1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (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 the 100,000 km2 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
32 degrees 30 minutes N
Land area
1,759,540 km2
Land boundaries
4,383 km; Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,150 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km
Land use
arable land 1%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 8%; forest and woodland 0%; other 91%; includes irrigated NEGL%
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
People and Society
Birth rate
36 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
Berber and Arab 97%; some Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians
Infant mortality rate
60 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Labor force
1,000,000, includes about 280,000 resident foreigners; industry 31%, services 27%, government 24%, agriculture 18%
Languages
Arabic; Italian and English widely understood in major cities
Life expectancy at birth
66 years male, 71 years female (1992)
Literacy
64% (male 75%, female 50%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun - Libyan(s); adjective - Libyan
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
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
4,484,795 (July 1992), growth rate 3.0% (1992)
Religions
Sunni Muslim 97%
Total fertility rate
4.9 children born/woman (1992)
Government
Administrative divisions
25 municipalities (baladiyah, singular - baladiyat; 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
Capital
Tripoli Administration divisions
Chief of State
Revolutionary Leader Col. Mu`ammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI (since 1 September 1969)
Constitution
11 December 1969, amended 2 March 1977
Digraph
Tripoli Administration divisions *** 25 municipalities (baladiyah, singular - baladiyat; 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
Diplomatic representation
none
Elections
national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of peoples' committees
Executive branch
revolutionary leader, chairman of the General People's Committee (premier), General People's Committee (cabinet)
Flag
plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state religion)
Head of Government
Chairman of the General People's Committee (Premier) Abu Zayd `umar DURDA (since 7 October 1990)
Independence
24 December 1951 (from Italy)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
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
Member of
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CAEU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)
Other political or pressure groups
various Arab nationalist movements and the Arab Socialist Resurrection (Ba'th) party with almost negligible memberships may be functioning clandestinely, as well as some Islamic elements
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
Budget
revenues $8.1 billion; expenditures $9.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (1989 est.)
Currency
Libyan dinar (plural - dinars); 1 Libyan dinar (LD) = 1,000 dirhams
Economic aid
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $242 million; no longer a recipient
Electricity
4,700,000 kW capacity; 13,700 million kWh produced, 3,100 kWh per capita (1991)
Exchange rates
Libyan dinars (LD) per US$1 - 0.2743 (March 1992), 0.2669 (1991), 0.2699 (1990), 0.2922 (1989), 0.2853 (1988), 0.2706 (1987)
Exports
$11 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.) commodities: petroleum, peanuts, hides partners: Italy, USSR, Germany, Spain, France, Belgium/Luxembourg, Turkey
External debt
$3.5 billion, excluding military debt (1991 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
exchange rate conversion - $28.9 billion, per capita $6,800; real growth rate 9% (1990 est.)
Imports
$7.6 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.) commodities: machinery, transport equipment, food, manufactured goods partners: Italy, USSR, Germany, UK, Japan
Industrial production
growth rate - 4%; accounts for 22% of GDP (not including oil) (1989)
Industries
petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
7% (1991 est.)
Overview
The socialist-oriented economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contributes practically all export earnings and about one-third of GDP. Since 1980, however, the sharp drop in oil prices and the resulting decline in export revenues have adversely affected economic development. In 1988 per capita GDP was the highest in Africa at $5,410, but GDP growth rates have slowed and fluctuate sharply in response to changes in the world oil market. Import restrictions and inefficient resource allocations 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. Windfall revenues from the hike in world oil prices in late 1990 improved the foreign payments position and resulted in a current account surplus for the first time in five years. The nonoil manufacturing and construction sectors, which account for about 22% of GDP, have expanded from processing mostly agricultural products to include petrochemicals, iron, steel, and aluminum. Although agriculture accounts for about 5% of GDP, it employs about 20% of the labor force. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit farm output, and Libya imports about 75% of its food requirements.
Unemployment rate
2% (1988 est.)
Communications
Airports
133 total, 120 usable; 53 with permanent-surface runways; 9 with runways over 3,659 m; 28 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 46 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
59 major transport aircraft
Merchant marine
30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 684,969 GRT/1,209,084 DWT; includes 3 short-sea passenger, 11 cargo, 4 roll-on/roll-off, 10 petroleum tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas
Pipelines
crude oil 4,383 km; natural gas 1,947 km; petroleum products 443 km (includes liquid petroleum gas 256 km)
Ports
Tobruk, Tripoli, Banghazi, Misratah, Marsa al Burayqah, Ra's Lanuf
Telecommunications
modern telecommunications system using radio relay, coaxial cable, tropospheric scatter, and domestic satellite stations; 370,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 17 AM, 3 FM, 12 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 and Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece; planned ARABSAT and Intersputnik satellite stations
Military and Security
Branches
Armed Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (including Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Command), National Police
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $NA, 11.1% of GDP (1987)
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 1,056,686; 624,027 fit for military service; 50,916 reach military age (17) annually; conscription now being implemented