Libya

Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria

25.00° N, 17.00° E

total: 1,759,540 sq km

land: 1,759,540 sq km

water: 0 sq km

about 2.5 times the size of Texas; slightly larger than Alaska

total: 4,339 km

border countries (6): Algeria 989 km, Chad 1,050 km, Egypt 1,115 km, Niger 342 km, Sudan 382 km, Tunisia 461 km

1,770 km

territorial sea: 12 nm

note: Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees, 30 minutes north

exclusive fishing zone: 62 nm

Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior

mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions

mean elevation:

elevation extremes:

lowest point: Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m

highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m

petroleum, natural gas, gypsum

agricultural land: 8.8%

arable land 1%; permanent crops 0.2%; permanent pasture 7.6%

forest: 0.1%

other: 91.1% (2011 est.)

4,700 sq km (2012)

0.7 cu km (2011)

total: 4.33 cu km/yr (14%/3%/83%)

per capita: 796.1 cu m/yr (2000)

hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms

desertification; limited natural freshwater resources; the Great Manmade River Project, the largest water development scheme in the world, brings water from large aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

more than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert

noun: Libyan(s)

adjective: Libyan

Berber and Arab 97%, other 3% (includes Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians)

Arabic (official), Italian, English (all widely understood in the major cities); Berber (Nafusi, Ghadamis, Suknah, Awjilah, Tamasheq)

Muslim (official; virtually all Sunni) 96.6%, Christian 2.7%, Buddhist 0.3%, Hindu <.1 jewish folk religion unafilliated other>note: non-Sunni Muslims include native Ibadhi Muslims (

6,411,776

note: immigrants make up just over 12% of the total population, according to UN data (2013) (July 2015 est.)

0-14 years: 26.52% (male 869,583/female 830,751)

15-24 years: 17.77% (male 588,243/female 551,139)

25-54 years: 46.62% (male 1,567,608/female 1,421,246)

55-64 years: 4.97% (male 163,133/female 155,703)

65 years and over: 4.12% (male 132,740/female 131,630) (2015 est.)

total dependency ratio: 52.4%

youth dependency ratio: 45.5%

elderly dependency ratio: 6.9%

potential support ratio: 14.5% (2015 est.)

total: 28 years

male: 28.2 years

female: 27.8 years (2015 est.)

2.23% (2015 est.)

18.03 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)

3.58 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)

7.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)

urban population: 78.6% of total population (2015)

rate of urbanization: 1.13% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

TRIPOLI (capital) 1.126 million (2015)

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.07 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 1.1 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female

total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

9 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

total: 11.48 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 12.42 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 10.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)

total population: 76.26 years

male: 74.54 years

female: 78.06 years (2015 est.)

2.05 children born/woman (2015 est.)

41.9% (2007)

4.3% of GDP (2013)

1.9 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

3.7 beds/1,000 population (2012)

improved:

urban: 54.2% of population

rural: 54.9% of population

total: 54.4% of population

unimproved:

urban: 45.8% of population

rural: 45.1% of population

total: 45.6% of population (2001 est.)

improved:

urban: 96.8% of population

rural: 95.7% of population

total: 96.6% of population

unimproved:

urban: 3.2% of population

rural: 4.3% of population

total: 3.4% of population (2015 est.)

NA

NA

31.9% (2014)

5.6% (2007)

NA

total: 48.7%

male: 40.8%

female: 67.8% (2012 est.)

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Libya

local long form: none

local short form: Libiya

note: the name derives from the Libu, an ancient Libyan tribe first mentioned in texts from the 13th century B.C.

operates under a transitional government

name: Tripoli (Tarabulus)

geographic coordinates: 32.53° N, 13.10° E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

22 districts (shabiyat, singular - shabiyat); Al Butnan, Al Jabal al Akhdar, Al Jabal al Gharbi, Al Jafarah, Al Jufrah, Al Kufrah, Al Marj, Al Marqab, Al Wahat, An Nuqat al Khams, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi, Darnah, Ghat, Misratah, Murzuq, Nalut, Sabha, Surt, Tarabulus, Wadi al Hayat, Wadi ash Shati

24 December 1951 (from UN trusteeship)

Liberation Day, 23 October (2011)

previous 1951, 1977; latest 2011 (interim); note - the Constitution Drafting Assembly continued drafting a new constitution as of early 2015 (2015)

Libya's post-revolution legal system is in flux and driven by state and non-state entities

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent or grandparent must be a citizen of Libya

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: varies from 3 to 5 years

18 years of age, universal

chief of state: Speaker of the House of Representatives Aqilah Salah ISSA (since 5 August 2014)

head of government: Prime Minister Abdullah al-THINI (since 11 March 2014); Deputy Prime Ministers Abd al-Salam al-BADRI (since 4 August 2014), Al-Mahdi Hasan Muftah al-LABAD (since 4 August 2014), Abd al-Rahman al-Tahir al-UHAYRISH (since 4 August 2014)

cabinet: new cabinet approved by the House of Representatives in September 2014

elections/appointments: prime minister and speaker of the house elected by the House of Representatives

election results: NA

description: unicameral Council of Deputies or Majlis Al Nuwab (200 seats including 32 reserved for women; members elected by direct popular vote; member term NA)

elections: election last held in June 2014; note - the Libyan Supreme Court in November 2014 declared the House election unconstitutional, but the Council rejected te ruling; no country has officially recognized the rival government

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - independents 200; note - not all 200 seats were filled in the June election because of boycotts and lack of security at some polling stations; some elected members of the Council also boycotted the election

highest court(s): NA; note - government in transition

Al-Watan (Homeland) Party

Justice and Construction Party or JCP [Mohamed SOWAN]

National Forces Alliance or NFA [Mahmoud JIBRIL] (includes many political organizations, NGOs, and independents)

National Front (initially the National Front for the Salvation of Libya, formed in 1981 as a diaspora opposition group)

Union for the Homeland [Abd al-Rahman al-SUWAYHILI]

note: partial list of the larger political parties and leaders

NA

ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BDEAC, CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

three horizontal bands of red (top), black (double width), and green with a white crescent and star centered on the black stripe; the National Transitional Council reintroduced this flag design of the former Kingdom of Libya (1951-1969) on 27 February 2011; it replaced the former all-green banner promulgated by the QADHAFI regime in 1977; the colors represent the three major regions of the country: red stands for Fezzan, black symbolizes Cyrenaica, and green denotes Tripolitania; the crescent and star represent Islam, the main religion of the country

star and crescent, hawk; national colors: red, black, green

name: "Allahu Akbar" (God Is Greatest)

lyrics/music: Mahmoud el-SHERIF/Abdalla Shams el-DIN

note: adopted 1969; originally a battle song for the Egyptian Army in the 1956 Suez War

Libya's economy, almost entirely dependent on oil and gas exports, struggled during 2015 as the country plunged into civil war and world oil prices dropped to seven-year lows. In early 2015, armed conflict between rival forces for control of the country’s largest oil terminals caused a decline in Libyan crude oil production, which never recovered to more than one-third of the average pre-Revolution highs of 1.6 million barrels per day. The Central Bank of Libya continued to pay government salaries to a majority of the Libyan workforce and to fund subsidies for fuel and food, resulting in an estimated budget deficit about 49% of GDP.

Libya’s economic transition away from Qadhafi’s notionally socialist model has completely stalled as political chaos persists and security continues to deteriorate. Libya’s leaders have hindered economic development by failing to use its financial resources to invest in national infrastructure. The country suffers from widespread power outages in its largest cities, caused by shortages of fuel for power generation. Living conditions, including access to clean drinking water, medical services, and safe housing, have all declined as the civil war has caused more people to become internally displaced, further straining local resources.

Extremists affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) attacked Libyan oilfields in the first half of 2015 and ISIL has a presence in many cities across Libya including near oil infrastructure, threatening future government revenues from oil and gas.

$92.87 billion (2015 est.)

$98.9 billion (2014 est.)

$130.2 billion (2013 est.)

note: data are in 2015 US dollars

$29.72 billion (2015 est.)

-6.1% (2015 est.)

-24% (2014 est.)

-13.6% (2013 est.)

$15,100 (2015 est.)

$16,000 (2014 est.)

$21,100 (2013 est.)

note: data are in 2015 US dollars

-24.6% of GDP (2015 est.)

1.4% of GDP (2014 est.)

37.3% of GDP (2013 est.)

household consumption: 80%

government consumption: 21.8%

investment in fixed capital: 4.1%

investment in inventories: 0.8%

exports of goods and services: 27.3%

imports of goods and services: -34%

(2015 est.)

agriculture: 1.8%

industry: 40.2%

services: 58% (2015 est.)

wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts, soybeans; cattle

petroleum, petrochemicals, aluminum, iron and steel, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement

-13% (2015 est.)

1.195 million (2015 est.)

agriculture: 17%

industry: 23%

services: 59% (2004 est.)

30% (2004 est.)

NA%

note: about one-third of Libyans live at or below the national poverty line

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

revenues: $10.19 billion

expenditures: $24.85 billion (2015 est.)

34.3% of GDP (2015 est.)

-49.3% of GDP (2015 est.)

6.6% of GDP (2015 est.)

6.5% of GDP (2014 est.)

calendar year

12.1% (2015 est.)

3.3% (2014 est.)

9.52% (31 December 2010)

3% (31 December 2009)

7% (31 December 2015 est.)

6% (31 December 2014 est.)

$45.42 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$48.02 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$54.66 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$53.34 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

$-13.84 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$-16.48 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$NA

-$18.47 billion (2015 est.)

-$12.39 billion (2014 est.)

$10.51 billion (2015 est.)

$16.46 billion (2014 est.)

crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas, chemicals

Italy 17.7%, France 13.1%, Germany 11.9%, Netherlands 8.5%, Switzerland 6.1%, Spain 6%, Greece 4.8%, Austria 4.3% (2014)

$11.24 billion (2015 est.)

$20.43 billion (2014 est.)

machinery, semi-finished goods, food, transport equipment, consumer products

Italy 15.1%, China 12.3%, Turkey 11.8%, Egypt 5.7%, South Korea 5.1%, Tunisia 4.7%, Spain 4.4% (2014)

$61.63 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$89.25 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$5.244 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$6.028 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

$16.04 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$16.04 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$21.59 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$20.91 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Libyan dinars (LYD) per US dollar -

1.38 (2015 est.)

1.27 (2014 est.)

1.27 (2013 est.)

1.26 (2012 est.)

1.22 (2011 est.)

31.94 billion kWh (2012 est.)

27.54 billion kWh (2012 est.)

14 million kWh (2012 est.)

61 million kWh (2012 est.)

7.121 million kW (2012 est.)

99.2% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0.8% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

470,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)

735,000 bbl/day

note: Libyan crude oil export values are highly volatile because of continuing protests and other disruptions across the country (2013 est.)

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)

48.36 billion bbl (1 January 2015 est.)

171,600 bbl/day (2012 est.)

242,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)

35,630 bbl/day (2012 est.)

108,500 bbl/day (2012 est.)

12 billion cu m (2013 est.)

6.487 billion cu m (2013 est.)

5.513 billion cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

1.549 trillion cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

54.6 million Mt (2012 est.)

total subscriptions: 710,000

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 11 (2014 est.)

total: 10.1 million

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 161 (2014 est.)

general assessment: telecommunications system is state-owned and service is poor, but investment is being made to upgrade; state retains monopoly in fixed-line services; mobile-cellular telephone system became operational in 1996

domestic: multiple providers for a mobile telephone system that is growing rapidly; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity has soared

international: country code - 218; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat, NA Arabsat, and NA Intersputnik; submarine cable to France and Italy; microwave radio relay to Tunisia and Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece; participant in Medarabtel (2010)

state-funded and private TV stations; some provinces operate local TV stations; pan-Arab satellite TV stations are available; state-funded radio (2012)

AM 16, FM 3, shortwave 3 (2001)

12 (plus 1 repeater) (1999)

.ly

17,926 (2012)

total: 1.4 million

percent of population: 21.8% (2014 est.)

146 (2013)

total: 68

over 3,047 m: 23

2,438 to 3,047 m: 7

1,524 to 2,437 m: 30

914 to 1,523 m: 7

under 914 m: 1 (2013)

total: 78

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 5

1,524 to 2,437 m: 14

914 to 1,523 m: 37

under 914 m: 20 (2013)

2 (2013)

condensate 882 km; gas 3,743 km; oil 7,005 km (2013)

total: 100,024 km

paved: 57,214 km

unpaved: 42,810 km (2003)

total: 23

by type: cargo 2, chemical tanker 4, liquefied gas 3, petroleum tanker 13, roll on/roll off 1

foreign-owned: 2 (Kuwait 1, Norway 1)

registered in other countries: 6 (Hong Kong 1, Malta 5) (2010)

major seaport(s): Marsa al Burayqah (Marsa el Brega), Tripoli

oil terminal(s): Az Zawiyah, Ra's Lanuf

LNG terminal (export): Marsa el Brega

note - in transition; government has affiliated Army, Air Force, and Navy forces (2015)

18 years of age for mandatory or voluntary service (2012)

dormant disputes include Libyan claims of about 32,000 sq km still reflected on its maps of southeastern Algeria and the FLN's assertions of a claim to Chirac Pastures in southeastern Morocco; various Chadian rebels from the Aozou region reside in southern Libya

refugees (country of origin): 18,653 (Syria); 5,391 (West Bank and Gaza Strip) (2014)

IDPs: more than 434,000 (conflict between pro-Qadhafi and anti-Qadhafi forces in 2011; post-Qadhafi tribal clashes 2014) (2015)