and North African countries in 2010 erupted in Libyan cities in 2011. QADHAFI's brutal crackdown on protesters spawned an eight-month civil war that saw the emergence of a National Transitional Council (NTC), UN authorization of air and naval intervention by the international community, and the toppling of the QADHAFI regime. In 2012, the NTC handed power to an elected parliament, the General National Congress (GNC), which was replaced two years later with the House of Representatives (HoR). In 2015, the UN brokered the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) among a broad array of political parties and social groups, establishing an interim executive body. However, hardliners continued to oppose and hamper the LPA implementation, leaving Libya with eastern and western-based rival governments. In 2018, the international community supported a recalibrated plan that aimed to break the political deadlock with a National Conference in 2019. These plans, however, were derailed when the eastern-based, self-described Libyan National Army (LNA) launched an offensive to seize Tripoli. The LNA offensive collapsed in 2020, and a subsequent UN-sponsored cease-fire helped formalize the pause in fighting between rival camps.
In 2021, the UN-facilitated Libyan Political Dialogue Forum selected a new prime minister for an interim government – the Government of National Unity (GNU) – and a new presidential council charged with preparing for elections and uniting the country’s state institutions. The HoR approved the GNU and its cabinet the same year, providing Libya with its first unified government since 2014, but the parliament then postponed the planned presidential election to an undetermined date in the future. In 2022, the HoR voted to replace GNU interim Prime Minister, Abdul Hamid DUBAYBAH, with another government led by Fathi BASHAGHA. GNU allegations of an illegitimate HoR vote allowed DUBAYBAH to remain in office and rebuff BASHAGHA's attempts to seat his government in Tripoli. In 2023, the HoR voted to replace BASHAGHA with Osma HAMAD. Special Representative of the UN Security-General for Libya, Abdoulaye BATHILY, is leading international efforts to persuade key Libyan political actors to resolve the core issues impeding elections.
What's it like there?
The weather is mediterranean along coast.
- Location
-
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria
- Size
-
- About 2.5 times the size of Texas
- Slightly larger than Alaska
- Climate
-
- Mediterranean along coast
- Dry, extreme desert interior
- Landscape
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- Mostly barren
- Flat to undulating plains
- Plateaus
- Depressions
- Natural resources
-
- Petroleum
- Natural gas
- Gypsum
- Land use
-
Agricultural land 8.7%
Arable land 1%
Permanent crops 0.2%
Permanent pasture 7.6%
Forest 0.1%
Other 91.2%
2023 estimate
- Good to know
-
Note: More than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert
Note: The volcano Waw an Namus lies in south central Libya in the middle of the Sahara; the caldera is an oasis – the name means "oasis of mosquitoes" – containing several small lakes that host many species of insects and birds
Who lives there?
About 6.7 million people live in Libya, and the biggest city is Tripoli.
- Largest cities
-
Tripoli Capital 1,302,947 Benghazi 757,490 Misratah 355,657 Zliten 203,790 Al Khums 201,943 Az Zāwīyah 200,000 Zawiya 186,123 Janzūr 154,389 Sabha 149,329 Tobruk 141,499 - Languages
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- Arabic (official)
- Italian
- English (all widely understood in the major cities)
Tamazight (Nafusi, Ghadamis, Suknah, Awjilah, Tamasheq)
- Religions
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Muslim (official; virtually all Sunni) 96.6% Christian 2.7% Buddhist <1% Hindu <1% Jewish <1% Folk religion <1% Other <1% Unaffiliated <1% 2020 estimate
Note: Non-Sunni Muslims include native Ibadhi Muslims (<1% of the population) and foreign Muslims
- Ethnic groups
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Amazigh and Arab 97%, other 3% (includes Egyptian, Greek, Indian, Italian, Maltese, Pakistani, Tunisian, and Turkish)
- Where people live
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- Over 90% of the population lives along the Mediterranean coast in and between Tripoli to the west and Al Bayda to the east
- The interior remains vastly underpopulated due to the Sahara and its lack of surface water, as shown in this population distribution map
- Cities and towns
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Urban population 81.6% of total population
2023
Rate of urbanization 1.45% annual rate of change
2020-25 estimate
- What people are called
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Noun Libyan(s)
Adjective Libyan
Who's in charge?
Its government is an in transition.
- Leaders
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Head of state President, Presidential Council, Mohammed al-Manfi (since 5 February 2021)
Head of government Gnu Interim Prime Minister Abd-al-Hamid Dubaybah (since 5 February 2021)
- Parliament
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Legislative structure Unicameral
Chamber name House of Representatives (Majlis Al-Nuwaab)
Number of seats 200 (all directly elected)
Electoral system Other systems
Scope of elections Full renewal
Most recent election date 6/25/2014
Percentage of women in chamber 16.5%
Expected date of next election December 2026
Note: 32 seats are reserved for women
- Courts
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Highest court(s) Libya's judicial system consists of a supreme court, central high courts (in Tripoli, Benghazi, and Sabha), and a series of lower courts
- Constitution
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History - Previous 1951
- 1977
- 2011 (interim)
Note: A draft constitution was approved in 2017, but it is not yet ratified
- Legal system
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Libya's post-revolution system is in flux and driven by state and non-state entities
- Who can vote
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18 years of age, universal
How does it make a living?
- In short
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- Upper middle-income, fossil fuel-based North African economy
- 31% economic contraction due to COVID-19 and 2020 oil blockade
- Reduced government spending
- Central bank had to devalue currency
- Public wages are over 60% of expenditures
- Industries
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- Petroleum
- Petrochemicals
- Aluminum
- Iron and steel
- Food processing
- Textiles
- Handicrafts
- Cement
- Farming
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- Potatoes
- Onions
- Watermelons
- Tomatoes
- Dates
- Olives
- Milk
- Chicken
- Wheat
- Vegetables
2023
Note: Top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
- Exports
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- Crude petroleum
- Natural gas
- Refined petroleum
- Gold
- Scrap iron
2023
Note: Top five export commodities based on value in dollars
- Sells most to
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Italy 23% Germany 15% Spain 9% France 7% China 6% 2023
Note: Top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
- Imports
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- Refined petroleum
- Broadcasting equipment
- Tobacco
- Garments
- Cars
2023
Note: Top five import commodities based on value in dollars
- Buys most from
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China 17% Turkey 15% Italy 8% UAE 8% Egypt 8% 2023
Note: Top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
- Workforce
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2.585 million
2024 estimate
Note: Number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
- Electricity
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Electrification - total population 70%
2022 estimate
Electrification - urban areas 100%
- Government budget
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Revenues $28.005 billion
Expenditures $37.475 billion
2019 estimate
Want to read more? Try the Wikipedia article, the Wikipedia portal or the Human Rights Watch report.
Have a great day!
I'll look forward to seeing you again tomorrow.
The more we all learn about the world, the better a place it becomes. Thank you for your curiosity!