1982 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1982 (Wikisource)
Geography
Area
1,758,610 km2; 6% agricultural, 1% forested, 93% desert, waste, or urban
Coastline
1,770 km
Land boundaries
4,345 km WATER
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
12 nm (except for Gulf of Sidra where sovereignty is claimed and northern limit of jurisdiction fixed at 32°30′N and the unilaterally proclaimed 100 nm zone around Tripoli)
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
97% Berber and Arab with some Negro stock; some Greeks, Maltese, Jews, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians
Labor force
900,000, of which about 350,000 are resident foreigners
Language
Arabic; Italian and English widely understood in major cities
Literacy
35%
Nationality
noun—Libyan(s); adjective—Libyan
Population
3,425,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 5.4%
Religion
97% Muslim
Government
Branches
paramount political power and authority rests with the Secretariat of the General People's Congress which theoretically functions as a parliament with a cabinet called the General People's Committee
Capital
Tripoli
Communists
no organized party, negligible membership
Elections
representatives to the General People's Congress are drawn from popularly elected municipal committees
Government leaders
Col. Mu'ammar al-QADHAFI (Chief of State); General Secretary of the General People's Congress Muhammad al-Zarruq RAJAB
Legal system
based on Italian civil law system and Islamic law; separate religious courts; no constitutional provision for judicial review of legislative acts; legal education at Law School, at University of Libya at Benghazi; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Member of
AFDB, Arab League, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMCO, IMF, IOOC, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OPEC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG
National holiday
Independence Day, 1 September
Official name
Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Other political or pressure groups
various Arab nationalist movements and the Arab Socialist Resurrection (Ba'th) party with small, almost negligible memberships may be functioning clandestinely
Political parties
none
Political subdivisions
10 administrative provinces closely controlled by central government
Suffrage
universal
Type
republic; major overhaul of the constitution and government structure in March 1977 established a system of popular congresses which theoretically controls the ruling General Secretariat
Economy
Agriculture
main crops—wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus fruits, peanuts; 85% of Libya's food is imported
Budget
(1980 est.) revenue $15.8 billion; expenditures $11.7 billion, including development expenditure of $8.5 billion
Electric power
1,950,000 kW capacity (1980); 1.561 billion kWh produced (1980), 1,561 kWh per capita
Exports
$22.5 billion (f.o.b., 1980); petroleum
Fiscal year
calendar year since 1974
GDP
roughly $24.5 billion (1981 est), $6,960 per capita
Imports
$9.5 billion (f.o.b., 1980); manufactures, food
Major industries
petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts
Major trade partners
imports—Italy, West Germany, US; exports—Italy, West Germany, UK, US, France
Monetary conversion rate
1 Libyan pound = US$3.38
Communications
Airfields
98 total, 86 usable; 25 with permanent-surface runways, 6 with runways over 3,659 m, 14 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 33 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
43 major transport aircraft, including 2 leased in
Highways
16,250 km total; 7,750 km bituminous and bituminous treated, 8,500 km gravel, crushed stone and earth
Pipelines
crude oil 3,686 km; natural gas 938 km; refined products 443 km (includes 217 km liquid petroleum gas)
Ports
3 major (Tobruk, Tripoli, Benghazi), 4 minor, and 5 petroleum terminals
Railroads
none
Military and Security
Military budget
for fiscal year ending 31 December 1979, $502 million; 6% of central government budget
Military manpower
males 15-49, 813,000; 479,000 fit for military service; about 35,000 reach military age (17) annually; conscription now being implemented