The Italians supplanted the Ottoman Turks in the area around Tripoli in 1911 and did not relinquish their hold until 1943 when defeated in World War II. Libya then passed to UN administration and achieved independence in 1951. Following a 1969 military coup, Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI began to espouse 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. During the 1990s, QADHAFI began to rebuild his relationships with Europe. UN sanctions were suspended in April 1999 and finally lifted in September 2003 after Libya accepted responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing. In December 2003, Libya announced that it had agreed to reveal and end its programs to develop weapons of mass destruction and to renounce terrorism. QADHAFI subsequently made significant strides in normalizing relations with Western nations. He hosted 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. The US rescinded Libya's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism in June 2006. In August 2008, the US and Libya signed a bilateral comprehensive claims settlement agreement to compensate claimants in both countries who allege injury or death at the hands of the other country, including the Lockerbie bombing, the LaBelle disco bombing, and the UTA 772 bombing. In October 2008, the US Government received $1.5 billion pursuant to the agreement to distribute to US national claimants, and as a result effectively normalized its bilateral relationship with Libya. The two countries then exchanged ambassadors for the first time since 1973 in January 2009. Libya in May 2010 was elected to its first three-year seat on the UN Human Rights Council, prompting protests from international non-governmental organizations and human rights campaigners. Unrest that began in several Near Eastern and North African countries in late December 2010 spread to several Libyan cities in February 2011. In response to QADHAFI's harsh military crackdown on protesters, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1973, which demanded an immediate ceasefire and authorized the international community to establish a no-fly zone over Libya.

Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia

slightly larger than Alaska

Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior

mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions

petroleum, natural gas, gypsum

hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms

desertification; limited natural freshwater resources; the Great Manmade River Project, the largest water development scheme in the world, brings water from large aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities

more than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert

6,597,960 (July 2011 est.)

24.04 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)

3.4 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)

TRIPOLI (capital) 1.095 million (2009)

2.96 children born/woman (2011 est.)

urban: 54% of population

rural: 55% of population

total: 54% of population

urban: 46% of population

rural: 45% of population

total: 46% of population (2000)

urban: 97% of population

rural: 96% of population

total: 97% of population

urban: 3% of population

rural: 4% of population

total: 3% of population (2008)

Berber and Arab 97%, other 3% (includes Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians)

Sunni Muslim 97%, other 3%

Arabic, Italian, English,

Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in practice, an authoritarian state

22 districts (shabiyat, singular - shabiyat); Al Butnan, Al Jabal al Akhdar, Al Jabal al Gharbi, Al Jafarah, Al Jufrah, Al Kufrah, Al Marj, Al Marqab, Al Wahat, An Nuqat al Khams, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi, Darnah, Ghat, Misratah, Murzuq, Nalut, Sabha, Surt, Tarabulus, Wadi al Hayat, Wadi ash Shati

24 December 1951 (from UN trusteeship)

Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)

none; note - following the September 1969 military overthrow of the Libyan government, the Revolutionary Command Council replaced the existing constitution with the Constitutional Proclamation in December 1969; in March 1977, Libya adopted the Declaration of the Establishment of the People's Authority

mixed system of civil and Islamic law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

18 years of age; universal and technically compulsory

unicameral General People's Congress (760 seats; members elected indirectly through a hierarchy of people's committees)

ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

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

The Libyan economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contribute about 95% of export earnings, 25% of GDP, and 80% of government revenue. The weakness in world hydrocarbon prices in 2009 reduced Libyan government tax income and constrained economic growth. 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. 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 Corporation (NOC) set a goal of nearly doubling oil production to 3 million bbl/day by 2012. In November 2009, the NOC announced that that target may slip to as late as 2017. 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.

$90.57 billion (2010 est.)

$86.95 billion (2009 est.)

$89.01 billion (2008 est.)

$74.23 billion (2010 est.)

1.729 million (2010 est.)

13.2% of GDP (2010 est.)

3.3% of GDP (2010 est.)

3.9% of GDP (2009 est.)

4% (31 December 2009)

5% (31 December 2008)

8.41% (31 December 2008)

6% (31 December 2007)

$29.85 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$29.82 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$35.98 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$36.2 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$55.03 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$41.13 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts, soybeans; cattle

petroleum, petrochemicals, aluminum, iron and steel, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement

23.98 billion kWh (2007 est.)

22.17 billion kWh (2007 est.)

104 million kWh (2007 est.)

77 million kWh (2007 est.)

1.79 million bbl/day (2009 est.)

280,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

1.542 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

575.3 bbl/day (2007 est.)

47 billion bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

15.9 billion cu m (2008 est.)

5.5 billion cu m (2008 est.)

10.4 billion cu m (2008 est.)

1.539 trillion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

$15.53 billion (2010 est.)

$10.06 billion (2009 est.)

$44.89 billion (2010 est.)

$37.16 billion (2009 est.)

crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas, chemicals

Italy 37.65%, Germany 10.11%, France 8.44%, Spain 7.94%, Switzerland 5.93%, US 5.27% (2009)

$24.47 billion (2010 est.)

$22.01 billion (2009 est.)

machinery, semi-finished goods, food, transport equipment, consumer products

Italy 18.9%, China 10.54%, Turkey 9.92%, Germany 9.78%, France 5.63%, Tunisia 5.25%, South Korea 4.02% (2009)

$107.3 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$104.2 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$6.378 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$5.891 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$18.64 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$15.56 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$15.32 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$13.92 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Libyan dinars (LYD) per US dollar -

1.101 million (2009)

5.004 million (2009)

state controls broadcast media; state-owned terrestrial TV station and about a half-dozen state-owned satellite stations broadcast; some provinces operate local TV stations; a single, non-state-owned TV station launched in 2007; pan-Arab satellite TV stations are available; state-owned radio broadcasts on a number of frequencies, some of which carry regional programming; Voice of Africa, Libya's external radio service, can also be heard; a single, non-state-owned radio station broadcasting (2007)

condensate 776 km; gas 3,216 km; oil 6,960 km (2010)

Az Zawiyah, Marsa al Burayqah (Marsa el Brega), Ra's Lanuf, Tripoli

Armed Peoples on Duty (APOD, Army), Libyan Arab Navy, Libyan Arab Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriya al-Arabia al-Libyya, LAAF), Libyan Coast Guard (2008)

17 years of age (2004)

3.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

dormant disputes include Libyan claims of about 32,000 sq km still reflected on its maps of southeastern Algeria and the FLN's assertions of a claim to Chirac Pastures in southeastern Morocco; various Chadian rebels from the Aozou region reside in southern Libya