Quick Facts about Libya

Libya is also known as the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and is a country in North Africa. One side of Libya is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea; it has Egypt on the east, Sudan on the Southeast, Niger and Chad on the South, and Algeria and Tunisia on the west. Tripoli is the capital of Libya. The three traditional and historical regions of this country are Cyrenaicia, Fezzan and Tripolitania.

Quick Facts about Libya

The name Libya is taken from an ancient Egyptian term "Lebu". This term was used to refer the Berber tribes living west of River Nile. It was the Greeks who adopted the term "Libya" and used it to refer the entire North Africa west of Egypt.

Libya was a former Italian colony, which gained independence in 1951. Hence has the rich culture of the Byzantine Empire.

Libya is an oil-rich country and has the highest per capita income among the African countries.

There is scarcity of water in Libya. The Great Man-Made River Project is the largest water development project ever planned in Libya. The project brings water from aquifers under the Sahara desert to the coastal cities.

Another fact, most of the Libyans live in Tripoli and Banghazi and on the Mediterranean coast.

Libya is under the control of an authoritarian, Muammar Qaddafi, since 1969. In 1992, United Nations imposed sanctions on Libya for fostering terrorism. The international isolation of Libya came to an end in 2003 after it agreed to abandon its weapon’s programs.

Fast Facts About Libya

The population of Libya is 6,036,914 and the total area of this nation is 1,759,540 square kilometers.

The languages spoken are Arabic, Italian and English. The religion followed in Libya is Sunni Muslim.

The currency of Libya is Libyan Dinar.

The rate of life expectancy is 76% while the literacy is 83%.

The GDP per capita of Libya is US $ $78,790,000,000.

The major industries of Libya are petroleum, farming, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement and agriculture.

The crops that are widely cultivated are dates, olives, wheat and barely.

Libya exports crude oil and refined petroleum products.

Libyan history reveals Libya to be the home of the ancient Roman and Greek empires. Libya was occupied by Carthage, Arabia, Morocco, Spain and Egypt. From 1551 to 1991 it was the part of the Ottoman Empire. It became the Italian colony in 1911. During the World War II it was one of the main battlegrounds of North Africa and was under the control of the Anglo-French military government. Libya was also the base of the pirates during the 18th century.

The Sahara Desert lies in Libya and engulfs 90% of the country. Libya is a home to wide variety of dessert wild life. It has most exceptional desert scenery to offer to the tourists. Ghadames and Ghat are most enchanting oasis towns where the riches of Africa are showcased.

Most frequented place in the Sahara Desert is Waw al-Namus, an extinct volcano. Here the black sands of the desert encircle the multi-colored lakes. Jebel Acacus, an open-air gallery of prehistoric rock art, considered to be one of the finest in the world is in the interiors of the desert country Libya.

Did you know the favorite sport of Libyans is soccer? They also love horse racing and also compete in chariot races. Read to know more about Libya