Geography
Capital--Tripoli (pop. 1.5 mil-lion). Other--Benghazi (800,000).
Terrain: Desert and semidesert; hills south of Tripoli and east of Benghazi.
Climate: Mediterranean on coast; arid.
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between
Egypt and Tunisia
Area:
total area: 1,759,540 sq km
land area: 1,759,540 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than Alaska
Land boundaries: total 4,383 km, Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,150 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km
Coastline: 1,770 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
Gulf of Sidra closing line: 32 degrees 30 minutes north
International disputes: the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in February 1994 that the 100,000 sq km Aozou Strip between Chad and Libya belongs to Chad, and that Libya must withdraw from it by 31 May 1994; Libya has withdrawn some its forces in response to the ICJ ruling, but still maintains an airfield in the disputed area; maritime boundary dispute with Tunisia; claims part of northern Niger and part of southeastern Algeria
Climate: Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior
Terrain: mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, gypsum
Land use:
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 8%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 90%
Irrigated land: 2,420 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: desertification; very limited natural fresh water resources;
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
natural hazards: hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting
one to four days in spring and fall; duststorms, sandstorms
international agreements: party to - Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea.