1996 Edition

Description

plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state religion)

Location

25 00 N, 17 00 E -- Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia Flag ----

Area

comparative area

slightly larger than Alaska

land area

1,759,540 sq km

total area

1,759,540 sq km

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

international agreements

party to - Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea

natural hazards

hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms

Geographic coordinates

25 00 N, 17 00 E

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sq km Aozou Strip between Chad and Libya belongs to Chad and that Libya must withdraw from it by 31 May 1994; Libya has withdrawn some of its forces in response to the ICJ ruling, but still maintains part of the airfield and a small military presence at the airfield's water supply located in Chad; 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

border countries

Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,150 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km

total

4,383 km

Land use

arable land

2%

forest and woodland

0%

meadows and pastures

8%

other

90%

permanent crops

0%

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

highest point

Bikku Bitti 2,267 m

lowest point

Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m

Age structure

0-14 years: 48% (male 1,319,696; female 1,274,865) 15-64 years: 49% (male 1,375,441; female 1,308,613) 65 years and over: 3% (male 87,434; female 79,387) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

44.42 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

7.7 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians

Infant mortality rate

59.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities

Life expectancy at birth

female

66.97 years (1996 est.)

male

62.48 years

total population

64.67 years

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)

female

63%

male

87.9%

total population

76.2%

Nationality

adjective

Libyan

noun

Libyan(s)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population

5,445,436 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

3.67% (1996 est.)

Religions

Sunni Muslim 97%

Sex ratio

all ages

1.04 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years

1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.1 male(s)/female

Total fertility rate

6.26 children born/woman (1996 est.)

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

note

the 25 muncipalities may have been replaced by 1,500 communes in 1992

Capital

Tripoli

Constitution

11 December 1969, amended 2 March 1977

Data code

LY

Diplomatic representation in US

Libya does not have an embassy in the US

Executive branch

cabinet

General People's Committee was established by the General People's Congress

chief of state

Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI (since 1 September 1969) was elected by the General People's Congress

head of government

Secretary of the General People's Committee (Premier) Abd al Majid al-QA'UD (since 29 January 1994)

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)

International organization participation

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, WToO, WTrO (observer)

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

Name of country

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 Ishtirakiyah

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 of government

Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in fact, a military dictatorship

US diplomatic representation

the US suspended all embassy activities in Tripoli on 2 May 1980

Agriculture

wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts; meat, eggs

Budget

expenditures

$9.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (1989 est.)

revenues

$8.1 billion

Currency

1 Libyan dinar (LD) = 1,000 dirhams

Economic aid

$NA

Economic 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 subsequently GDP growth has slowed on average and has 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. The nonoil manufacturing and construction sectors, which account for about 20% of GDP, have expanded from processing mostly agricultural products to include the production of 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 to sustain imports of food, consumer goods, and equipment for the oil industry and ongoing development projects.

Electricity

capacity

4,600,000 kW

consumption per capita

3,078 kWh (1993)

production

16.1 billion kWh

Exchange rates

Libyan dinars (LD) per US$1 - 0.3617 (January 1996), 0.3532 (1995), 0.3596 (1994), 0.3250 (1993), 0.3013 (1992), 0.2684 (1991)

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

GDP

purchasing power parity - $32.9 billion (1994 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture

NA%

industry

NA%

services

NA%

GDP per capita

$6,510 (1994 est.)

GDP real growth rate

-0.9% (1994 est.)

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

NA%

Industries

petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

25% (1993 est.)

Labor force

1 million (includes about 280,000 resident foreigners)

by occupation

industry 31%, services 27%, government 24%, agriculture 18%

Unemployment rate

NA%

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.)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49

1,170,100

males fit for military service

696,288

males reach military age (17) annually

56,834 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 17, FM 3, shortwave 0

Radios

1 million (1993 est.)

Telephone system

modern telecommunications system

domestic

microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations

international

satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); planned Arabsat and Intersputnik satellite earth stations; submarine cables to France and Italy; microwave radio relay to Tunisia and Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece; participant in Medarabtel

Telephones

370,000

Television broadcast stations

12 (1987 est.)

Televisions

500,000 (1993 est.) Defense

Airports

total

130

with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

22

with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

5

with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m

6

with paved runways over 3 047 m

24

with paved runways under 914 m

13

with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

15

with unpaved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

3

with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m

38 (1995 est.)

with unpaved runways over 3 047 m

4

Highways

paved

10,738 km

total

19,189 km

unpaved

8,451 km (1987 est.)

Merchant marine

note

Libya owns an additional 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 38,260 DWT operating under the registries of Algeria and Turkey (1995 est.)

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

total

30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 686,834 GRT/1,209,263 DWT

Pipelines

crude oil 4,383 km; petroleum products 443 km (includes liquefied petroleum gas 256 km); natural gas 1,947 km

Ports

Al Khums, Banghazi, Darnah, Marsa al Burayqah, Misratah, Ra's Lanuf, Tobruk, Tripoli, Zuwarah

Railways

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

Waterways

none