Libya
Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab JamahiriyaAl Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma
Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councilsIndependence 24 December 1951 (from Italy)
Libya as the 2004 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 126 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
From the earliest days of his rule following his 1969 military coup, Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI has espoused his own political system, the Third Universal Theory. The system is a combination of socialism and Islam derived in part from tribal practices and is supposed to be implemented by the Libyan people themselves in a unique form of "direct democracy." QADHAFI has always seen himself as a revolutionary and visionary leader.
He used oil funds during the 1970s and 1980s to promote his ideology outside Libya, supporting subversives and terrorists abroad to hasten the end of Marxism and capitalism. In addition, beginning in 1973, he engaged in military operations in northern Chad's Aozou Strip - to gain access to minerals and to use as a base of influence in Chadian politics - but was forced to retreat in 1987. UN sanctions in 1992 isolated QADHAFI politically following the downing of Pan AM Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.
Libyan support for terrorism appears to have decreased after the sanction imposition. During the 1990s, QADHAFI also began to rebuild his relationships with Europe. UN sanctions were suspended in April 1999 and finally lifted in September 2003 after Libya resolved the Lockerbie case. In December 2003, Libya announced that it had agreed to reveal and end its programs to develop weapons of mass destruction, and QADHAFI has made significant strides in normalizing relations with western nations since then.
He has received various Western European leaders as well as many working-level and commercial delegations, and made his first trip to Western Europe in 15 years when he traveled to Brussels in April 2004. QADHAFI also finally resolved in 2004 several outstanding cases against his government for terrorist activities in the 1980s by paying compensation to the families of victims of the UTA and La Belle disco bombings.
Geography
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia
18 fieldsLand useshare of 1,759,540 sq km
Natural hazards
hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms
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
Environment - international agreements
- party to:
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
- signed, but not ratified:
- Law of the Sea
People
19 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2004 est.)
Male · female
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 34.2% (male 983,050; female 941,603)
- 15-64 years:
- 61.7% (male 1,794,396; female 1,679,828)
- 65 years and over:
- 4.1% (male 113,391; female 119,317) (2004 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1.07 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.95 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1.06 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Ethnic groups
Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians
Government
Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI (since 1 September 1969); Secretary of the General People's Committee (Prime Minister) Shukri Muhammad GHANIM (since 14 June 2003)
18 fieldsCountry name
- conventional long form:
- Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
- conventional short form:
- Libya
- local long form:
- Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma
- local short form:
- none
Government type
Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in fact, a military dictatorship
Administrative divisions
- 25 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah);
- 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 municipalities may have been replaced by 13 regions
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); note - holds no official title, but is de facto chief of state
- head of government:
- Secretary of the General People's Committee (Prime Minister) Shukri Muhammad GHANIM (since 14 June 2003)
- cabinet:
- General People's Committee established by the General People's Congress
- elections:
- national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of people's committees;
- head of government elected by the General People's Congress;
- election last held 2 March 2000 (next to be held NA)
- election results:
- NA
Legislative branch
unicameral General People's Congress (NA seats; members elected indirectly through a hierarchy of people's committees)
Political pressure groups and leaders
- various Arab nationalist movements with almost negligible memberships may be functioning clandestinely, as well as some Islamic elements;
- an anti-QADHAFI Libyan exile movement exists, primarily based in London, but has little influence
International organization participation
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer), WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US
Libya does not have an embassy in the US but maintains an interest section under the protective power of the United Arab Emirates Embassy in the US
Diplomatic representation from the US
the US suspended all embassy activities in Tripoli in May 1980, resumed embassy activities in February 2004 under the protective power of the US interests section of the Belgian Embassy in Tripoli, then opened a Liaison Office in Tripoli in June 2004
Economy
45 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2003 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
The Libyan economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contribute practically all export earnings and about one-quarter of GDP. These oil revenues and a small population give Libya one of the highest per capita GDPs in Africa, but little of this income flows down to the lower orders of society.
Libyan officials in the past three years have made progress on economic reforms as part of a broader campaign to reintegrate the country into the international fold. This effort picked up steam after UN sanctions were lifted in September 2003 and as Libya announced in December 2003 that it would abandon programs to build weapons of mass destruction.
Libya faces a long road ahead in liberalizing the socialist-oriented economy, but initial steps - including applying for WTO membership, reducing some subsidies, and announcing plans for privatization - are laying the groundwork for a transition to a more market-based economy. The non-oil 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. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit agricultural output, and Libya imports about 75% of its food.
Exchange rates
Libyan dinars per US dollar - 1.2929 (2003), 1.2707 (2002), 0.6051 (2001), 0.4994 (2000), 0.3936 (1999)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- telecommunications system is being modernized; mobile cellular telephone system became operational in 1996
- domestic:
- microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, cellular, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations
- international:
- country code - 218;
- satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat, NA Arabsat, and NA Intersputnik;
- submarine cables to France and Italy;
- microwave radio relay to Tunisia and Egypt;
- tropospheric scatter to Greece;
- participant in Medarabtel (1999)
Transportation
9 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
Railways
0 km note: Libya is working on 7 lines totaling 2,757 km of 1.435-m gauge track; it hopes to open a 191 km line by the end of 2004 (2003)
Ports and harbors
Al Khums, Banghazi, Darnah, Marsa al Burayqah, Misratah, Ra's Lanuf, Tobruk, Tripoli, Zuwarah
Merchant marine
- total:
- 20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 129,627 GRT/105,110 DWT
- by type:
- cargo 8, liquefied gas 3, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 4, short-sea/passenger 4
- foreign-owned:
- Algeria 1, Kuwait 1 (2004 est.)
Military
Armed Peoples on Duty (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command
7 fieldsTransnational Issues
1 fieldDisputes - international
- Libya has claimed more than 32,000 sq km in southeastern Algeria and about 25,000 sq km in Niger in currently dormant disputes;
- various Chadian rebels from the Aozou region reside in southern Libya
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Libya.” The World Factbook 2004. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/libya/2004.