LIBYA GEOGRAPHY Total area: 1,759,540 km2; land area: 1,759,540 km2 Comparative area: slightly larger than Alaska Land boundaries: 4,383 km total; Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,150 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km Coastline: 1,770 km Maritime claims: Territorial sea: 12 nm; Gulf of Sidra closing line: 32o 30' N Disputes: claims and occupies the 100,000 km2 Aozou Strip in northern Chad; maritime boundary dispute with Tunisia; Libya claims about 19,400 km2 in northern Niger; Libya claims about 19,400 km2 in southeastern Algeria Climate: Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior Terrain: mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, gypsum Land use: arable land 1%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 8%; forest and woodland 0%; other 91%; includes irrigated NEGL% Environment: hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; desertification; sparse natural surface-water resources Note: 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 PEOPLE Population: 4,350,742 (July 1991), growth rate 3.0% (1991) Birth rate: 36 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 62 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 71 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 5.1 children born/woman (1991) Nationality: noun--Libyan(s); adjective--Libyan Ethnic divisions: Berber and Arab 97%; some Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians Religion: Sunni Muslim 97% Language: Arabic; Italian and English widely understood in major cities Literacy: 64% (male 75%, female 50%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) Labor force: 1,000,000, includes about 280,000 resident foreigners; industry 31%, services 27%, government 24%, agriculture 18% Organized labor: National Trade Unions' Federation, 275,000 members; General Union for Oil and Petrochemicals; Pan-Africa Federation of Petroleum Energy and Allied Workers GOVERNMENT Long-form name: Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 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: 46 municipalities (baladiyat, singular--baladiyah); Ajdabiya, Al Abyar, Al Aziziyah, Al Bayda, Al Jufrah, Al Jumayl, Al Khums, Al Kufrah, Al Marj, Al Qarabulli, Al Qubbah, Al Ujaylat, Ash Shati, Awbari, Az Zahra, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi, Bani Walid, Bin Jawwad, Darnah, Ghadamis, Gharyan, Ghat, Jadu, Jalu, Janzur, Masallatah, Misratah, Mizdah, Murzuq, Nalut, Qaminis, Qasr Bin Ghashir, Sabha, Sabratah, Shahhat, Surman, Surt, Tajura, Tarabulus, Tarhunah, Tubruq, Tukrah, Yafran, Zlitan, Zuwarah; note--the number of municipalities may have been reduced to 13 named Al Jabal al-Akhdar, Al Jabal al-Gharbi, Al Jabal al-Khums, Al Batnam, Al Kufrah, Al Marqab, Al Marzuq, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi, Khalij Surt, Sabha, Tripoli, Wadi al-Hayat Independence: 24 December 1951 (from Italy) 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 National holiday: Revolution Day, 1 September (1969) Executive branch: revolutionary leader, chairman of the General People's Committee, General People's Committee (cabinet) Legislative branch: unicameral General People's Congress Judicial branch: Supreme Court Leaders: Chief of State--Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI (since 1 September 1969); Head of Government--Chairman of the General People's Committee (Premier) Abu Zayd Umar DURDA (since 7 October 1990) Political parties and leaders: none Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18 Elections: national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of revolutionary committees Political parties: none Communists: no organized party, negligible membership Other political or pressure groups: various Arab nationalist movements and the Arab Socialist Resurrection (Ba'th) party with almost negligible memberships may be functioning clandestinely, as well as some Islamic elements Member of: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CAEU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation: none Flag: plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state religion) ECONOMY Overview: The socialist-oriented economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contributes practically all export earnings and about one-third of GNP. Since 1980, however, the sharp drop in oil prices and the resulting decline in export revenues have adversely affected economic development. In 1988 per capita GNP was the highest in Africa at $5,410, but it had been $2,000 higher in 1982. Severe cutbacks in imports over the past five years have led to shortages of basic goods and foodstuffs, although the reopening of the Libyan-Tunisian border in April 1988 and the Libyan-Egyptian border in December 1989 have somewhat eased shortages. Austerity budgets and a lack of trained technicians have undermined the government's ability to implement a number of planned infrastructure development projects. Windfall profits from the hike in world oil prices in late 1990 improved the foreign payments position and may permit Tripoli to ease austerity measures. The nonoil industrial and construction sectors, which account for about 22% of GDP, have expanded from processing mostly agricultural products to include petrochemicals, iron, steel, and aluminum. Although agriculture accounts for less than 5% of GNP, it employs 18% of the labor force. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit farm output, requiring Libya to import about 75% of its food requirements. GNP: $24 billion, per capita $5,860; real growth rate 3% (1989 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 20% (1988 est.) Unemployment rate: 2% (1988 est.) Budget: revenues $8.1 billion; expenditures $9.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (1989 est.) Exports: $6.1 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities--petroleum, peanuts, hides; partners--Italy, USSR, FRG, Spain, France, Belgium/Luxembourg, Turkey Imports: $6.2 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities--machinery, transport equipment, food, manufactured goods; partners--Italy, USSR, FRG, UK, Japan External debt: $3.5 billion, excluding military debt (December 1990 est.) Industrial production: growth rate NA%; accounts for 43% of GDP (including oil) Electricity: 4,705,000 kW capacity; 13,600 million kWh produced, 3,220 kWh per capita (1990) Industries: petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement Agriculture: 5% of GNP; cash crops--wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus fruits, peanuts; 75% of food is imported Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $242 million; no longer a recipient Currency: Libyan dinar (plural--dinars); 1 Libyan dinar (LD) = 1,000 dirhams Exchange rates: Libyan dinars (LD) per US$1--0.2669 (January 1991), 0.2699 (1990), 0.2922 (1989), 0.2853 (1988), 0.2706 (1987), 0.3139 (1986), 0.2961 (1985) Fiscal year: calendar year COMMUNICATIONS Highways: 32,500 km total; 24,000 km bituminous and bituminous treated, 8,500 km gravel, crushed stone and earth Pipelines: crude oil 4,383 km; natural gas 1,947 km; refined products 443 km (includes 256 km liquid petroleum gas) Ports: Tobruk, Tripoli, Banghazi, Misratah, Marsa el Brega Merchant marine: 30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 807,539 GRT/1,452,847 DWT; includes 3 short-sea passenger, 11 cargo, 4 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 11 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker Civil air: 59 major transport aircraft Airports: 131 total, 123 usable; 53 with permanent-surface runways; 7 with runways over 3,659 m; 31 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 44 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: modern telecommunications system using radio relay, coaxial cable, tropospheric scatter, and domestic satellite stations; 370,000 telephones; stations--18 AM, 3 FM, 13 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, and 14 domestic; submarine cables to France and Italy; radio relay to Tunisia; tropospheric scatter to Greece; planned ARABSAT and Intersputnik satellite stations DEFENSE FORCES Branches: Armed Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahariya (includes Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command), National Police Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,023,335; 603,886 fit for military service; 52,059 reach military age (17) annually; conscription now being implemented Defense expenditures: $NA, 11.1% of GNP (1987)