1990 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1990 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior
Coastline
1,770 km
Comparative area
slightly larger than Alaska
Disputes
claims and occupies a small portion of the Aozou Strip in northern Chad; maritime boundary dispute with Tunisia; Libya claims about 19,400 km2 in northern Niger; Libya claims about 19,400 km2 in southeastern Algeria
Environment
hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; desertification; sparse natural surface-water resources
Gulf of Sidra closing line
32o 30' N
Land boundaries
4,383 km total; Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,150 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km
Land use
1% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 8% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 91% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Natural resources
crude oil, natural gas, gypsum
Note
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
Terrain
mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions
Territorial sea
12 nm;
Total area
1,759,540 km2; land area: 1,759,540 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
37 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Ethnic divisions
97% Berber and Arab; some Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians
Infant mortality rate
64 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force
1,000,000, includes about 280,000 resident foreigners; 31% industry, 27% services, 24% government, 18% agriculture
Language
Arabic; Italian and English widely understood in major cities
Life expectancy at birth
65 years male, 70 years female (1990)
Literacy
50-60%
Nationality
noun--Libyan(s); adjective--Libyan
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Organized labor
National Trade Unions' Federation, 275,000 members; General Union for Oil and Petrochemicals; Pan-Africa Federation of Petroleum Energy and Allied Workers
Population
4,221,141 (July 1990), growth rate 3.1% (1990)
Religion
97% Sunni Muslim
Total fertility rate
5.2 children born/woman (1990)
Government
Administrative divisions
46 municipalities (baladiyat, singular--baladiyah); Ajdabiya, Al Abyar, Al Aziziyah, Al Bayda, Al Jufrah, Al Jumayl, Al Khums, Al Kufrah, Al Marj, Al Qarabulli, Al Qubbah, Al Ujaylat, Ash Shati, Awbari, Az Zahra, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi, Bani Walid, Bin Jawwad, Darnah, Ghadamis, Gharyan, Ghat, Jadu, Jalu, Janzur, Masallatah, Misratah, Mizdah, Murzuq, Nalut, Qaminis, Qasr Bin Ghashir, Sabha, Sabratah, Shahhat, Surman, Surt, Tajura, Tarabulus, Tarhunah, Tubruq, Tukrah, Yafran, Zlitan, Zuwarah; note--the number of municipalities may have been reduced to 13 named Al Jabal al-Akhdar, Al Jabal al-Gharbi, Al Jabal al-Khums, Al Batnam, Al Kufrah, Al Marqab, Al Marzuq, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi, Khalij Surt, Sabha, Tripoli, Wadi al-Hayat
Capital
Tripoli
Constitution
11 December 1969, amended 2 March 1977
Elections
national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of revolutionary committees
Executive branch
revolutionary leader, chairman of the General People's Committee, General People's Committee (cabinet)
Flag
plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state religion)
Independence
24 December 1951 (from Italy)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Leaders
Chief of State--Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI (since 1 September 1969); Head of Government--Chairman of the General People's Committee (Premier) Umar Mustafa al-MUNTASIR (since 1 March 1987)
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
Legislative branch
unicameral General People's Congress
Long-form name
Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
National holiday
Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)
Political parties and leaders
none
Suffrage
universal and compulsory at age 18
Type
Jamahiriya (a state of the masses); in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in fact, a military dictatorship
Economy
Agriculture
5% of GNP; cash crops--wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus fruits, peanuts; 75% of food is imported
Aid
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $242 million
Budget
revenues $6.4 billion; expenditures $11.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.6 billion (1986 est.)
Currency
Libyan dinar (plural--dinars); 1 Libyan dinar (LD) = 1,000 dirhams
Electricity
4,580,000 kW capacity; 13,360 million kWh produced, 3,270 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Libyan dinars (LD) per US$1--0.2896 (January 1990), 0.2922 (1989), 0.2853 (1988), 0.2706 (1987), 0.3139 (1986), 0.2961 (1985)
Exports
$6.1 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--petroleum, peanuts, hides; partners--Italy, USSR, FRG, Spain, France, Belgium/Luxembourg, Turkey
External debt
$2.1 billion, excluding military debt (December 1988)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GNP
$20 billion, per capita $5,410; real growth rate 0% (1988 est.)
Imports
$5.0 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--machinery, transport equipment, food, manufactured goods; partners--Italy, USSR, FRG, UK, Japan
Industrial production
growth rate NA%
Industries
petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
20% (1988 est.)
Overview
The socialist-oriented economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contributes virtually all export earnings and over 50% to GNP. Since 1980, however, the sharp drop in oil prices and resulting decline in export revenues has adversely affected economic development. In 1986 per capita GNP was the highest in Africa at $5,410, but it had been $2,000 higher in 1982. Severe cutbacks in imports over the past five years have led to shortages of basic goods and foodstuffs, although the reopening of the Libyan-Tunisian border in April 1988 and the Libyan-Egyptian border in December 1989 have somewhat eased shortages. Austerity budgets and a lack of trained technicians have undermined the government's ability to implement a number of planned infrastructure development projects. The nonoil industrial and construction sectors, which account for about 15% of GNP, have expanded from processing mostly agricultural products to include petrochemicals, iron, steel, and aluminum. Although agriculture accounts for less than 5% of GNP, it employs 20% of the labor force. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit farm output, requiring Libya to import about 75% of its food requirements.
Unemployment rate
2% (1988 est.)
Communications
Airports
130 total, 122 usable; 53 with permanent-surface runways; 7 with runways over 3,659 m; 30 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 44 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
59 major transport aircraft
Highways
32,500 km total; 24,000 km bituminous and bituminous treated, 8,500 km gravel, crushed stone and earth
Merchant marine
30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 816,546 GRT/1,454,874 DWT; includes 3 short-sea passenger, 11 cargo, 4 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 11 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker
Pipelines
crude oil 4,383 km; natural gas 1,947 km; refined products 443 km (includes 256 km liquid petroleum gas)
Ports
Tobruk, Tripoli, Banghazi, Misratah, Marsa el Brega
Telecommunications
modern telecommunications system using radio relay, coaxial cable, tropospheric scatter, and domestic satellite stations; 370,000 telephones; stations--18 AM, 3 FM, 13 TV; satellite earth stations-- 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, and 14 domestic; submarine cables to France and Italy; radio relay to Tunisia; tropospheric scatter to Greece; planned ARABSAT and Intersputnik satellite stations
Military and Security
Branches
Armed Forces of the Libyan Arab Jamahariya includes People's Defense (Army), Arab Air Force and Air Defense Command, Arab Navy
Defense expenditures
11.1% of GNP (1987)
Military manpower
males 15-49, 991,368; 584,512 fit for military service; 50,379 reach military age (17) annually; conscription now being implemented