Libya

Internet country code

.ly

Internet hosts

67 (2003)

Internet users

160,000 (2003)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 16, FM 3, shortwave 3 (2002)

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)

Telephones - main lines in use

750,000 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular

100,000 (2003)

Television broadcast stations

12 (plus one low-power repeater) (1999)

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $10.28 billion expenditures: $7.86 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)

Currency

Libyan dinar (LYD)

Currency code

LYD

Current account balance

$6.641 billion (2003)

Debt - external

$4.194 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$15 million (2000)

Economy - overview

The Libyan economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contribute practically all export earnings and about one-quarter of GDP. These oil revenues and a small population give Libya one of the highest per capita GDPs in Africa, but little of this income flows down to the lower orders of society. Libyan officials in the past three years have made progress on economic reforms as part of a broader campaign to reintegrate the country into the international fold. This effort picked up steam after UN sanctions were lifted in September 2003 and as Libya announced in December 2003 that it would abandon programs to build weapons of mass destruction. Libya faces a long road ahead in liberalizing the socialist-oriented economy, but initial steps - including applying for WTO membership, reducing some subsidies, and announcing plans for privatization - are laying the groundwork for a transition to a more market-based economy. The non-oil manufacturing and construction sectors, which account for about 20% of GDP, have expanded from processing mostly agricultural products to include the production of petrochemicals, iron, steel, and aluminum. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit agricultural output, and Libya imports about 75% of its food.

Electricity - consumption

18.77 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

20.18 billion kWh (2001)

Exchange rates

Libyan dinars per US dollar - 1.2929 (2003), 1.2707 (2002), 0.6051 (2001), 0.4994 (2000), 0.3936 (1999)

Exports

$14.32 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities

crude oil, refined petroleum products (1999)

Exports - partners

Italy 38.8%, Spain 13.4%, Germany 13.4%, Turkey 7.1%, France 6.1% (2003)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $35 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 8.6% industry: 46.1% services: 45.3% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $6,400 (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3.2% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA

Imports

$6.282 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery, transport equipment, food, manufactured goods (1999)

Imports - partners

Italy 27.8%, Germany 10.5%, Tunisia 7.6%, UK 7.1%, France 6%, Turkey 4.6% (2003)

Industrial production growth rate

NA

Industries

petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.8% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

15% of GDP (2003)

Labor force

1.51 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 17%, industry 29%, services 54% (1997 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

5.41 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

770 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

6.18 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

1.321 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)

Oil - consumption

216,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

1.429 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

29.75 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

Population below poverty line

NA

Public debt

16.6% of GDP (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold

$19.78 billion (2003)

Unemployment rate

30% (2001)

Area

total: 1,759,540 sq km land: 1,759,540 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than Alaska

Climate

Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior

Coastline

1,770 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m

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

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geographic coordinates

25 00 N, 17 00 E

Geography - note

more than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert

Irrigated land

4,700 sq km (1998 est.)

Land 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

Land use

arable land: 1.03% permanent crops: 0.19% other: 98.78% (2001)

Location

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

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm note: Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees, 30 minutes north

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, gypsum

Terrain

mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions

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

Capital

Tripoli

Constitution

11 December 1969, amended 2 March 1977

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

the US suspended all embassy activities in Tripoli in May 1980, resumed embassy activities in February 2004 under the protective power of the US interests section of the Belgian Embassy in Tripoli, then opened a Liaison Office in Tripoli in June 2004

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

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 head of government: Secretary of the General People's Committee (Prime Minister) Shukri Muhammad GHANIM (since 14 June 2003) cabinet: General People's Committee established by the General People's Congress 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

Flag description

plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state religion)

Government type

Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in fact, a military dictatorship

Independence

24 December 1951 (from Italy)

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, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer), WToO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

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

Legislative branch

unicameral General People's Congress (NA seats; members elected indirectly through a hierarchy of people's committees)

National holiday

Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)

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; an anti-QADHAFI Libyan exile movement exists, primarily based in London, but has little influence

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

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 - 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 appears to have decreased after the sanction imposition. 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.

Military branches

Armed Peoples on Duty (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$1.3 billion (FY99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

3.9% (FY99)

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 - military age and obligation

17 years of age (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 61,828 (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.)

Birth rate

27.17 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate

3.48 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Ethnic groups

Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.2% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

7,000 (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 25.7 deaths/1,000 live births male: 28.04 deaths/1,000 live births female: 23.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)

Languages

Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 76.28 years male: 74.1 years female: 78.58 years (2004 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 82.6% male: 92.4% female: 72% (2003 est.)

Median age

total: 22.4 years male: 22.5 years female: 22.2 years (2004 est.)

Nationality

noun: Libyan(s) adjective: Libyan

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Population

5,631,585 note: includes 166,510 non-nationals (July 2004 est.)

Population growth rate

2.37% (2004 est.)

Religions

Sunni Muslim 97%

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.)

Total fertility rate

3.42 children born/woman (2004 est.)

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

Airports

140 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 59 over 3,047 m: 23 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 80 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 41 under 914 m: 18 (2004 est.)

Heliports

1 (2003 est.)

Highways

total: 83,200 km paved: 47,590 km unpaved: 35,610 km (1999 est.)

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 (2004 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

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)