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Extensible Markup Language | 1995-06-15 | 5KB | 19 lines

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?> <!DOCTYPE card PUBLIC "-//Apple, Inc.//DTD card V 2.0//EN" "" > <card> <id>28726</id> <filler1>0</filler1> <cantDelete> <false /> </cantDelete> <showPict> <true /> </showPict> <dontSearch> <false /> </dontSearch> <owner>5472</owner> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="stylesheet_3106.css" /> <content> <layer>background</layer> <id>31</id> <text>LIBYAOfficial name: Daulat Libiya al-ΓÇÿArabiya al-Ishtrakiya al-Jumhuriya (The Great Socialist PeopleΓÇÖs Libyan Arab Jamahiriya)Member of: UN, Arab League, OPECArea: 1757000 km2 (678380 sq mi)Population: 4573000 (1993 est)Capital: Tripoli (Tarabulus) 591000 (1988 est). In 1988 government functions were decentralized to Sirte (Surt) and Al Jofrah as well as Tripoli and Benghazi.Other major cities: Benghazi (Banghazi) 446000, Misurata (Misratah) 122000 (1988 est)Language: Arabic (official)Religion: Sunni Islam (over 97%)GOVERNMENTOver 1110 delegates from directly elected local Basic PeopleΓÇÖs Congresses, trade unions, ΓÇÿpopular committeesΓÇÖ and professional organizations meet as the Great PeopleΓÇÖs Congress, which chooses a Revolutionary Leader ΓÇô head of state ΓÇô and the General PeopleΓÇÖs Committee (which is equivalent to a Council of Ministers). The appointed General Secretariat assists the Congress. There are no political parties.GEOGRAPHYThe Sahara Desert covers most of Libya. In the northwest (Tripolitania) coastal oases and a low plain support farming. In the northeast (Cyrenaica) a coastal plain and mountains support Mediterranean vegetation. The Tibesti Mountains rise to Bette (2286 m / 7500 ft). Climate: Libya is hot and dry, with lower temperatures and higher rainfall near the coast.ECONOMYLibya is one of the worldΓÇÖs largest producers of petroleum. Liquefied gas is also exported. Coastal oases produce wheat, barley, nuts, dates and grapes. Libya is overdependent upon a single commodity and the imposition of UN sanctions on Libya has damaged the economy. Currency: Libyan dinar.HISTORYIn the 7th century bc Phoenicians settled Tripolitania ΓÇô which became part of the Carthaginian Empire ΓÇô and the Greeks founded cities in Cyrenaica. From the 1st century bc coastal Libya came under Roman rule. By the 5th century ad Libya ΓÇô then part of the Byzantine Empire ΓÇô was largely Christian. Arab armies brought Islam to Libya in the 7th century. Tripolitania came under Berber rule, and Cyrenaica became Egyptian, while the south ΓÇô Fezzan ΓÇô remained independent. In the 16th century, the whole of Libya was united under Ottoman (Turkish) rule, although autonomous local dynasties flourished.In 1911 the Italians took Libya. The British Eighth Army defeated the Italians at El Alamein in the Libyan Desert (1942), and after World War II the country was divided between British and French administrations. Libya became independent in 1951 under King Idris, formerly Amir of Cyrenaica. Although oil revenues made Libya prosperous, the pro-Western monarchy became increasingly unpopular. In 1969 junior army officers led by Moamar al Gaddafi (1942ΓÇô ) took power. Gaddafi nationalized the oil industry, but his various attempts to federate with other Arab countries proved abortive. In the 1970s he began a cultural revolution, dismantled formal government, collectivized economic activity, limited personal wealth and suppressed opposition. LibyaΓÇÖs alleged support of terrorism provoked US air raids on Tripoli and Benghazi in 1986, and UN sanctions in 1992.</text> </content> <name>Libya</name> <script></script> </card>