LIBYA is a country located in North Africa. Bordering the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Libya lies between Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west. With an area of almost 1.8 million square kms (700,000 sq mi), 90% of which is desert, 

Libya is the fourth largest country in Africa by area, and the 17th largest in the world. The capital, Tripoli, is home to 1.7 million of Libya's 5.7 million people. 

The three traditional parts of the country are Tripolitania, the Fezzan and Cyrenaica.

The name "Libya" is an indigenous (i.e. Berber) one, which is attested in ancient Egyptian texts as , R'bw (= Libu), which refers to one of the tribes of Berber peoples living west of the Nile. In Greek the tribesmen were called Libyes and their country became "Libya", although in ancient Greece the term had a broader meaning, encompassing all of North Africa west of Egypt. Later on, at the time of Ibn Khaldun, the same big tribe was known as Lawata.

Libya has the fifth highest GDP (PPP) per capita of Africa, behind Botswana, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Seychelles. This is largely due to its large petroleum reserves and low population. The Libyan flag is the only national flag in the world with just one color - green - and no design, insignia, or other details.

BASIC FACTS

Official name

Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

Capital

Tripoli

Area

1,757,000 sq km
678,400 sq mi

Largest cities (population)

Tripoli 2,006,000 (2003 estimate)
Banghāzī 650,600 (2007 estimate)

Population 

6,173,579 (2008 estimate)

Population growth rate

2.22 per cent (2008 estimate)

Population density

3.5 persons per sq km (2008 estimate)
9.1 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)

Urbanisation

Per cent urban 87 per cent (2005 estimate)
Per cent rural 13 per cent (2005 estimate)

Life expectancy

Total 77.1 years (2008 estimate)
Female 79.4 years (2008 estimate)
Male 74.8 years (2008 estimate)

Infant mortality rate

22 deaths per 1,000 live births (2008 estimate)

Literacy rate

Total 84.2 per cent (2005 estimate)
Female 74.3 per cent (2005 estimate)
Male 93.4 per cent (2005 estimate)

Ethnic divisions

Arab and Berber 97 per cent
Egyptian, Greek, Indian, Italian, Maltese, Pakistani, Tunisian, Turk, other 3 per cent

Languages

Arabic (Standard Arabic is official), Domari, Berber languages including Tamahaq

Religions

Sunni Muslim 97 per cent
Other or none 3 per cent

Type of government

Socialist state with military dictatorship

Independence

December 24, 1951 (from Italy)

Constitution

March 2, 1977

Voting rights

Universal and compulsory at age 18

Economy

Gross domestic product (GDP) (US$)50,320 million (2006)
GDP per capita (US$) 8,333 (2006)
GDP by economic sector
GDP, agriculture 5 (1987)
GDP, industry 50.3 (1987)
GDP, services 44.7 (1987)

National budget (US$)

Total revenue Not available
Total expenditure Not available

Monetary unit

1 Libyan dinar (LD), consisting of 1,000 dirhams

Exports

Crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas

Imports

Machinery, transport equipment, food, manufactured goods

Major trading partners for exports

Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Turkey, Greece, Egypt

Major trading partners for imports

Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Turkey, Tunisia, Eastern European countries

Industries

Petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement

Agriculture

Wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus fruits, almonds

Natural resources

Petroleum, natural gas, gypsum, salt

Croatia - Montenegro - Albania - Greece - Turkey - Cyprus - Israel
Egypt - Libya - Algeria - Tunisia - Morocco - Spain - France - Italy - Malta