LIBYA
GEOGRAPHY
Total area: 1,759,540 km2; land area: 1,759,540 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than Alaska
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
Coastline: 1,770 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 12 nm;
Gulf of Sidra closing line: 32o 30' N
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
Climate: Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior
Terrain: mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus,
depressions
Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, gypsum
Land use: arable land 1%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures
8%; forest and woodland 0%; other 91%; includes irrigated NEGL%
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
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
PEOPLE
Population: 4,350,742 (July 1991), growth rate 3.0% (1991)
Birth rate: 36 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Infant mortality rate: 62 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 71 years female (1991)
Total fertility rate: 5.1 children born/woman (1991)
Nationality: noun--Libyan(s); adjective--Libyan
Ethnic divisions: Berber and Arab 97%; some Greeks, Maltese,
Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians
Religion: Sunni Muslim 97%
Language: Arabic; Italian and English widely understood in major
cities
Literacy: 64% (male 75%, female 50%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force: 1,000,000, includes about 280,000 resident
foreigners; industry 31%, services 27%, government 24%, agriculture 18%
Organized labor: National Trade Unions' Federation, 275,000
members; General Union for Oil and Petrochemicals; Pan-Africa Federation
of Petroleum Energy and Allied Workers
GOVERNMENT
Long-form name: Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Type: Jamahiriya (a state of the masses); in theory, governed by
the populace through local councils; in fact, a military dictatorship
Capital: Tripoli
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
Independence: 24 December 1951 (from Italy)
Constitution: 11 December 1969, amended 2 March 1977
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
National holiday: Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)
Executive branch: revolutionary leader, chairman of the General
People's Committee, General People's Committee (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral General People's Congress
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) Abu Zayd Umar DURDA (since 7 October 1990)
Political parties and leaders: none
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
Elections: national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of
revolutionary committees
Political parties: none
Communists: no organized party, negligible membership
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
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
Diplomatic representation: none
Flag: plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the
state religion)
ECONOMY
Overview: The socialist-oriented economy depends primarily upon
revenues from the oil sector, which contributes practically all export
earnings and about one-third of GNP. 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 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.
Windfall profits from the hike in world oil prices in late 1990 improved
the foreign payments position and may permit Tripoli to ease austerity
measures. The nonoil industrial 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 less than 5% of GNP, it employs 18% of the labor
force. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit farm output,
requiring Libya to import about 75% of its food requirements.
GNP: $24 billion, per capita $5,860; real growth rate 3% (1989
est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 20% (1988 est.)
Unemployment rate: 2% (1988 est.)
Budget: revenues $8.1 billion; expenditures $9.8 billion, including
capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (1989 est.)
Exports: $6.1 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
commodities--petroleum, peanuts, hides;
partners--Italy, USSR, FRG, Spain, France, Belgium/Luxembourg,
Turkey
Imports: $6.2 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
commodities--machinery, transport equipment, food, manufactured
goods;
partners--Italy, USSR, FRG, UK, Japan
External debt: $3.5 billion, excluding military debt (December
1990 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate NA%; accounts for 43% of GDP
(including oil)
Electricity: 4,705,000 kW capacity; 13,600 million kWh produced,
3,220 kWh per capita (1990)
Industries: petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts,
cement
Agriculture: 5% of GNP; cash crops--wheat, barley, olives, dates,
citrus fruits, peanuts; 75% of food is imported
Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
commitments (1970-87), $242 million; no longer a recipient
Currency: Libyan dinar (plural--dinars);
1 Libyan dinar (LD) = 1,000 dirhams
Exchange rates: Libyan dinars (LD) per US$1--0.2669 (January 1991),
0.2699 (1990), 0.2922 (1989), 0.2853 (1988), 0.2706 (1987), 0.3139
(1986), 0.2961 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
COMMUNICATIONS
Highways: 32,500 km total; 24,000 km bituminous and bituminous
treated, 8,500 km gravel, crushed stone and earth
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
Merchant marine: 30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 807,539
GRT/1,452,847 DWT; includes 3 short-sea passenger, 11 cargo, 4
roll-on/roll-off cargo, 11 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker,
1 chemical tanker
Civil air: 59 major transport aircraft
Airports: 131 total, 123 usable; 53 with permanent-surface runways;
7 with runways over 3,659 m; 31 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 44 with
runways 1,220-2,439 m
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
DEFENSE FORCES
Branches: Armed Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahariya (includes
Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command), National Police
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,023,335; 603,886 fit for
military service; 52,059 reach military age (17) annually;
conscription now being implemented
Defense expenditures: $NA, 11.1% of GNP (1987)