Libya

Capital:** Tripoli The flag of Libya was adopted in November 1977. Green is the national color and a traditional color of Islam, Libya's state religion. Libya's flag is the only national flag with a single plain color in the world.
 * __Libya, Africa__
 * Leader:** Muammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi
 * Latitude:** 32.54
 * Longitude:** 13.11
 * Population:** 6,173,579
 * Population Growth Rate:** 2.41%[[image:http://ts1.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=1113334612116&id=02845148b0fd77e8e206244cd1595e21&url=http%3a%2f%2fupload.wikimedia.org%2fwikipedia%2fcommons%2fthumb%2f3%2f36%2fMuammar_al-Gaddafi_at_the_AU_summit.jpg%2f200 width="161" height="208" align="right" caption="Muammar al-Gaddafi ... "]] (Leader of Libya)
 * Education Expidentures:** 2.7% of GDP
 * Military Expenditures:** 3.9% of GDP
 * Net Migration Rate:** -2%
 * Area sq km:** 1,759,540
 * Religion:** Islam
 * Suffrage:** 18 years of age
 * Government Type**: Jamahiriya
 * Human Dev. Index Rank:** 56 of 177 countries
 * Adjusted for Women:** 61 of 156 countries
 * Real GDP per Capita:** $ 10,335
 * Adult Literacy Rate:** 93% (Male) 75% (Female)
 * Infant Mortality Rate:** 18 per 1,000 births
 * Life Expectancy:** 71 (male) 76 (female)
 * Unemployment Rates:** 30%
 * Currency:** Libyan Dina
 * Interned Users:** 206,000 users


 * The Land and Climate**: Libya is the fourth most large country in africa. It is larger the Alaska and Minnesota combined. Stretching south from the Mediterranean Sea, Libya's rocky coast is bordered by a thin strip of farmable land and then by the vast Sahara Desert, which covers 90 percent of the country.The landscape includes beaches, sand dune–filled deserts, oases, rocky hills, and mountains. Originally the country had three different regions: Tripolitania in the northwest, Fezzan in the southwest, and Cyrenaica in the east. The regions joined together in 1935 but some are still said to be seperated. Libya borders Algeria, Niger, Chad, Egypt, Sudan and Tunisia. The land use of Libya is : arable land//:// 1.03% permanent crops//:// 0.17% //o//ther//:// 98.8% (1998 est.) The natural resources of Libya are petroleum, natural gas and gypsum. The natural hazards of Libya are hot and dry climates, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, and sandstorms. The environmental issues as of today are, desertification, and scarce fresh water sources. 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.



Closer to the Mediterranean coast the climate provides warm summers and mild winters. The coast will get up to 16 inches of rainfall per year. The rest of the country is more of a drier and hotter climate. This area is much like a dessert and will only recieve 1 inch of rainfall per year and temperatures will reach up to 120 degrees farenheit (49 degrees Celcius). The highest temperature recorded on Earth was 136 degrees farenheit (58 degrees celcius) at Al Aziziyah, Libya, on 13 September 1922. There are no permanent rivers in libya. They may fill with water but they will eventually become dry river beds. A huge engineering project called the Great Man-Made River channels water from underground aquifers in the south to the north to use for drinking, irrigation, and industry.

(Map of Libya)


 * Language**: Arabic is the official language and is spoken by nearly everyone, but it may take various forms. For example, Libyans read the //Qur'an// (Koran), school materials, and official documents in classical Arabic. However, they speak a Libyan dialect in daily conversation and usually understand at least some Modern Standard Arabic, which is used throughout the Arab world in written communication. Children grow up speaking the Libyan dialect, so the transition to classical and standard Arabic involves learning new words and a different accent. Imazighen speak Arabic and Tamazight. Tuaregs speak Arabic and Tamasheq. Second languages include English (most common), Italian, or French.


 * History**: Libya's first inhabitants were tribes called Imazighen, which meant “free men.” Outsiders later came to call them Berbers, a term many people still use. During the seventh century BC, Phoenicians set up trading colonies in Libya. Three hundred years later, Greeks colonized the eastern coast. Then, in 146 BC, Romans defeated the Phoenicians and took control of Libya. The area was subsequently invaded and ruled by Germanic Vandal tribes (beginning in AD 429), the Byzantine Empire (AD 533), and Arabs (AD 640). Libya gradually became Arabized as thousands of Arabs settled there and absorbed or displaced the Imazighen. Muslim dynasties ruled until the 1500s, when the control of Libya passed between Spain, Malta, Barbary sea pirates, and finally the Ottoman Empire, which ruled from the mid-1500s to the early 1900s. Beginning in the 1840s, members of the Islamic political //Sanusi// movement rose up against the Ottomans in North Africa. After defeating the Ottomans in 1911, Italy colonized Libya. When Libya gained full **independence** in 1951, Idris became king and remained friendly with Western nations. He held nearly all political power and left the country's wealth in the hands of a few families. This inequality worsened when oil was discovered in 1959. Libya went from being a poor agricultural country to a rich exporter of oil, and many Libyans wanted access to the new wealth.

Libya's relationship with Western nations deteriorated. In 1970, Qaddafi ordered the closure of U.S. and British military bases in Libya. He then offered support to militant groups such as the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the Irish Republican Army. U.S. and British diplomats were withdrawn in the early '80s. In 1986, two U.S. soldiers were killed in a Libyan-ordered bombing of a nightclub in Germany. The United States responded by shelling Tripoli and other cities, killing dozens of Libyans. Then in 1988, Pan Am flight 103 was blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people. When Qaddafi refused to hand over the two Libyan suspects for international trial, the United Nations imposed economic sanctions against Libya.

In 1999, Qaddafi moved to have Libya rejoin the international community. He allowed the bombing suspects to be tried, and in 2001, the trial ended with one guilty verdict and one acquittal. In August 2003, Libya agreed to compensate the families of the victims of Pan Am 103, after which the United Nations lifted its sanctions. In December that year, Libya announced it would abandon programs to develop weapons of mass destruction. The United States lifted its remaining sanctions in 2004 and restored full diplomatic ties in 2006.


 * Ethnic Groups:** The present population of Libya is composed of several distinct groups. By far the majority identify themselves as Arabs. Arab invaders brought the Arab language and culture to Libya between the seventh to the eleventh centuries, but intermarriage with Berbers and other indigenous peoples over the centuries has produced so mixed a strain that few Libyans can substantiate claims to pure or even predominantly Arab ancestry. These Arabic-speaking Muslims of mixed Arab and Berber ancestry make up 90 percent of the country's population. Berbers, other indigenous minority peoples, and black Africans make up most of the remainder, although small scattered groups of Greeks, Muslim Cretans, Maltese, and Armenians make up long-established communities in urban areas.




 * Economic Overview:** The Libyan economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contribute about 95% of export earnings, about one-quarter of GDP, and 60% of public sector wages. The expected weakness in world hydrocarbon prices throughout 2009 will reduce Libyan government tax income and constrain Libyan economic growth in 2009. Substantial revenues from the energy sector coupled with 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 five 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. UN Sanctions against Libya were lifted in September 2003. The process of lifting US unilateral sanctions began in the spring of 2004; all sanctions were removed by June 2006, helping Libya attract greater foreign direct investment, especially in the energy sector. Libyan oil and gas licensing rounds continue to draw high international interest; the National Oil Company set a goal of nearly doubling oil production to 3 million bbl/day by 2012. 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 more than 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. Libya's primary agricultural water source remains the Great Manmade River Project, but significant resources are being invested in desalinization research to meet growing water demands.


 * Libyan Industries:** Libyan manufacturing industries developed significantly during the 1960s and 1970s, but fell far behind the petroleum sector of the economy in the 1980s. Non-oil manufacturing and construction sectors accounted for about 20% of GDP in 2002.

Libya is Africa's largest oil producer. Although oil exploration has been ongoing for half a century, Libya's oil and gas potential is vast and the country remains largely underexplored. The country's proven oil reserves are 29.5 billion barrels and production is 1.4 million barrels per day. Among the many industries utilizing petroleum products is a natural gas liquefaction plant which went into operation in 1971 at Marsa al-Brega. There are three refineries with a total capacity of 348,000 barrels per day. All the refineries are in need of updating, which Libya plans to do, in addition to building new refineries. Libya is a direct producer of refined products in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, and Switzerland. The refining sector was adversely affected by the UN embargo; several projects for expanding domestic refining were delayed. Since UN sanctions were suspended in 1999, foreign oil companies have shown a keen interest in investing in the exploration and production of oil in Libya.



The petrochemicals industry is centered at the Marsa al-Brega plant, which produces methanol, ammonia, and urea. Despite the fact that the plant operates at only 35% of capacity, its production of urea and ammonia far exceeds domestic demand. A major plant producing ethylene, propylene, and butene was opened at Ras Lanuf in 1987. A second phase of the Ras Lanuf complex was to produce benzene, butadiene, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), and butane-1, but as of 2000, it was not complete. The Abu Kammash petrochemical complex produces ethylene dichloride (EDC), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and vinyl chloride monomer (VCM). The iron and steel complex at Misratah began operations in 1990. Large natural gas reserves were underdeveloped in 2002, but renewed foreign interest may stimulate production, and a pipeline network planned by 2006 may encourage investment.

Libya's other manufacturing industries are small, lightly capitalized, and devoted primarily to the processing of local agricultural products (tanning, canning fruits and vegetables, milling flour, and processing olive oil), and to textiles, building materials, and basic consumer items. Handicraft products include carpets and rugs, silver jewelry, textiles, glassware, and leather goods.


 * Education:** Primary Education is both free and compulsory in Libya. Children between the ages of 6 and 15 attend primary school and then attend secondary school for three additional years (15- to 18-year-olds). According to figures reported for the year 2000, approximately 766,807 students attended primary school and had 97,334 teachers; approximately 717,000 students were enrolled in secondary, technical, and vocational schools; and about 287,172 students were enrolled in Libya’s universities.


 * Agriculture:** Many climatic and land constraints limit Libya's grain production to just two cereal crops: wheat and barley. These crops are restricted to just a narrow, rain-brushed ribbon of land (and its adjacent highlands) along the coast, and a few irrigated areas on isolated oases. Cultivation of autumn-sown wheat and barley is made possible because there are two main water sources. First, there are large reserves of shallow groundwater in Tripolitania, along Libya's northwest coast. This source permits significant irrigation.. Second, the scant coastal precipitation that does occur, fortuitously falls during the winter grain growing season (November through April). Wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts, soybeans, and cattle are the main agricultural products.

While wheat is the preferred food grain, barley is more adaptable in the marginal climate and soils, so it is a popular choice for the Libyan farmer located in the drier hinterland. Fall planting typically begins in October, after the first fall rains arrive, and can last into December. Harvest begins in April for barley and May for wheat, wrapping up in May and June, respectively. The critical flowering period for wheat occurs in late March and early April. During this time period, the crop is most sensitive to high temperatures and low precipitation.

crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas,and chemicals.
 * Imports and Exports:** The imports of Libya are machinery, semi-finished goods, food, transport equipment, and consumer products. The exports of Libya are


 * Illicit Drugs:** Cannabis, Herion, Opium, Temazapem, and Methamphetamine.


 * Current Event :** Despite 189 American lives lost in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing, the U.S. settled all lawsuits against Libya for terrorist killings and restored diplomatic relations with the country today – with reparations to be paid to Libya.

President Ronald Reagan ordered air strikes on Tripoli and Benghazi on April 15, 1986, after Libyan terrorists planted 6 pounds of plastic explosives packed with shrapnel on the dance floor of La Belle discotheque in Berlin, killing three people – including two U.S. soldiers – and maiming 200 others.

Two years later, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded in a terrorist attack by a Libyan intelligence agent. The blast killed 268 people from 21 countries, including 189 Americans. U.S. families filed 26 lawsuits against Libya for the 1988 bombing of the plane en route to New York from London.

The Bush administration began to consider restoring a relationship with the country in 2003 after Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi promised to end production of weapons of mass destruction, halt terrorist activities and reimburse U.S. families of victims of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and other terrorist bombings. Following its pledge, U.N., U.S. and European sanctions were lifted, Libya was taken off the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism and the country was granted membership in the U.N. Security Council.

An agreement required Libya to complete $2.7 billion in payments it had said it would provide to the families of victims. According to Associated Press reports, a senior Libyan government official claims there were also three lawsuits filed on behalf of Libyan citizens in response to Reagan's air strikes – attacks that Libya says killed 41 of its people and Gadhafi's adopted daughter.

7th century BC: Phoenicians settle in Tripolitania in western Libya 6th century BC:Carthage conquers Tripolitania 4th century BC: Greeks colonise Cyrenaica in the east of the country, which they call Libya 74th BC: Romans conquer Libya 1911-1912: Italy conquers Libya 1951: Libya becomes independent 1956: Libya grants two American oil companies a concession of some 14 million acres 1961: King Idris opens a 104-mile pipeline, which links important oil fields in the interior to the Mediterranean Sea and makes it possible to export Libyan oil for the first time 1977: Col Gaddafi declares a "cultural revolution", which includes the formation of "people's committees" in schools, hospitals, universities, workplaces and administrative districts; Libyan forces occupy Aozou Strip in northern Chad 1981:US shoots down two Libyan aircraft which challenged its warplanes over the Gulf of Sirte, claimed by Libya as its territorial water 1989: Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia form the Arab Maghreb Union 1992:UN imposes sanctions on Libya in an effort to force it to hand over for trial two of its citizens suspected of involvement in the blowing up of a PanAm airliner over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in December 1988 2000: September - Dozens of African immigrants are killed by Libyan mobs in the west of Libya who were said to be angry at the large number of African labourers coming into the country 2009: September - Libya holds celebrations to mark 40 years since Colonel Muammar Gaddafi seized power
 * Timeline:**

An industry still in its infancy but one that is gradually growing. 180,000 tourists visited Libya in 2007, contributing less than 1% to the country's GDP; there were 1,000,000 day visitors in the same year.[|[1]] The country is best known for its ancient Greek and Roman ruins and Sahara desert landscapes. There are currently about 13,000 hotel rooms in Libya, a figure the government hopes to increase to 50,000 Cultural tourism is arguably Libya's biggest draw as a tourism destination. There are five UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the country, three of which are classical ruins. The Roman cities of Sabratha and Leptis Magna in Western Libya and the Greek ruins of Cyrene in the East are big tourist attractions. One of the attractions of Libya's archeological sites, is that they are not as heavily populated by tourists as are other ancient sites in North Africa and southern Europe.
 * Tourist Information:**

http://www.photius.com/countries/libya/society/libya_society_ethnic_groups_and_la~9673.html https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ly.html http://www.faqs.org/docs/factbook/print/ly.html http://www.wikipedia.com.html http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Libya-INDUSTRY.html https://www.cia.gov/index.html http://www.fas.usda.gov/pecad/highlights/2004/05/libya/ []
 * Sources:**