CIA World Fact Book, 2004/Libya


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!| 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.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: water: 0 sq km land: 1,759,540 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: border countries: Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,115 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: note: Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees, 30 minutes north !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 0.19% other: 98.78% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea !| Geography - note:
 * Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia
 * 25 00 N, 17 00 E
 * Africa
 * total: 1,759,540 sq km
 * slightly larger than Alaska
 * total: 4,348 km
 * 1,770 km
 * territorial sea: 12 nm
 * Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior
 * mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions
 * lowest point: Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m
 * petroleum, natural gas, gypsum
 * arable land: 1.03%
 * 4,700 sq km (1998 est.)
 * hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms
 * 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
 * party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
 * more than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert
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!| Population: note: includes 166,510 non-nationals (July 2004 est.) !| Age structure: 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: male: 22.5 years female: 22.2 years (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: !| Sex ratio: 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: female: 23.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 28.04 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 74.1 years female: 78.58 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Nationality: adjective: Libyan !| Ethnic groups: !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: 82.6% male: 92.4% female: 72% (2003 est.)
 * 5,631,585
 * 0-14 years: 34.2% (male 983,050; female 941,603)
 * total: 22.4 years
 * 2.37% (2004 est.)
 * 27.17 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 3.48 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
 * total: 25.7 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 76.28 years
 * 3.42 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * 0.2% (2001 est.)
 * 7,000 (2001 est.)
 * NA
 * noun: Libyan(s)
 * Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians
 * Sunni Muslim 97%
 * Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities
 * definition: age 15 and over can read and write
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!| Country name: 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: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: 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: !| Judicial branch: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: !| Diplomatic representation from the US: !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
 * Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in fact, a military dictatorship
 * Tripoli
 * 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
 * 24 December 1951 (from Italy)
 * Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)
 * 11 December 1969, amended 2 March 1977
 * 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
 * 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
 * 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
 * unicameral General People's Congress (NA seats; members elected indirectly through a hierarchy of people's committees)
 * Supreme Court
 * none
 * 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
 * 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
 * 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
 * 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
 * plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state religion)
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!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 46.1% services: 45.3% (2003 est.) !| Investment (gross fixed): !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: NA !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: !| Labor force - by occupation: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $7.86 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.) !| Public debt: !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Oil - proved reserves: !| Natural gas - production: !| Natural gas - consumption: !| Natural gas - exports: !| Natural gas - imports: !| Natural gas - proved reserves: !| Current account balance: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - recipient: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: !| Fiscal year:
 * 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.
 * purchasing power parity - $35 billion (2003 est.)
 * 3.2% (2003 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $6,400 (2003 est.)
 * agriculture: 8.6%
 * 15% of GDP (2003)
 * NA
 * lowest 10%: NA
 * 2.8% (2003 est.)
 * 1.51 million (2003 est.)
 * agriculture 17%, industry 29%, services 54% (1997 est.)
 * 30% (2001)
 * revenues: $10.28 billion
 * 16.6% of GDP (2003)
 * wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts, soybeans; cattle
 * petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement
 * NA
 * 20.18 billion kWh (2001)
 * 18.77 billion kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 1.429 million bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 216,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA (2001)
 * 29.75 billion bbl (1 January 2002)
 * 6.18 billion cu m (2001 est.)
 * 5.41 billion cu m (2001 est.)
 * 770 million cu m (2001 est.)
 * 0 cu m (2001 est.)
 * 1.321 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)
 * $6.641 billion (2003)
 * $14.32 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * crude oil, refined petroleum products (1999)
 * Italy 38.8%, Spain 13.4%, Germany 13.4%, Turkey 7.1%, France 6.1% (2003)
 * $6.282 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * machinery, transport equipment, food, manufactured goods (1999)
 * Italy 27.8%, Germany 10.5%, Tunisia 7.6%, UK 7.1%, France 6%, Turkey 4.6% (2003)
 * $19.78 billion (2003)
 * $4.194 billion (2003 est.)
 * $15 million (2000)
 * Libyan dinar (LYD)
 * LYD
 * Libyan dinars per US dollar - 1.2929 (2003), 1.2707 (2002), 0.6051 (2001), 0.4994 (2000), 0.3936 (1999)
 * calendar year
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: 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: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet hosts: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 750,000 (2003)
 * 100,000 (2003)
 * general assessment: telecommunications system is being modernized; mobile cellular telephone system became operational in 1996
 * AM 16, FM 3, shortwave 3 (2002)
 * 1.35 million (1997)
 * 12 (plus one low-power repeater) (1999)
 * 730,000 (1997)
 * .ly
 * 67 (2003)
 * 1 (2002)
 * 160,000 (2003)
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!| Railways: 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: paved: 47,590 km unpaved: 35,610 km (1999 est.) !| Pipelines: !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: 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.) !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: 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: 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:
 * 0 km
 * total: 83,200 km
 * condensate 225 km; gas 3,611 km; oil 7,252 km (2004)
 * Al Khums, Banghazi, Darnah, Marsa al Burayqah, Misratah, Ra's Lanuf, Tobruk, Tripoli, Zuwarah
 * total: 20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 129,627 GRT/105,110 DWT
 * 140 (2003 est.)
 * total: 59
 * total: 80
 * 1 (2003 est.)
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!| Military branches: !| Military manpower - military age and obligation: !| Military manpower - availability: !| Military manpower - fit for military service: !| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
 * Armed Peoples on Duty (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command
 * 17 years of age (2004 est.)
 * males age 15-49: 1,588,533 (2004 est.)
 * males age 15-49: 938,196 (2004 est.)
 * males: 61,828 (2004 est.)
 * $1.3 billion (FY99)
 * 3.9% (FY99)
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