The Italians supplanted the Ottoman Turks in the area around Tripoli in 1911 and did not relinquish their hold until 1943 when they were defeated in World War II. Libya then passed to UN administration and achieved independence in 1951. Following a 1969 military coup, Col. Muammar al-QADHAFI assumed leadership and began to espouse his political system at home, which was a combination of socialism and Islam. During the 1970s, QADHAFI used oil revenues to promote his ideology outside Libya, supporting subversive and terrorist activities that included the downing of two airliners - one over Scotland, another in Northern Africa - and a discotheque bombing in Berlin. UN sanctions in 1992 isolated QADHAFI politically and economically following the attacks; sanctions were lifted in 2003 following Libyan acceptance of responsibility for the bombings and agreement to claimant compensation. QADHAFI also agreed to end Libya's program to develop weapons of mass destruction, and he made significant strides in normalizing relations with Western nations.

Unrest that began in several Middle Eastern and North African countries in late 2010 erupted in Libyan cities in early 2011. QADHAFI's brutal crackdown on protesters spawned a civil war that triggered UN authorization of air and naval intervention by the international community. After months of seesaw fighting between government and opposition forces, the QADHAFI regime was toppled in mid-2011 and replaced by a transitional government known as the National Transitional Council (NTC). In 2012, the NTC handed power to an elected parliament, the General National Congress (GNC). Voters chose a new parliament to replace the GNC in June 2014 - the House of Representatives (HoR), which relocated to the eastern city of Tobruk after fighting broke out in Tripoli.

In October 2015, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) to Libya, Bernardino LEON, brokered an agreement among a broad array of Libyan political parties and social groups - known as the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA). Members of the Libyan Political Dialogue, including representatives of the HoR and ex-GNC, signed the LPA in December 2015. The LPA called for the formation of an interim Government of National Accord or GNA, with a nine-member Presidency Council, the HoR, and an advisory High Council of State that most ex-GNC members joined. The LPA’s roadmap for a two-year transition to a new constitution and elected government was subsequently endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2259, which also called upon member states to cease official contact with parallel institutions. In January 2016, the HoR voted to approve the LPA, including the Presidency Council, while voting against a controversial provision on security leadership positions. In March 2016, the GNA Presidency Council seated itself in Tripoli. In 2016, the GNA twice announced a slate of ministers who operate de facto, but the HoR did not endorse the ministerial list. HoR and ex-GNC-affiliated hardliners continued to oppose the GNA and hampered the LPA’s implementation.

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

25 00 N, 17 00 E

Africa

about 2.5 times the size of Texas; slightly larger than Alaska

1,770 km

Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior

mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions

highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m

petroleum, natural gas, gypsum

arable land 1%; permanent crops 0.2%; permanent pasture 7.6%

4,700 sq km (2012)

well over 90% of the population lives along the Mediterranean coast in and between Tripoli to the west and Al Bayda to the east; the interior remains vastly underpopulated due to the Sahara and lack of surface water

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

6,653,210 (July 2017 est.)

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

Arabic (official), Italian, English (all widely understood in the major cities); Berber (Nafusi, Ghadamis, Suknah, Awjilah, Tamasheq)

Muslim (official; virtually all Sunni) 96.6%, Christian 2.7%, Buddhist 0.3%, Hindu <0.1, Jewish <0.1, folk religion <0.1, unafilliated 0.2%, other <0.1

Despite continuing unrest, Libya remains a destination country for economic migrants. It is also a hub for transit migration to Europe because of its proximity to southern Europe and its lax border controls. Labor migrants have been drawn to Libya since the development of its oil sector in the 1960s. Until the latter part of the 1990s, most migrants to Libya were Arab (primarily Egyptians and Sudanese). However, international isolation stemming from Libya’s involvement in international terrorism and a perceived lack of support from Arab countries led QADHAFI in 1998 to adopt a decade-long pan-African policy that enabled large numbers of sub-Saharan migrants to enter Libya without visas to work in the construction and agricultural industries. Although sub-Saharan Africans provided a cheap labor source, they were poorly treated and were subjected to periodic mass expulsions.

By the mid-2000s, domestic animosity toward African migrants and a desire to reintegrate into the international community motivated QADHAFI to impose entry visas on Arab and African immigrants and to agree to joint maritime patrols and migrant repatriations with Italy, the main recipient of illegal migrants departing Libya. As his regime neared collapse in 2011, QADHAFI reversed his policy of cooperating with Italy to curb illegal migration and sent boats loaded with migrants and asylum seekers to strain European resources. Libya’s 2011 revolution decreased immigration drastically and prompted nearly 800,000 migrants to flee to third countries, mainly Tunisia and Egypt, or to their countries of origin. The inflow of migrants declined in 2012 but returned to normal levels by 2013, despite continued hostility toward sub-Saharan Africans and a less-inviting job market.

While Libya is not an appealing destination for migrants, since 2014, transiting migrants – primarily from East and West Africa – continue to exploit its political instability and weak border controls and use it as a primary departure area to migrate across the central Mediterranean to Europe in growing numbers. In addition, more than 200,000 people were displaced internally as of August 2017 by fighting between armed groups in eastern and western Libya and, to a lesser extent, by inter-tribal clashes in the country’s south.

1.58% (2017 est.)

17.5 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)

3.6 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)

1.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)

well over 90% of the population lives along the Mediterranean coast in and between Tripoli to the west and Al Bayda to the east; the interior remains vastly underpopulated due to the Sahara and lack of surface water

TRIPOLI (capital) 1.126 million (2015)

9 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

2.04 children born/woman (2017 est.)

41.9% (2007)

5% of GDP (2014)

2.09 physicians/1,000 population (2014)

3.7 beds/1,000 population (2012)

urban: 54.2% of population

rural: 54.9% of population

total: 54.4% of population

urban: 45.8% of population

rural: 45.1% of population

total: 45.6% of population (2001 est.)

urban: 96.8% of population

rural: 95.7% of population

total: 96.6% of population

urban: 3.2% of population

rural: 4.3% of population

total: 3.4% of population (2015 est.)

NA

NA

32.5% (2016)

5.6% (2007)

NA

in transition

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)

Liberation Day, 23 October (2011)

Libya's post-revolution legal system is in flux and driven by state and non-state entities

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

18 years of age, universal

NA

NA

ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BDEAC, CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), 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 (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

three horizontal bands of red (top), black (double width), and green with a white crescent and star centered on the black stripe; the National Transitional Council reintroduced this flag design of the former Kingdom of Libya (1951-1969) on 27 February 2011; it replaced the former all-green banner promulgated by the QADHAFI regime in 1977; the colors represent the three major regions of the country: red stands for Fezzan, black symbolizes Cyrenaica, and green denotes Tripolitania; the crescent and star represent Islam, the main religion of the country

star and crescent, hawk; national colors: red, black, green

Libya's economy, almost entirely dependent on oil and gas exports, has struggled since 2014 as the country plunged into civil war and world oil prices dropped to seven-year lows. In early 2015, armed conflict between rival forces for control of the country’s largest oil terminals caused a decline in Libyan crude oil production, which never recovered to more than one-third of the average pre-Revolution highs of 1.6 million barrels per day. The Central Bank of Libya continued to pay government salaries to a majority of the Libyan workforce and to fund subsidies for fuel and food, resulting in an estimated budget deficit of about 20% of GDP in 2016.

Libya’s economic transition away from QADHAFI’s notionally socialist model has completely stalled as political chaos persists and security continues to deteriorate. Libya’s leaders have hindered economic development by failing to use its financial resources to invest in national infrastructure. The country suffers from widespread power outages in its largest cities, caused by shortages of fuel for power generation. Living conditions, including access to clean drinking water, medical services, and safe housing, have all declined as the civil war has forced more people to become internally displaced, further straining local resources.

Extremists affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) attacked Libyan oilfields in the first half of 2015; ISIL has a presence in many cities across Libya including near oil infrastructure, threatening future government revenues from oil and gas.

$40.02 billion (2016 est.)

$40.73 billion (2015 est.)

$44.91 billion (2014 est.)

$20.46 billion (2016 est.)

-3% (2016 est.)

-10.3% (2015 est.)

-53% (2014 est.)

$6,300 (2016 est.)

$6,500 (2015 est.)

$7,300 (2014 est.)

-11% of GDP (2016 est.)

-8% of GDP (2015 est.)

-6.8% of GDP (2014 est.)

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

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

-6.7% (2016 est.)

1.155 million (2016 est.)

30% (2004 est.)

NA%

18.7% of GDP (2016 est.)

-52.2% of GDP (2016 est.)

7.4% of GDP (2016 est.)

7.1% of GDP (2015 est.)

calendar year

27.1% (2016 est.)

12.1% (2015 est.)

9.52% (31 December 2010)

3% (31 December 2009)

6% (31 December 2016 est.)

6% (31 December 2015 est.)

$62.57 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$52.53 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$63.76 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$53.84 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$14.14 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$786.9 million (31 December 2015 est.)

$NA

$-4.575 billion (2016 est.)

$-4.582 billion (2015 est.)

$11.99 billion (2016 est.)

$13.94 billion (2015 est.)

crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas, chemicals

Italy 24.2%, Egypt 21.1%, Spain 9.5%, France 7.8%, Croatia 5%, Netherlands 5%, China 4.3% (2016)

$11.01 billion (2016 est.)

$11.24 billion (2015 est.)

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

China 14.4%, South Korea 13.3%, Turkey 10.4%, Italy 5.9% (2016)

$66.05 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$73.83 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$3.116 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$3.985 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$18.96 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$18.83 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$22.19 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$21.59 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Libyan dinars (LYD) per US dollar -

1.3904 (2016 est.)

1.3904 (2015 est.)

1.379 (2014 est.)

1.2724 (2013 est.)

1.26 (2012 est.)

35.45 billion kWh

8.131 billion kWh (2015 est.)

0 kWh (2015 est.)

88 million kWh (2015 est.)

9.46 million kW (2015 est.)

99.9% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

0.1% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

384,700 bbl/day (2016 est.)

383,500 bbl/day

0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

48.36 billion bbl (1 January 2017 es)

102,100 bbl/day (2014 est.)

262,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)

16,450 bbl/day (2014 est.)

169,400 bbl/day (2014 est.)

11.6 billion cu m (2015 est.)

7.55 billion cu m (2015 est.)

7.11 billion cu m (2015 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

1.505 trillion cu m (1 January 2017 es)

57 million Mt (2013 est.)

state-funded and private TV stations; some provinces operate local TV stations; pan-Arab satellite TV stations are available; state-funded radio (2012)

.ly

5A (2016)

146 (2013)

2 (2013)

condensate 882 km; gas 3,743 km; oil 7,005 km (2013)

note - in transition; government has affiliated Army, Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard forces (2016)

18 years of age for mandatory or voluntary service (2012)

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