Water-poor, oil-rich Libya has the highest per capita income of continental Africa. Most Libyans live on the Mediterranean coast, many in Tripoli and Banghazi. The largest water development project ever devised, the Great Man-Made River Project, brings water from aquifers under the Sahara to the coastal cities. Since 1969 this former Italian colony, independent since 1951, has been an authoritarian socialist state under Muammar Qaddafi—whose backing of terrorism led to a U.S. bombing in 1986 and UN sanctions in 1992. In 2003 Libya ended its international isolation and abandoned its weapons programs.
Fast Facts
- Population:
- 5,766,000
- Capital:
- Tripoli; 2,006,000
- Area:
- 1,759,540 square kilometers (679,362 square miles)
- Language:
- Arabic, Italian, English
- Religion:
- Sunni Muslim
- Currency:
- Libyan dinar
- Life Expectancy:
- 76
- GDP per Capita:
- U.S. $6,200
- Literacy Percent:
- 83
ECONOMY
- Industry: Petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement
- Agriculture: Wheat, barley, olives, dates; cattle
- Exports: Crude oil, refined petroleum products
Source: The National Geographic
RELATED STORIES
CIA- The World Factbook
