1995 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1995 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Area
total area: 1,759,540 sq km land area: 1,759,540 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than Alaska
Climate
Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior
Coastline
1,770 km
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 natural hazards: hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; duststorms, sandstorms international agreements: party to - Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea
Gulf of Sidra closing line
32 degrees 30 minutes north
International disputes
the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in February 1994 that the 100,000 sq km Aozou Strip between Chad and Libya belongs to Chad, and that Libya must withdraw from it by 31 May 1994; Libya has withdrawn some its forces in response to the ICJ ruling, but still maintains an airfield in the disputed area; maritime boundary dispute with Tunisia; claims part of northern Niger and part of southeastern Algeria
Irrigated land
2,420 sq km (1989 est.)
Land boundaries
total 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: 2% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 8% forest and woodland: 0% other: 90%
Location
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia
Map references
Africa
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
petroleum, natural gas, gypsum
Terrain
mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 48% (female 1,226,851; male 1,269,813) 15-64 years: 49% (female 1,261,424; male 1,331,093) 65 years and over: 3% (female 76,017; male 83,203) (July 1995 est.)
Birth rate
44.89 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate
7.91 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Ethnic divisions
Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians
Infant mortality rate
61.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Labor force
1 million (includes about 280,000 resident foreigners) by occupation: industry 31%, services 27%, government 24%, agriculture 18%
Languages
Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 64.29 years male: 62.12 years female: 66.57 years (1995 est.)
Literacy
age 15 and over can read and write (1984) total population: 60% male: 77% female: 42%
Nationality
noun: Libyan(s) adjective: Libyan
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Population
5,248,401 (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate
3.7% (1995 est.)
Religions
Sunni Muslim 97%
Total fertility rate
6.32 children born/woman (1995 est.)
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
Constitution
11 December 1969, amended 2 March 1977
Digraph
LY
Diplomatic representation in US
none
Executive branch
chief of state: Revolutionary Leader Col. Mu'ammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI (since 1 September 1969) head of government: Chairman of the General People's Committee (Premier) Abd al Majid al-Qa'ud (since 29 January 1994) cabinet: General People's Committee; established by the General People's Congress note: national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of peoples' committees
Flag
plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state religion)
General People's Congress
national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of peoples' committees
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
Member of
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CAEU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Names
conventional long form: Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya conventional short form: Libya local long form: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishirakiyah local short form: none
National holiday
Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)
Other political or pressure groups
various Arab nationalist movements with almost negligible memberships may be functioning clandestinely, as well as some Islamic elements
Political parties and leaders
none
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Type
Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in fact, a military dictatorship
US diplomatic representation
none
Economy
Agriculture
5% of GDP; 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
1 Libyan dinar (LD) = 1,000 dirhams
Economic aid
recipient: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $242 million note: no longer a recipient
Electricity
capacity: 4,600,000 kW production: 16.1 billion kWh consumption per capita: 3,078 kWh (1993)
Exchange rates
Libyan dinars (LD) per US$1 - 0.3555 (January 1995), 0.3596 (1994), 0.3250 (1993), 0.3013 (1992), 0.2684 (1991), 0.2699 (1990)
Exports
$7.2 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas partners: Italy, Germany, Spain, France, UK, Turkey, Greece, Egypt
External debt
$3.5 billion excluding military debt (1991 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Imports
$6.9 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: machinery, transport equipment, food, manufactured goods partners: Italy, Germany, UK, France, Spain, Turkey, Tunisia, Eastern Europe
Industrial production
growth rate 10.5% (1990)
Industries
petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
25% (1993 est.)
National product
GDP - purchasing power parity - $32.9 billion (1994 est.)
National product per capita
$6,510 (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate
-0.9% (1994 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. In 1990 per capita GDP was the highest in Africa at $5,410, but GDP growth rates have slowed and fluctuated sharply in response to changes in the world oil market. Import restrictions and inefficient resource allocations have led to periodic shortages of basic goods and foodstuffs. Windfall revenues from the hike in world oil prices in late 1990 improved the foreign payments position and resulted in a current account surplus through 1992. The nonoil manufacturing and construction sectors, which account for about 20% of GDP, have expanded from processing mostly agricultural products to include petrochemicals, iron, steel, and aluminum. Although agriculture accounts for only 5% of GDP, it employs 18% of the labor force. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit farm output, and Libya imports about 75% of its food requirements. The UN sanctions imposed in April 1992 have not yet had a major impact on the economy because Libya's oil revenues generate sufficient foreign exchange which sustains imports of food, consumer goods, and equipment for the oil industry and ongoing development projects.
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
Radio
broadcast stations: AM 17, FM 3, shortwave 0 radios: NA
Telephone system
370,000 telephones; modern telecommunications system local: NA intercity: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, tropospheric scatter, and 14 domestic satellites international: 2 INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) satellite earth stations; submarine cables to France and Italy; microwave radio relay to Tunisia and Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece; planned ARABSAT and Intersputnik satellite earth stations
Television
broadcast stations: 12 televisions: NA
Transportation
Airports
total: 146 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 24 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 22 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 6 with paved runways under 914 m: 21 with unpaved runways over 3,047 m: 4 with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 17 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 44
Highways
total: 19,300 km paved: bituminous 10,800 km unpaved: gravel, earth 8,500 km
Inland waterways
none
Merchant marine
total: 30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 686,136 GRT/1,208,194 DWT ships by type: cargo 10, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas tanker 2, oil tanker 10, roll-on/roll-off cargo 3, short-sea passenger 4
Pipelines
crude oil 4,383 km; petroleum products 443 km (includes liquified petroleum gas 256 km); natural gas 1,947 km
Ports
Al Khums, Banghazi, Darnah, Marsa al Burayqah, Misratah, Ra's Lanuf, Tobruk, Tripoli, Zuwarah
Railroads
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 no progress; other plans made jointly with Egypt would establish a rail line from As Sallum, Egypt, to Tobruk with completion set for mid-1994; no progress has been reported
Military and Security
Branches
Armed Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah (includes Army, Navy, and Air and Air Defense Command), Police
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $1.4 billion, 6.1% of GDP (1994 est.) ________________________________________________________________________ LIECHTENSTEIN
Manpower availability
males age 15-49 1,131,175; males fit for military service 672,571; males reach military age (17) annually 54,676 (1995 est.)