Libya
Socialist People's Libyan Arab JamahiriyaAl Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah
Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory,Independence 24 December 1951 (from Italy)
Libya as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 85 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.
No fields match. Try a shorter word.
Geography
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, | between Egypt and Tunisia
15 fieldsLand useshare of 1,759,540 sq km
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- Libya has withdrawn some of its forces in response to the ICJ ruling, but still maintains part of the airfield and a small military presence at the airfield's water supply located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
Terrain
mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions
- lowest point:
- Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m
- highest point:
- Bikku Bitti 2,267 m
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; dust storms, 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
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1996 est.)
Male · female(1996 est.)
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.)
Sex ratio
- 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
- all ages:
- 1.04 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Ethnic divisions
Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians
Government
Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory,; Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI (since 1 September 1969) was elected by the General People's Congress; Secretary of the General People's Committee (Premier) Abd al Majid al-QA'UD (since 29 January 1994)
19 fieldsName 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
Type of government
Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in fact, a military dictatorship
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
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
Executive branch
- 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)
- cabinet:
- General People's Committee was established by the General People's Congress
note: national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of peoples' committees
Legislative branch
unicameral; General People's Congress: national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of peoples' committees
Other political or pressure groups
various Arab nationalist movements with almost negligible memberships may be functioning clandestinely, as well as some Islamic elements
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)
Economy
20 fieldsInstalled generating capacity, 4,600,000 kW
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.
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
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
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)
Transportation
7 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 130 in all
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
Pipelines
- crude oil 4,383 km;
- petroleum products 443 km (includes liquefied petroleum gas 256 km);
- natural gas 1,947 km
Merchant marine
- total:
- 30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 686,834 GRT/1,209,263 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
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.)
Communications
Armed Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah (includes | Army, Navy, and Air and Air Defense Command), Police
9 fieldsTelephone 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
Branches
Armed Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah (includes Army, Navy, and Air and Air Defense Command), Police
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.)
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Libya.” The World Factbook 1996. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/libya/1996.