Libyan Arab Jamahiriya ( Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah) is a country in Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia. Libyan Arab Jamahiriya geographic coordinates 25 00 N, 17 00 E; area 1,759,540 sq km; area comparative slightly larger than Alaska; land boundaries Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,115 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km; coastline 1,770 km; maritime claims Gulf of Sidra c; climate Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior; terrain mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions; elevation extremes Bikku Bitti 2,267 m; natural resources petroleum, natural gas, gypsum; land use 98.78% (2001); irrigated land 4,700 sq km (1998 est.); natural hazards hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust sto; 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 Law of the Sea; geography note more than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert;

introduction

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 appeared to have decreased after the imposition of sanctions. 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. government 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 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; independence 24 December 1951 (from Italy); national holiday Revolution Day, 1 September (1969); 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; suffrage 18 years of age; universal and compulsory;

people

Libyan Arab Jamahiriya population 5,765,563 includes 166,510 non-nationals (Jul; age structure 4.2% (male 117,967/female 122,950) (2005 est.); median age 22.56 years (2005 est.); population growth rate 2.33% (2005 est.); birth rate 26.82 births/1,000 population (2005 est.); death rate 3.48 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.); net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.); sex ratio 1.05 male(s)/female (2005 est.); infant mortality rate 26.92 deaths/1,000 live births; life expectancy at birth 78.82 years (2005 est.); total fertility rate 3.34 children born/woman (2005 est.); hiv adult rate 0.3% (2001 est.); hiv people with aids 10,000 (2001 est.); hiv deaths NA; major infectious diseases may be a significant risk in some locations during the transmission season (typically April; nationality Libyan; ethnic groups Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians; religions Sunni Muslim 97%; languages Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities; literacy 72% (2003 est.);

Regions

Cities