About Libya
The first inhabitants of Libya were Berber tribes. In the 7th century B.C., Phoenicians colonized the eastern section of Libya, called Cyrenaica, and Greeks colonized the western portion, called Tripolitania. Tripolitania was for a time under Carthaginian control. It became part of the Roman Empire from 46 B.C. to A.D. 436, after which it was sacked by the Vandals. Cyrenaica belonged to the Roman Empire from the 1st century B.C. until its decline, after which it was invaded by Arab forces in 642. Beginning in the 16th century, both Tripolitania and Cyrenaica nominally became part of the Ottoman Empire.
Libya was the scene of much desert fighting during World War II. After the fall of Tripoli on Jan. 23, 1943, it came under Allied administration. In 1949, the UN voted that Libya should become independent, and in 1951 it became the United Kingdom of Libya. Oil was discovered in the impoverished country in 1958 and eventually transformed its economy.
Location: North Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria, southern border with Chad, Niger, and Sudan.
Geographic Coordinates: 25 00 N, 17 00 E
Area: 1,759,540 million sq. km.
Cities: Tripoli (capital), Benghazi.
Land use: Arable land–1.03%; permanent crops–0.19%; other–98.78%
Coastline: 1,770 km
- Ethnic Groups: Berber and Arab 97%, other 3% (includes Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians)
- Nationality: Libyan
- Religion: Sunni Muslim 97%, other 3%
- Language: Arabic is the official language and is understood by virtually everyone, about 10% of the population
- Population (est): 6,036,914
- Annual growth rate (est.): 2.262%.
- Birth rate (est.)–26.09 births/1,000 population. Death rate (est.)–3.47 deaths/1,000 population.
- Education: Literacy total population 82.6%
- Health (est.): Infant mortality rate-22.82 deaths/1,000 live births. Life expectancy-total pop 76.88yrs; male 74.1yrs; female 78.58yrs.
- GDP (purchasing power parity): $74.72 billion (est.)
- GDP (official exchange rate): $57.06 billion (est)
- Real GDP growth rate: 5.8%. (est)
- GDP – per capita (PPP): $12,400 (est.)
- Natural resources: Oil Sector (95% export) – Petroleum, natural gas, gypsum.
- Agriculture: Products–wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts, soybeans; cattle; approximately 75% of Libya’s food is imported.
- Industry: petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement.
- Exports: $42.97 billion f.o.b. (est.) crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas, chemicals
- Imports:$14.43 billion f.o.b. (est.) machinery, semi-finished goods, food, transport equipment, consumer products