Libya
|
| Basic Facts |
| Country 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 |
| Gevernment type | Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in practice, an authoritarian state |
| Capital |
name: Tripoli
geographic coordinates: 32 54 N, 13 11 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Flag description | plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state religion) |
| Currency | Libyan dinar (LYD) |
| Internet country code | .ly |
| Ports and terminals | As Sidrah, Az Zuwaytinah, Marsa al Burayqah, Ra's Lanuf, Tripoli, Zawiyah |
| Agriculture products | wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts, soybeans; cattle |
| Industries | petroleum, iron and steel, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement |
| Geography |
| Location | Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia |
| Coordinates | 25 00 N, 17 00 E |
| Continent | Africa |
| Area |
total: 1,759,540 sq km
land: 1,759,540 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Boundaries |
total: 4,348 km
border countries: Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,115 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km |
| Coastline | 1,770 km |
| Climate | Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior |
| Terrain | mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions |
| Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas, gypsum |
| Natural hazards | hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms |
| People |
| Population | 5,900,754
note: includes 166,510 non-nationals (July 2006 est.) |
| 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 |
