Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
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Background:
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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. Chadian forces were able to force the Libyans to retreat from the Aozou Strip in 1987. UN sanctions in the 1990s isolated QADHAFI politically following the downing of Pan AM Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Later, when QADHAFI found that he could not easily break free of the sanctions and when he realized that Arab nations were lukewarm to his many unusual political initiatives, he turned his attention to Africa where he achieved mixed success at influence-building. Libyan support for terrorism appears to have decreased after UN sanctions were imposed in 1992. 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.
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Location:
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Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia
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Geographic coordinates:
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25 00 N, 17 00 E
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Map references:
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Africa
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Area:
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total: 1,759,540 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 1,759,540 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than Alaska
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Land boundaries:
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total: 4,348 km
border countries: Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,115 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km
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Coastline:
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1,770 km
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Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions):
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territorial sea: 12 NM
note: Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees, 30 minutes north
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Climate:
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Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior
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Terrain:
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mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m
highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m
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Natural resources:
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petroleum, natural gas, gypsum
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Land use:
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arable land: 1.03%
permanent crops: 0.17%
other: 98.8% (1998 est.)
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Irrigated land:
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4,700 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms
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Environment - current issues:
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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
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
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Geography - note:
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more than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert
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Population:
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5,631,585
note: includes 166,510 non-nationals (July 2004 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 34.2% (male 983,050; female 941,603)
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.)
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Median age:
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total: 22.4 years
male: 22.5 years
female: 22.2 years (2004 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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2.37% (2004 est.)
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Birth rate:
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27.17 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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Death rate:
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3.48 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
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.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 25.7 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 23.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 28.04 deaths/1,000 live births
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 76.28 years
male: 74.1 years
female: 78.58 years (2004 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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3.42 children born/woman (2004 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.2% (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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7,000 (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA
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Nationality:
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noun: Libyan(s)
adjective: Libyan
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Ethnic groups:
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Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians
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Religions:
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Sunni Muslim 97%
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Languages:
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Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 82.6%
male: 92.4%
female: 72% (2003 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
conventional short form: Libya
local short form: none
local long form: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma
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Government type:
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Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in fact, a military dictatorship
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Capital:
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Tripoli
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Administrative divisions:
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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
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Independence:
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24 December 1951 (from Italy)
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National holiday:
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Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)
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Constitution:
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11 December 1969, amended 2 March 1977
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Legal system:
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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
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal and compulsory
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Executive branch:
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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
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)
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral General People's Congress (NA seats; members elected indirectly through a hierarchy of people's committees)
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court
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Political parties and leaders:
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none
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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various Arab nationalist movements with almost negligible memberships may be functioning clandestinely, as well as some Islamic elements
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International organization participation:
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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 (observer), ISO, ITU, LAS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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Libya does not have an embassy in the US but maintains an interest section under the protective power of the Unites Arab Emirates Embassy in the US
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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the US suspended all embassy activities in Tripoli on 2 May 1980, and then resumed embassy activities in February 2004 under the protective power of the US interests section of the Belgian Embassy
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Flag description:
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plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state religion)
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Economy - overview:
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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.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $35 billion (2003 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3.2% (2003 est.)
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $6,400 (2003 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 9%
industry: 45%
services: 46% (2001 est.)
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Population below poverty line:
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NA%
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2.8% (2003 est.)
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Labor force:
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1.6 million (2001 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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services 54%, industry 29%, agriculture 17% (1997 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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30% (2001)
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Budget:
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revenues: $10.2 billion
expenditures: $7.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2003 est.)
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Industries:
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petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA%
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Electricity - production:
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20.18 billion kWh (2001)
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%
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Electricity - consumption:
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18.77 billion kWh (2001)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2001)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2001)
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Oil - production:
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1.429 million bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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216,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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NA
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Oil - imports:
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NA
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Oil - proved reserves:
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29.75 billion bbl (1 January 2002)
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Natural gas - production:
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6.18 billion cu m (2001 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption:
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5.41 billion cu m (2001 est.)
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Natural gas - exports:
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770 million cu m (2001 est.)
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Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m (2001 est.)
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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1.321 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)
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Agriculture - products:
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wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts, soybeans; cattle
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Exports:
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$14.32 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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crude oil, refined petroleum products (1999)
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Exports - partners:
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Italy 42.8%, Germany 14.1%, Spain 13.6%, Turkey 6.9% (2002)
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Imports:
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$6.282 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery, transport equipment, food, manufactured goods (1999)
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Imports - partners:
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Italy 25.4%, Germany 9.9%, South Korea 6.5%, UK 6.5%, Tunisia 6.4%, Japan 6.3%, France 5.7% (2002)
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Debt - external:
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$4.2 billion (2003 est.)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$15 million (2000)
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Currency:
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Libyan dinar (LYD)
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Currency code:
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LYD
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Exchange rates:
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Libyan dinars per US dollar - 1.29 (2003), 1.27 (2002), 0.61 (2001), 0.5 (2000), 0.39 (1999)
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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660,000 (2002)
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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70,000 (2002)
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: telecommunications system is being modernized; mobile cellular telephone system became operational in 1996
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)
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 16, FM 3, shortwave 3 (2002)
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Television broadcast stations:
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12 (plus one low-power repeater) (1999)
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Internet country code:
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.ly
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Internet hosts:
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83 (2002)
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Internet users:
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125,000 (2002)
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Railways:
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0 km
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Highways:
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total: 83,200 km
paved: 47,590 km
unpaved: 35,610 km (1999 est.)
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Waterways:
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none
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Pipelines:
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condensate 225 km; gas 3,196 km; oil 6,872 km (2003)
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Ports and harbors:
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Al Khums, Banghazi, Darnah, Marsa al Burayqah, Misratah, Ra's Lanuf, Tobruk, Tripoli, Zuwarah
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Merchant marine:
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total: 20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 129,627 GRT/105,110 DWT
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 (2003 est.)
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Airports:
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140 (2003 est.)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 60
over 3,047 m: 23
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 3 (2003 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 23
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 80
under 914 m: 18 (2003 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
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Heliports:
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1 (2003 est.)
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Disputes - international:
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Libya has claimed more than 32,000 sq km in southeastern Algeria and about 25,000 sq km in Niger in currently dormant disputes; various Chadian rebels from the Aozou region reside in southern Libya
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This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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