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Communications

Airports [time series]

133 total, 120 usable; 53 with permanent-surface runways; 9 with runways over 3,659 m; 28 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 46 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air [time series]

59 major transport aircraft

Merchant marine [time series]

30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 684,969 GRT/1,209,084 DWT; includes 3 short-sea passenger, 11 cargo, 4 roll-on/roll-off, 10 petroleum tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas

Pipelines [time series]

crude oil 4,383 km; natural gas 1,947 km; petroleum products 443 km (includes liquid petroleum gas 256 km)

Ports [time series]

Tobruk, Tripoli, Banghazi, Misratah, Marsa al Burayqah, Ra's Lanuf

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

modern telecommunications system using radio relay, coaxial cable, tropospheric scatter, and domestic satellite stations; 370,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 17 AM, 3 FM, 12 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 and Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece; planned ARABSAT and Intersputnik satellite stations

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Armed Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (including Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Command), National Police

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

exchange rate conversion - $NA, 11.1% of GDP (1987)

Manpower availability [time series]

males 15-49, 1,056,686; 624,027 fit for military service; 50,916 reach military age (17) annually; conscription now being implemented

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

5% of GNP; cash crops - wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus fruits, peanuts; 75% of food is imported

Budget [time series]

revenues $8.1 billion; expenditures $9.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (1989 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Libyan dinar (plural - dinars); 1 Libyan dinar (LD) = 1,000 dirhams

Economic aid [time series]

Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $242 million; no longer a recipient

Electricity [time series]

4,700,000 kW capacity; 13,700 million kWh produced, 3,100 kWh per capita (1991)

Exchange rates [time series]

Libyan dinars (LD) per US$1 - 0.2743 (March 1992), 0.2669 (1991), 0.2699 (1990), 0.2922 (1989), 0.2853 (1988), 0.2706 (1987)

Exports [time series]

$11 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.) commodities: petroleum, peanuts, hides partners: Italy, USSR, Germany, Spain, France, Belgium/Luxembourg, Turkey

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$3.5 billion, excluding military debt (1991 est.)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

exchange rate conversion - $28.9 billion, per capita $6,800; real growth rate 9% (1990 est.)

Imports [time series]

$7.6 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.) commodities: machinery, transport equipment, food, manufactured goods partners: Italy, USSR, Germany, UK, Japan

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate - 4%; accounts for 22% of GDP (not including oil) (1989)

Industries [time series]

petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

7% (1991 est.)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

The socialist-oriented economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contributes practically all export earnings and about one-third of GDP. 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 GDP was the highest in Africa at $5,410, but GDP growth rates have slowed and fluctuate sharply in response to changes in the world oil market. Import restrictions and inefficient resource allocations 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 revenues from the hike in world oil prices in late 1990 improved the foreign payments position and resulted in a current account surplus for the first time in five years. The nonoil manufacturing 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 about 5% of GDP, it employs about 20% of the labor force. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit farm output, and Libya imports about 75% of its food requirements.

Unemployment rate [time series]

2% (1988 est.)

Geography

Climate [time series]

Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior

Coastline [time series]

1,770 km

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly larger than Alaska

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

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

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; desertification; sparse natural surface-water resources

Area (Land area) [time series]

1,759,540 km2

Land boundaries [time series]

4,383 km; Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,150 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km

Land use [time series]

arable land 1%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 8%; forest and woodland 0%; other 91%; includes irrigated NEGL%

Maritime claims [time series]

Territorial sea: 12 nm Gulf of Sidra closing line: 32 degrees 30 minutes N

Natural resources [time series]

crude oil, natural gas, gypsum

Note [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions

Area (Total area) [time series]

1,759,540 km2

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

25 municipalities (baladiyah, singular - baladiyat; 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

Capital [time series]

Tripoli Administration divisions

Constitution [time series]

11 December 1969, amended 2 March 1977

Digraph [time series]

Tripoli Administration divisions *** 25 municipalities (baladiyah, singular - baladiyat; 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

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

none

Executive branch (Elections) [time series]

national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of peoples' committees

Executive branch [time series]

revolutionary leader, chairman of the General People's Committee (premier), General People's Committee (cabinet)

Flag [time series]

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

Independence [time series]

24 December 1951 (from Italy)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court

Executive branch (Leaders) [time series]

Chief of State: Revolutionary Leader Col. Mu`ammar 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)

Legal system [time series]

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 [time series]

unicameral General People's Congress

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

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

National holiday [time series]

Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)

Political parties (Other political or pressure groups) [time series]

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

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

none

Suffrage [time series]

universal and compulsory at age 18

Government type (Type) [time series]

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

People

Birth rate [time series]

36 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate [time series]

6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

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

Infant mortality rate [time series]

60 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Labor force [time series]

1,000,000, includes about 280,000 resident foreigners; industry 31%, services 27%, government 24%, agriculture 18%

Languages [time series]

Arabic; Italian and English widely understood in major cities

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

66 years male, 71 years female (1992)

Literacy [time series]

64% (male 75%, female 50%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun - Libyan(s); adjective - Libyan

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Organized labor [time series]

National Trade Unions' Federation, 275,000 members; General Union for Oil and Petrochemicals; Pan-Africa Federation of Petroleum Energy and Allied Workers

Population [time series]

4,484,795 (July 1992), growth rate 3.0% (1992)

Religions [time series]

Sunni Muslim 97%

Total fertility rate [time series]

4.9 children born/woman (1992)