Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0221/02219.txt

Text File | 1991-06-25 | 29KB | 491 lines

$Unique_ID{COW02219}
$Pretitle{285}
$Title{Libya
Front Matter}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Helen Chapin Metz}
$Affiliation{HQ, Department of the Army}
$Subject{qadhafi
libya
military
libyan
arab
government
people's
percent
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qadhafi's}
$Date{1988}
$Log{}
Country:     Libya
Book:        Libya, A Country Study
Author:      Helen Chapin Metz
Affiliation: HQ, Department of the Army
Date:        1988

Front Matter

Preface

     Like its predecessor, this study is an attempt to treat in a concise and
objective manner the dominant social, political, economic, and military aspects
of contemporary Libyan society. Sources of information included scholarly
journals and monographs, official reports of governments and international
organizations, foreign and domestic newspapers, and numerous periodicals.
Relatively up-to-date statistical data in the economic and social fields were
unavailable, even from the United Nations and the World Bank. Chapter
bibliographies appear at the the end of the book; brief comments on some of the
more valuable sources suggested as possible further reading appear at the end of
each chapter. Measurements are given in the metric system; a conversion table is
provided to assist those readers who are unfamiliar with metric measurements
(see table 1, Appendix). A glossary is also included.

     The transliteration of Arabic words and phrases follows a modified version
of the system adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names and the
Permanent Committee on Geographic Names for British Official Use, known as the
BGN/PCGN system. The modification is a significant one, however, in that
diacritical markings and hyphens have been omitted. Moreover, some geographical
locations, such as the cities of Benghazi, Tobruk, and Tripoli, are so well
known by those conventional names that their formal names--Banghazi, Tubruq, and
Tarabulus--are not used.

Acknowledgments

     The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of the following
individuals who wrote the 1979 edition of Libya: A Country Study, which was
edited by Harold D. Nelson: Robert Rinehart, "Historical Setting;" David S.
McMorris, "The Society and Its Environment;" Howard I. Blutstein, "The Economy;"
William A. Mussen, Jr., "Government and Politics;" and David R. Holmes and
Harold D. Nelson, "National Security." Their work provided the organization and
structure of the present volume, as well as substantial portions of the text.

     The authors are grateful to individuals in various government agencies and
private institutions who gave of their time, research materials, and expertise
to the production of this book, especially Marius and Mary Jane Deeb and I.
William Zartman. The authors also wish to thank members of the Federal Research
Division staff who contributed directly to the preparation of the manuscript.
These people include Thomas Collelo, the substantive reviewer of all the textual
material; Richard F. Nyrop, who reviewed all drafts and served as liaison with
the sponsoring agency; and Martha E. Hopkins, who edited the manuscript, with
the assistance of Marilyn L. Majeska, and managed production. Mary Campbell Wild
performed final prepublication review. Also involved in preparing the text were
editorial assistants Barbara Edgerton, Monica Shimmin, and Izella Watson, and
Margaret Varghese; of Communicators Connections who compiled the index. Diann J.
Johnson, of the Library of Congress Composing Unit, set the type, under the
direction of by Peggy Pixley.

     Invaluable graphics support was provided by David P. Cabitto, assisted by
Sandra K. Cotugno. Carolina E. Forrester reviewed the map drafts and Greenhorne
and O'Mara, Inc., prepared the final maps. Special thanks are owed to Kimberly
A. Lord, who designed the cover artwork and the illustrations on the title page
of each chapter.

     The authors would like to thank several individuals who provided research
and operational support. Arvies J. Staton supplied information on ranks and
insignia; Afaf S. McGowan obtained photographs; Robert S. Mason revised one of
the chapters; and Gwendolyn B. Batts typed manuscript drafts. Finally, the
authors acknowledge the generosity of the many individuals and public and
private agencies who allowed their photographs to be used in this study.

Country Profile

Country

Formal Name: Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.

Short Form: Libya.

Term for Nationals: Libyans.

Capital: Tripoli.

Geography

Size: About 1,760,000 square kilometers (excluding Aouzou Strip claimed by Chad)
consisting mainly of desert. Land boundaries 4,345 kilometers long and coastline
1,770 kilometers long. Twelve-nautical- mile maritime claim, including disputed
Gulf of Sidra.

Topography: Main contrast between narrow enclaves of fertile lowlands along
Mediterranean coast and vast expanse of arid, rocky plains and sand seas to
south. Coastal lowlands separated from one another by predesert zone and backed
by plateaus with steep, north-facing scarps; country's only true mountains,
Tibesti, rise in southern desert. Country has several saline lakes but no
perennial watercourses. Less than 5 percent of territory economically useful.

Climate: Dominant climate influences Mediterranean Sea and Sahara Desert. In
coastal lowlands, where 80 percent of population lives, climate Mediterranean,
with warm summers and mild winters. Climate in desert interior characterized by
very hot summers and extreme diurnal temperature ranges. Precipitation ranges
from light to negligible; less than 2 percent of country receives enough
rainfall for settled agriculture.

Society

Population: Approximately 3.63 million inhabitants according to 1984 census,
including at least 260,000 aliens. Indigenous population was increasing at one
of world's highest annual growth rates, estimated variously at between 3.4
percent and 4.5 percent.

Languages and Ethnic Groups: Official language Arabic. Government policy
discourages use of other languages, but English used extensively--even by
government for some purposes--and ranks as a second language. Italian and French
also spoken, and small minorities speak Berber dialects. Arabic-speaking Sunni
Muslims of mixed Arab and Berber ancestry make up well over 90 percent of
indigenous population. Most of remainder Berbers, Tuaregs, and black Africans,
and small but long-settled Greek and Maltese communities. Expatriates, imported
under government contract to meet labor shortages, largely citizens of other
Muslim countries; many technical and professional positions filled by East and
West Europeans. Altogether, representatives of more than 100 nationalities live
in Libya.

Health: Number of medical doctors and dentists reportedly increased sevenfold
between 1970 and 1985, producing in case of doctors ratio of 1 per 673 citizens.
In 1985, about one-third of doctors Libyan natives, remainder expatriate
foreigners. Number of hospital beds tripled in same time period. Among major
health hazards endemic in country in 1970s were typhoid and paratyphoid,
infectious hepatitis, leishmaniasis, rabies, meningitis, schistosomiasis,
venereal diseases, and principal childhood ailments. Progress included
eradication of malaria and significant gains against trachoma, tuberculosis, and
leprosy. In 1985 infant mortality rate was 84 per 1000. Life expectancy for men
56 years, for women 59 years.

Literacy: In early 1980s, estimates of total literacy between 50 and 60 percent,
about 70 percent for men and 35 percent for women, but gap narrowing because of
increased female school attendance.

Religion: Islam official religion; nearly entire population adheres to Sunni
branch of Islam.

Economy

Gross Domestic Product (GDP): In 1986 GDP estimated at $US20 billion, $6,260 per
capita. Petroleum contributed almost 40 percent; public services and
administration 12 percent; construction 11 percent; transportation and
communication 5 percent; manufacturing 5 percent; and agriculture 4 percent.

Petroleum: In early 1980s, estimated proven res