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| Introduction | Libya |
| Background: | 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. Chadian forces were able to force the Libyans to retreat from the Aozou Strip in 1987. UN sanctions in the 1990s isolated QADHAFI politically following the downing of Pan AM Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Later, when QADHAFI found that he could not easily break free of the sanctions and when he realized that Arab nations were lukewarm to his many unusual political initiatives, he turned his attention to Africa where he achieved mixed success at influence-building. Libyan support for terrorism appears to have decreased after UN sanctions were imposed in 1992. 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. |
| People | Libya |
| Population: | 5,631,585 note: includes 166,510 non-nationals (July 2004 est.) |
| 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.) |
| Median age: | total: 22.4 years male: 22.5 years female: 22.2 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 2.37% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 27.17 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 3.48 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (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.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 25.7 deaths/1,000 live births female: 23.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 28.04 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 76.28 years male: 74.1 years female: 78.58 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 3.42 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.2% (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 7,000 (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | NA |
| Nationality: | noun: Libyan(s) adjective: 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: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 82.6% male: 92.4% female: 72% (2003 est.) |
| Government | Libya |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya conventional short form: Libya local short form: none local long form: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma |
| 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 |
| 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 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 cabinet: General People's Committee established by the General People's Congress head of government: Secretary of the General People's Committee (Prime Minister) Shukri Muhammad GHANIM (since 14 June 2003) |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral General People's Congress (NA seats; members elected indirectly through a hierarchy of people's committees) |
| Judicial branch: | Supreme Court |
| Political parties and leaders: | none |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | various Arab nationalist movements with almost negligible memberships may be functioning clandestinely, as well as some Islamic elements |
| 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 (observer), ISO, ITU, LAS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, 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 on 2 May 1980, and then resumed embassy activities in February 2004 under the protective power of the US interests section of the Belgian Embassy |
| Flag description: | plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state religion) |
| Communications | Libya |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 750,000 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 100,000 (2003) |
| Telephone 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) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 16, FM 3, shortwave 3 (2002) |
| Radios: | 1.35 million (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 12 (plus one low-power repeater) (1999) |
| Televisions: | 730,000 (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .ly |
| Internet hosts: | 67 (2003) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 1 (2002) |
| Internet users: | 160,000 (2003) |
| Transportation | Libya |
| 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) |
| Highways: | total: 83,200 km paved: 47,590 km unpaved: 35,610 km (1999 est.) |
| Pipelines: | condensate 225 km; gas 3,611 km; oil 7,252 km (2004) |
| 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 (2003 est.) |
| Airports: | 140 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 59 over 3,047 m: 23 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 23 |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 80 under 914 m: 18 (2004 est.) over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 41 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 |
| Heliports: | 1 (2003 est.) |
| Military | Libya |
| Military branches: | Armed Peoples on Duty (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command |
| Military manpower - military age and obligation: | 17 years of age (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 1,588,533 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 938,196 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 61,828 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $1.3 billion (FY99) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 3.9% (FY99) |
| Transnational Issues | Libya |
| Disputes - 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 |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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