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- 1,759,540 km²; land area: 1,759,540 km²
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- Comparative area: slightly larger than Alaska
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- Land boundaries: 4,383 km total; Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt
- 1,150 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km
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- Coastline: 1,770 km
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- Maritime claims:
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- Territorial sea: 12 nm;
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- Gulf of Sidra closing line: 32o 30' N
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- Disputes: claims and occupies a small portion of the Aozou Strip in northern
- Chad; maritime boundary dispute with Tunisia; Libya claims about 19,400 km²
- in northern Niger; Libya claims about 19,400 km² in southeastern Algeria
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- Climate: Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior
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- Terrain: mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions
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- Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, gypsum
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- Land use: 1% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 8% meadows and pastures;
- 0% forest and woodland; 91% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
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- Environment: hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting
- one to four days in spring and fall; desertification; sparse natural
- surface-water resources
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- Note: 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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- █ ≡ People ≡ █
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- Population: 4,221,141 (July 1990), growth rate 3.1% (1990)
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- Birth rate: 37 births/1,000 population (1990)
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- Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
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- Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
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- Infant mortality rate: 64 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
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- Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 70 years female (1990)
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- Total fertility rate: 5.2 children born/woman (1990)
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- Nationality: noun--Libyan(s); adjective--Libyan
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- Ethnic divisions: 97% Berber and Arab; some Greeks, Maltese, Italians,
- Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians
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- Religion: 97% Sunni Muslim
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- Language: Arabic; Italian and English widely understood in major cities
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- Literacy: 50-60%
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- Labor force: 1,000,000, includes about 280,000 resident
- foreigners; 31% industry, 27% services, 24% government, 18% agriculture
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- Organized labor: National Trade Unions' Federation, 275,000 members;
- General Union for Oil and Petrochemicals; Pan-Africa Federation of Petroleum
- Energy and Allied Workers
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- █ ≡ Government ≡ █
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- Long-form name: Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
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- Type: 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: Tripoli
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- Administrative divisions: 46 municipalities (baladiyat,
- singular--baladiyah); Ajdabiya, Al Abyar, Al Aziziyah,
- Al Bayda, Al Jufrah, Al Jumayl, Al Khums, Al Kufrah, Al Marj,
- Al Qarabulli, Al Qubbah, Al Ujaylat, Ash Shati,
- Awbari, Az Zahra, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi, Bani Walid,
- Bin Jawwad, Darnah, Ghadamis, Gharyan, Ghat, Jadu, Jalu,
- Janzur, Masallatah, Misratah, Mizdah, Murzuq, Nalut,
- Qaminis, Qasr Bin Ghashir, Sabha, Sabratah, Shahhat,
- Surman, Surt, Tajura, Tarabulus, Tarhunah, Tubruq,
- Tukrah, Yafran, Zlitan, Zuwarah; note--the number of municipalities may
- have been reduced to 13 named Al Jabal al-Akhdar, Al Jabal al-Gharbi,
- Al Jabal al-Khums, Al Batnam, Al Kufrah, Al Marqab, Al Marzuq, Az Zawiyah,
- Banghazi, Khalij Surt, Sabha, Tripoli, Wadi al-Hayat
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- Independence: 24 December 1951 (from Italy)
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- Constitution: 11 December 1969, amended 2 March 1977
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- Legal system: 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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- National holiday: Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)
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- Executive branch: revolutionary leader, chairman of the General
- People's Committee, General People's Committee (cabinet)
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- Legislative branch: unicameral General People's Congress
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- Judicial branch: Supreme Court
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- Leaders:
- Chief of State--Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI
- (since 1 September 1969);
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- Head of Government--Chairman of the General People's Committee (Premier)
- Umar Mustafa al-MUNTASIR (since 1 March 1987)
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- Political parties and leaders: none
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- Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
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- Elections: national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of
- revolutionary committees
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- Flag: plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state
- religion)
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- █ ≡ Economy ≡ █
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- Overview: The socialist-oriented economy depends primarily upon revenues
- from the oil sector, which contributes virtually all export earnings and
- over 50% to GNP. Since 1980, however, the sharp drop in oil prices and
- resulting decline in export revenues has adversely affected economic
- development. In 1986 per capita GNP was the highest in Africa at $5,410,
- but it had been $2,000 higher in 1982. Severe cutbacks in imports over the
- past five years have led to shortages of basic goods and foodstuffs,
- although the reopening of the Libyan-Tunisian border in April 1988 and the
- Libyan-Egyptian border in December 1989 have somewhat eased shortages.
- Austerity budgets and a lack of trained technicians have undermined the
- government's ability to implement a number of planned infrastructure
- development projects. The nonoil industrial and construction sectors, which
- account for about 15% of GNP, have expanded from processing
- mostly agricultural products to include petrochemicals, iron, steel, and
- aluminum. Although agriculture accounts for less than 5% of GNP, it employs
- 20% of the labor force. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit
- farm output, requiring Libya to import about 75% of its food requirements.
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- GNP: $20 billion, per capita $5,410; real growth rate 0% (1988 est.)
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- Inflation rate (consumer prices): 20% (1988 est.)
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- Unemployment rate: 2% (1988 est.)
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- Budget: revenues $6.4 billion; expenditures $11.3 billion, including
- capital expenditures of $3.6 billion (1986 est.)
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- Exports: $6.1 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--petroleum,
- peanuts, hides; partners--Italy, USSR, FRG, Spain, France,
- Belgium/Luxembourg, Turkey
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- Imports: $5.0 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--machinery,
- transport equipment, food, manufactured goods; partners--Italy, USSR,
- FRG, UK, Japan
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- External debt: $2.1 billion, excluding military debt (December 1988)
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- Industrial production: growth rate NA%
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- Electricity: 4,580,000 kW capacity; 13,360 million kWh produced,
- 3,270 kWh per capita (1989)
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- Industries: petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement
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- Agriculture: 5% of GNP; cash crops--wheat, barley, olives, dates,
- citrus fruits, peanuts; 75% of food is imported
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- Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
- (1970-87), $242 million
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- Currency: Libyan dinar (plural--dinars);
- 1 Libyan dinar (LD) = 1,000 dirhams
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- Exchange rates: Libyan dinars (LD) per US$1--0.2896 (January 1990),
- 0.2922 (1989), 0.2853 (1988), 0.2706 (1987), 0.3139 (1986), 0.2961 (1985)
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- Fiscal year: calendar year
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- █ ≡ Communications ≡ █
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- Highways: 32,500 km total; 24,000 km bituminous and bituminous treated,
- 8,500 km gravel, crushed stone and earth
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- Pipelines: crude oil 4,383 km; natural gas 1,947 km; refined products
- 443 km (includes 256 km liquid petroleum gas)
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- Ports: Tobruk, Tripoli, Banghazi, Misratah, Marsa el Brega
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- Merchant marine: 30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 816,546
- GRT/1,454,874 DWT; includes 3 short-sea passenger, 11 cargo,
- 4 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 11 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker,
- 1 chemical tanker
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- Civil air: 59 major transport aircraft
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- Airports: 130 total, 122 usable; 53 with permanent-surface runways;
- 7 with runways over 3,659 m; 30 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 44 with runways
- 1,220-2,439 m
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- Telecommunications: modern telecommunications system using radio relay,
- coaxial cable, tropospheric scatter, and domestic satellite stations;
- 370,000 telephones; stations--18 AM, 3 FM, 13 TV; satellite earth stations--
- 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, and 14 domestic;
- submarine cables to France and Italy; radio relay to Tunisia; tropospheric
- scatter to Greece; planned ARABSAT and Intersputnik satellite stations
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- █ ≡ Defense Forces ≡ █
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- Branches: Armed Forces of the Libyan Arab Jamahariya includes
- People's Defense (Army), Arab Air Force and Air Defense Command, Arab
- Navy
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- Military manpower: males 15-49, 991,368; 584,512 fit for military service;
- 50,379 reach military age (17) annually; conscription now being implemented
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- Defense expenditures: 11.1% of GNP (1987)