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Libya

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   'الجماهيرية العربية الليبية الشعبية الاشتراكية العظمى‎'
   Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
   Flag of Libya Coat of arms of Libya
   Flag          Coat of arms
   Motto: " Freedom, socialism, unity"
   Anthem: Allahu Akbar  (Arabic)
   "God is Great"
   Location of Libya
   Capital
   (and largest city) Tripoli
   32°54′N 13°11′E
   Official languages Arabic
   Government Jamahiriya
    - Leader Muammar al-Gaddafi   (de facto)
   Zenati M. az-Zenati   (de jure)
    - Prime Minister Baghdadi Mahmudi
   Independence
    - from Italy February 10, 1947
    - from France/UK
      under  UN Trusteeship December 24, 1951
   Area
    - Total 1,759,540 km² ( 17th)
   679,359 sq mi
    - Water (%) negligible
   Population
    - 2006 census 5,673,000^1,2
    - Density 3.2/km² ( 218th)
   8.4/sq mi
   GDP ( PPP) 2005 estimate
    - Total $67.244 billion ( 67th)
    - Per capita $11,630 ( 58th)
   HDI  (2003) 0.798 (medium) ( 64th)
   Currency Dinar ( LYD)
   Time zone EET ( UTC+2)
    - Summer ( DST) not observed ( UTC+2)
   Internet TLD .ly
   Calling code +218
   ^1 Includes 350,000 foreigners.
   ^2 Libyan 2006 census, accessed September 15, 2006.

   Libya (Arabic: ليبيا‎, Lībiyā; Amazigh: ⵍⵉⴱⵢⴰ ), officially the Great
   Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (الجماهيرية العربية الليبية
   الشعبية الإشتراكية العظمى‎, Al-Jamāhīriyyah al-Arabiyyah al-Lībiyyah
   aš-Šabiyyah al-Ištirākiyyah al-Uthmā), is a country in North Africa.
   Bordering the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Libya lies between Egypt
   to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and
   Algeria and Tunisia to the west. With an area of almost 1.8 million
   square kilometres (700,000 sq mi), 90% of which is desert, Libya is the
   fourth largest country in Africa by area, and the 17th largest in the
   world. The capital, Tripoli, is home to 1.7 million of Libya's 5.7
   million people. The three traditional parts of the country are
   Tripolitania, the Fezzan and Cyrenaica.

   The name "Libya" is derived from the Egyptian term " Libu", which
   refers to one of the the tribes Berber peoples living west of the Nile.
   In Greek this became "Libya", although in ancient Greece the term had a
   broader meaning, encompassing all of North Africa west of Egypt, and
   sometimes referring to the entire continent of Africa.

   Libya has one of the highest Gross Domestic Products per person in
   Africa, largely because of its great oil reserves.

   The country is led by Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi, whose foreign policy
   has often brought him into conflict with the West.

History of Libya

   Archaeological evidence indicates that from as early as the 8th
   millennium BC, Libya's coastal plain was inhabited by a Neolithic
   people who were skilled in the domestication of cattle and the
   cultivation of crops. This culture flourished for thousands of years in
   the region, until they were displaced or absorbed by the Berbers.

   The area known in modern times as Libya was later occupied by a series
   of peoples, with the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans,
   Vandals and Byzantines ruling all or part of the area. Although the
   Greeks and Romans left ruins at Cyrene, Leptis Magna and Sabratha,
   little other evidence remains of these ancient cultures.
   Ruins of the theatre in the Roman city of Sabratha, west of Tripoli
   Enlarge
   Ruins of the theatre in the Roman city of Sabratha, west of Tripoli

   The Phoenicians were the first to establish trading posts in Libya,
   when the merchants of Tyre (in present-day Lebanon) developed
   commercial relations with the Berber tribes and made treaties with them
   to ensure their cooperation in the exploitation of raw materials. By
   the 5th century BC, Carthage, the greatest of the Phoenician colonies,
   had extended its hegemony across much of North Africa, where a
   distinctive civilisation, known as Punic, came into being. Punic
   settlements on the Libyan coast included Oea (Tripoli), Labdah ( Leptis
   Magna) and Sabratha. All these were in an area that was later called
   Tripolis, or "Three Cities". Libya's current-day capital Tripoli takes
   its name from this.

   The Greeks conquered Eastern Libya when, according to tradition,
   emigrants from the crowded island of Thera were commanded by the oracle
   at Delphi to seek a new home in North Africa. In 631 BC, they founded
   the city of Cyrene. Within 200 years, four more important Greek cities
   were established in the area: Barce ( Al Marj); Euhesperides (later
   Berenice, present-day Benghazi); Teuchira (later Arsinoe, present-day
   Tukrah); and Apollonia (Susah), the port of Cyrene. Together with
   Cyrene, they were known as the Pentapolis (Five Cities).

   The Romans unified both regions of Libya, and for more than 400 years
   Tripolitania and Cyrenaica became prosperous Roman provinces. Roman
   ruins, such as those of Leptis Magna, attest to the vitality of the
   region, where populous cities and even small towns enjoyed the
   amenities of urban life. Merchants and artisans from many parts of the
   Roman world established themselves in North Africa, but the character
   of the cities of Tripolitania remained decidedly Punic and, in
   Cyrenaica, Greek. Arabs conquered Libya in the 7th century CE. In the
   following centuries, many of the indigenous peoples adopted Islam, and
   also the Arabic language and culture. The Ottoman Turks conquered the
   country in the mid-16th century, and Libya remained part of their
   empire, although at times virtually autonomous, until Italy invaded in
   1911 and turned Libya into a colony.

   In 1934, Italy adopted the name "Libya" (used by the Greeks for all of
   North Africa, except Egypt) as the official name of the colony, which
   consisted of the provinces of Cyrenaica, Tripolitania and Fezzan. King
   Idris I, Emir of Cyrenaica, led Libyan resistance to Italian occupation
   between the two World Wars. From 1943 to 1951, Tripolitania and
   Cyrenaica were under British administration, while the French
   controlled Fezzan. In 1944, Idris returned from exile in Cairo but
   declined to resume permanent residence in Cyrenaica until the removal
   of some aspects of foreign control in 1947. Under the terms of the 1947
   peace treaty with the Allies, Italy relinquished all claims to Libya.
   Omar Mukhtar (1858–1931) was the leader of the Libyan uprising against
   Italian occupation.
   Enlarge
   Omar Mukhtar (1858–1931) was the leader of the Libyan uprising against
   Italian occupation.

   On November 21, 1949, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution
   stating that Libya should become independent before January 1, 1952.
   Idris represented Libya in the subsequent UN negotiations. When Libya
   declared its independence on December 24, 1951, it was the first
   country to achieve independence through the UN, and one of the first
   European possessions in Africa to gain independence. Libya was
   proclaimed a constitutional and hereditary monarchy under King Idris.
             History of Libya
                 Periods

   Ancient Libya

   Islamic Tripolitania
   and Cyrenaica

   Ottoman Libya

   Italian Colony

   Modern Libya
      See also


   Italian invasion

    History of the
     Jews in Libya

   The discovery of significant oil reserves in 1959 and the subsequent
   income from petroleum sales enabled one of the world's poorest nations
   to establish an extremely wealthy state. Although oil drastically
   improved the Libyan government's finances, popular resentment began to
   build over the increased concentration of the nation's wealth in the
   hands of King Idris and the national elite. This discontent continued
   to mount with the rise of Nasserism and Arab nationalism throughout
   North Africa and the Middle East.

   On September 1, 1969, a small group of military officers led by then
   28-year-old army officer Muammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi staged a coup
   d’état against King Idris. At the time, Idris was in Turkey for medical
   treatment. His nephew, Crown Prince Sayyid Hasan ar-Rida al-Mahdi
   as-Sanussi, became King. It was clear that the revolutionary officers
   who had announced the deposition of King Idris did not want to appoint
   him over the instruments of state as King. Sayyid quickly found that he
   had substantially less power as the new King than he had earlier had as
   a mere Prince. Before the end of September 1, Sayyid Hasan ar-Rida had
   been formally deposed by the revolutionary army officers and put under
   house arrest. Meanwhile, revolutionary officers abolished the monarchy,
   and proclaimed the new Libyan Arab Republic. Gaddafi was, and is to
   this day, referred to as the "Brother Leader and Guide of the
   Revolution" in government statements and the official press.

Politics

   A wall carpet depicting Col. Gaddafi, in a hotel in Misratah
   Enlarge
   A wall carpet depicting Col. Gaddafi, in a hotel in Misratah

   There are two branches of government in Libya. The "revolutionary
   sector" comprises Revolutionary Leader Gaddafi, the Revolutionary
   Committees and the remaining members of the 12-person Revolutionary
   Command Council, which was established in 1969. The historical
   revolutionary leadership is not elected and cannot be voted out of
   office; they are in power by virtue of their involvement in the
   revolution. The revolutionary sector dictates the decision-making power
   of the second sector, the " Jamahiriya Sector".

   Constituting the legislative branch of government, this sector
   comprises Local People's Congresses in each of the 1,500 urban wards,
   32 Sha'biyat People's Congresses for the regions, and the National
   General People's Congress. These legislative bodies are represented by
   corresponding executive bodies (Local People's Committees, Sha'biyat
   People's Committees and the National General People's
   Committee/Cabinet).

   Every four years, the membership of the Local People's Congresses
   elects their own leaders and the secretaries for the People's
   Committees, sometimes after many debates and a critical vote. The
   leadership of the Local People's Congress represents the local congress
   at the People's Congress of the next level. The members of the National
   General People's Congress elect the members of the National General
   People's Committee (the Cabinet) at their annual meeting.

   The government controls both state-run and semi-autonomous media. In
   cases involving a violation of "these taboos", the private press, like
   The Tripoli Post, has been censored , although articles that are
   critical of policies have been requested and intentionally published by
   the revolutionary leadership itself as a means of initiating reforms.

   Political parties were banned by the 1972 Prohibition of Party Politics
   Act Number 71. According to the Association Act of 1971, the
   establishment of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is allowed.
   However, because they are required to conform to the goals of the
   revolution, their numbers are small in comparison with those in
   neighbouring countries. Trade unions do not exist, but numerous
   professional associations are integrated into the state structure as a
   third pillar, along with the People's Congresses and Committees. These
   associations do not have the right to strike. Professional associations
   send delegates to the General People's Congress, where they have a
   representative mandate.

Foreign Relations

   U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice with her Libyan counterpart
   Foreign Minister Abd al-Rahman Shalgam. Libya is keen to shake off its
   pariah status and rejoin the international community.
   Enlarge
   U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice with her Libyan counterpart
   Foreign Minister Abd al-Rahman Shalgam. Libya is keen to shake off its
   pariah status and rejoin the international community.

   Libya's foreign policies have undergone much fluctuation and change
   since the state was proclaimed on Christmas Eve, 1951. As a Kingdom,
   Libya maintained a definitively pro-Western stance, yet was recognized
   as belonging to the conservative traditionalist bloc in the League of
   Arab States (Arab League), of which it became a member in 1953. The
   government was in close alliance with Britain and the United States;
   both countries maintained military base rights in Libya. Libya also
   forged close ties with France, Italy, Greece, and Turkey, and
   established full diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union in 1955.

   Although the government supported Arab causes, including the Moroccan
   and Algerian independence movements, it took little active part in the
   Arab-Israeli dispute or the tumultuous inter-Arab politics of the 1950s
   and early 1960s. The Kingdom was noted for its close association with
   the West, while it steered an essentially conservative course at home.

   After the 1969 coup, Gaddafi closed American and British bases and
   partially nationalized foreign oil and commercial interests in Libya.
   He also played a key role in promoting oil embargoes as a political
   weapon for challenging the West, hoping that an oil price rise and
   embargo in 1973 would persuade the West, especially the United States,
   to end support for Israel. Gaddafi rejected both Soviet communism and
   Western capitalism and claimed he was charting a middle course for his
   government.

   In the 1980s, Libya increasingly distanced itself from the West, and
   was accused of committing mass acts of state sponsored terrorism. When
   evidence of Libyan complicity was discovered in the Berlin discotheque
   terrorist bombing that killed two American servicemen, the United
   States responded by launching an aerial bombing attack against targets
   near Tripoli and Benghazi in April 1986.

   In 1991, two Libyan intelligence agents were indicted by federal
   prosecutors in the U.S. and Scotland for their involvement in the
   December 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103. Six other Libyans were put
   on trial in absentia for the 1989 bombing of UTA Flight 772. The UN
   Security Council demanded that Libya surrender the suspects, cooperate
   with the Pan Am 103 and UTA 772 investigations, pay compensation to the
   victims' families, and cease all support for terrorism. Libya's refusal
   to comply led to the approval of UNSC Resolution 748 on March 31, 1992,
   imposing sanctions on the state designed to bring about Libyan
   compliance. Continued Libyan defiance led to further sanctions by the
   UN against Libya in November 1993.

   In 2003, more than a decade after the sanctions were put in place,
   Libya began to make dramatic policy changes vis-à-vis the Western world
   with the open intention of pursuing a Western-Libyan détente. The
   Libyan government announced its decision to abandon its weapons of mass
   destruction programs and pay almost 3 billion US dollars in
   compensation to the families of Pan Am flight 103 as well as UTA Flight
   772. The decision was welcomed by many western nations and was seen as
   an important step for Libya toward rejoining the international
   community. Since 2003 the country has normalised its ties with the
   European Union and the United States and has even coined the
   catchphrase, 'The Libya Model', an example intended to show the world
   what can be achieved through negotiation rather than force when there
   is goodwill on both sides.

Human rights

   According to the U.S. Department of State’s annual human rights report
   for 2004, Libya’s authoritarian regime continued to have a poor record
   in the area of human rights. Some of the numerous and serious abuses on
   the part of the government include poor prison conditions, arbitrary
   arrest and detention, prisoners held incommunicado, and political
   prisoners held for many years without charge or trial. The judiciary is
   controlled by the state, and there is no right to a fair public trial.
   Libyans do not have the right to change their government. Freedom of
   speech, press, assembly, association, and religion are restricted.
   Independent human rights organizations are prohibited. Domestic
   violence against women appears to be widespread, and there have been
   reports of trafficking in persons. Ethnic and tribal minorities suffer
   discrimination, and the state continues to restrict the labor rights of
   foreign workers.

   In 2005, the Freedom House rated political rights in Libya as "7" (1
   representing the most free and 7 the least free rating), civil
   liberties as "7" and gave it the freedom rating of "Not Free".

Administrative Divisions

   Libya was divided into several governorates ( muhafazat) before being
   split into 25 municipalities ( baladiyat). Currently Libya is divided
   into thirty two sha'biyah.
   The 32 municipalities are:

   1 Ajdabiya           17 Ghat
   2 Al Butnan          18 Ghadamis
   3 Al Hizam Al Akhdar 19 Gharyan
   4 Al Jabal al Akhdar 20 Murzuq
   5 Al Jfara           21 Mizdah
   6 Al Jufrah          22 Misratah
   7 Al Kufrah          23 Nalut
   8 Al Marj            24 Tajura Wa Al Nawahi AlArba'
   9 Al Murgub          25 Tarhuna Wa Msalata
   10 An Nuqat al Khams 26 Tarabulus (Tripoli)
   11 Al Qubah          27 Sabha
   12 Al Wahat          28 Surt
   13 Az Zawiyah        29 Sabratha Wa Surman
   14 Benghazi          30 Wadi Al Hayaa
   15 Bani Walid        31 Wadi Al Shatii
   16 Darnah            32 Yafran

Geography

   Map of Libya
   Enlarge
   Map of Libya
   The Jabal Al Akdhar near Benghazi is Libya's wettest region. Annual
   rainfall averages at between 400 and 600 millimetres.
   Enlarge
   The Jabal Al Akdhar near Benghazi is Libya's wettest region. Annual
   rainfall averages at between 400 and 600 millimetres.

   Libya extends over 1,759,540 square kilometres (679,182  sq. mi),
   making it the 17th largest nation in the world by size. Libya is
   somewhat smaller than Indonesia, and roughly the size of the US state
   of Alaska. It is bound to the north by the Mediterranean Sea, the west
   by Tunisia and Algeria, the southwest by Niger, the south by Chad and
   Sudan and to the east by Egypt. At 1770 kilometres (1100 miles),
   Libya's coastline is the longest of any African country bordering the
   Mediterranean. The climate is mostly dry and desert-like in nature.
   However, the northern regions enjoy a milder Mediterranean climate.

   Natural hazards come in the form of hot, dry, dust-laden sirocco (known
   in Libya as the gibli). This is a southern wind blowing from one to
   four days in spring and autumn. There are also dust storms and
   sandstorms. Oases can also be found scattered throughout Libya, the
   most important of which are Ghadames and Kufra as well as others.

Libyan Desert

   Satellite image of Libya, generated from raster graphics data supplied
   by The Map Library
   Enlarge
   Satellite image of Libya, generated from raster graphics data supplied
   by The Map Library
   Desert landscape in Southern Libya; 90% of the country is desert
   Enlarge
   Desert landscape in Southern Libya; 90% of the country is desert

   The Libyan Desert, which covers much of eastern Libya, is one of the
   most arid places on earth. In places, decades may pass without rain,
   and even in the highlands rainfall happens erratically, once every 5-10
   years. At Uweinat, the last recorded rainfall was in September 1998.
   There is a large depression, the Qattara Depression, just to the south
   of the northernmost scarp, with Siwa oasis at its western extremity.
   The depression continues in a shallower form west, to the oases of
   Jaghbub and Jalo.

   Likewise, the temperature in the Libyan desert can be extreme; in 1922,
   the town of Al 'Aziziyah, which is located west of Tripoli, recorded an
   air temperature of 57.8 ° C (136.0 ° F), generally accepted as the
   highest recorded naturally occurring air temperature reached on Earth.

   There are a few scattered uninhabited small oases, usually linked to
   the major depressions, where water can be found by digging to a few
   feet in depth. In the west there is a widely dispersed group of oases
   in unconnected shallow depressions, the Kufra group, consisting of
   Tazerbo, Rebiana and Kufra. Aside from the scarps, the general flatness
   is only interrupted by a series of plateaus and massifs near the centre
   of the Libyan Desert, around the convergence of the
   Egyptian-Sudanese-Libyan Borders.

   Slightly further to the south are the massifs of Arkenu, Uweinat and
   Kissu. These granite mountains are very ancient, having formed much
   before the sandstones surrounding them. Arkenu and Western Uweinat are
   ring complexes very similar to those in the Air Mountains. Eastern
   Uweinat (the highest point in the Libyan Desert) is a raised sandstone
   plateau adjacent to the granite part further west. The plain to the
   north of Uweinat is dotted with eroded volcanic features.

Economy

   Image:Modern Tripoli.jpg
   Libya's capital Tripoli has benefited greatly from the country's oil
   wealth.

   The Libyan economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector,
   which constitute practically all export earnings and about one-quarter
   of gross domestic product ( GDP). These oil revenues and a small
   population give Libya one of the highest GDPs per person in Africa and
   have allowed the Libyan state to provide an extensive and impressive
   level of social security, particularly in the fields of housing and
   education.
   Tripoli's Old City - (El-Madina El-Kadima) - situated in the city
   centre, is one of the classical sites of the Mediterranean.
   Enlarge
   Tripoli's Old City - (El-Madina El-Kadima) - situated in the city
   centre, is one of the classical sites of the Mediterranean.

   Compared to its neighbours, Libya enjoys an extremely low level of both
   absolute and relative poverty. Libyan officials in the past three years
   have made progress on economic reforms as part of a broader campaign to
   reintegrate the country into the international fold. This effort picked
   up steam after UN sanctions were lifted in September 2003, and as Libya
   announced in December 2003 that it would abandon programs to build
   weapons of mass destruction.

   Libya has begun some market-oriented reforms. Initial steps have
   included applying for membership of the World Trade Organisation,
   reducing subsidies, and announcing plans for privatisation. The non-oil
   manufacturing and construction sectors, which account for about 20% of
   GDP, have expanded from processing mostly agricultural products to
   include the production of petrochemicals, iron, steel and aluminium.
   Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit agricultural output,
   and Libya imports about 75% of its food. Water is also a problem, with
   some 28% of the population not having access to safe drinking water in
   2000.

   Under the previous Prime Minister, Shukri Ghanem, and current prime
   minister Baghdadi Mahmudi, Libya is undergoing a business boom. Many
   government-run industries are being privatised. Most US sanctions have
   been lifted; and as of May 2006, the remaining vestiges are scheduled
   for removal pending US Congressional approval. Many international oil
   companies have returned to the country, including controversial oil
   giants Shell and ExxonMobil. Tourism is on the rise, bringing increased
   demand for hotel accommodation and for capacity at airports such as
   Tripoli International. A multi-million dollar renovation of Libyan
   airports has recently been approved by the government to help meet such
   demands. At present 300,000 people visit the country annually; the
   Libyan government hopes to increase this figure to an ambitious
   10,000,000 by 2015.

Demographics

   A map indicating the ethnic composition of Libya.
   Enlarge
   A map indicating the ethnic composition of Libya.

   Libya has a small population within its large territory, with a
   population density of about 3 people per square kilometre (8.5/mi²) in
   the two northern regions of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica, and less than
   one person per square kilometre (1.6/mi²) elsewhere. Libya is thus one
   of the least dense nations by area in the world. 90% of the people live
   in less than 10% of the area, mostly along the coast. More than half
   the population is urban, concentrated to a greater extent, in the two
   largest cities, Tripoli and Benghazi. Native Libyans are primarily a
   mixture of Arabs and Berbers.

   There are small Tuareg (a Berber population) and Tebu tribal groups
   concentrated in the south, living nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyles.
   Among foreign residents, the largest groups are citizens of other
   African nations, including North Africans (primarily Egyptians and
   Tunisians), West Africans and Sub-Saharan Africans. Libyan Berbers and
   Arabs constitute 97% of the population; the other 3% are Sub-Saharan
   Africans, Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks,
   Indians and Tunisians.

   The main language spoken in Libya is Arabic, which is also the official
   language. Tamazight (i.e. Berber languages), which do not have official
   status, are spoken by Libyan Berbers. Berber speakers live above all in
   the Jebel Nafusa region ( Tripolitania), the town of Zuwarah on the
   coast, and the city-oases of Ghadames, Ghat and Awjila. In addition,
   Tuaregs speak Tamahaq, the only known Northern Tamasheq language.
   Italian and English are sometimes spoken in the big cities, although
   Italian speakers are mainly among the older generation.

Education

   The Benghazi campus of the former University of Libya (Al-Jami'a
   al-Libiya), Libya's first university.
   Enlarge
   The Benghazi campus of the former University of Libya (Al-Jami'a
   al-Libiya), Libya's first university.

   Libya's population of 5.7 million includes 1.7 million students, over
   270,000 of whom study at the tertiary level. Education in Libya is free
   for all citizens, and compulsory up until secondary level. The literacy
   rate is the highest in North Africa; over 88% of the population can
   read and write. After Libya's independence in 1951, its first
   university, the University of Libya, was established in Benghazi. In
   academic year 1975/76 the number of university students was estimated
   to be 13,418. As of 2004, this number has increased to more than
   200,000, with an extra 70,000 enrolled in the higher technical and
   vocational sector. The rapid increase in the number of students in the
   higher education sector has been mirrored by an increase in the number
   of institutions of higher education. Since 1975 the number of
   universities has grown from two to nine and after their introduction in
   1980, the number of higher technical and vocational institutes
   currently stands at 84(with 12 public universities). Libya's higher
   education is financed by the public budget. In 1998 the budget
   allocated for education represented 38.2% of the national budget.

   The Main universities in Libya are :
     * Al Fateh Univeristy (Tripoli)
     * Garyounis University (Benghazi)

Religion

   By far the predominant religion in Libya is Islam with 97% of the
   population associating with the faith. The vast majority of Libyan
   Muslims adhere to Sunni Islam, which provides both a spiritual guide
   for individuals and a keystone for government policy, but a conspicuous
   minority (between 5 and 10%) adheres to Ibadism (a branch of
   Kharijism), above all in the Jebel Nefusa and the town of Zuwarah. This
   minority, both linguistic and religious, suffers from a lack of
   consideration by the official authorities.
   Mosque in Ghadames, close to the Tunisian and Algerian border. 97% of
   Libyans are followers of Islam.
   Enlarge
   Mosque in Ghadames, close to the Tunisian and Algerian border. 97% of
   Libyans are followers of Islam.

   Before the 1930s, the Sanusi Movement was the primary Islamic movement
   in Libya. This was a religious revival adapted to desert life. Its
   zawaayaa (lodges) were found in Tripolitania and Fezzan, but Sanusi
   influence was strongest in Cyrenaica. Rescuing the region from unrest
   and anarchy, the Sanusi movement gave the Cyrenaican tribal people a
   religious attachment and feelings of unity and purpose. This Islamic
   movement, which was eventually destroyed by both Italian invasion and
   later the Gaddafi government, was very conservative and somewhat
   different from the Islam that exists in Libya today. Gaddafi asserts
   that he is a devout Muslim, and his government is taking a role in
   supporting Islamic institutions and in worldwide proselytizing on
   behalf of Islam. Libyan Islam, however, has always been considered
   traditional, but in no way harsh compared to Islam in other countries.
   A Libyan form of Sufism is also common in parts of the country.

   Other than the overwhelming majority of Sunni Muslims, there are also
   very small Christian communities, composed almost exclusively of
   foreigners. There is a small Anglican community, made up mostly of
   African immigrant workers in Tripoli; it is part of the Egyptian
   Diocese. There are also an estimated 40,000 Roman Catholics in Libya
   who are served by two Bishops, one in Tripoli (serving the Italian
   community) and one in Benghazi (serving the Maltese community).

   Libya was until recent times the home of one of the oldest Jewish
   communities in the world, dating back to at least 300 BC. A series of
   pogroms beginning in November of 1945 lasted for almost three years,
   drastically reducing Libya's Jewish population. In 1948, about 38,000
   Jews remained in the country. Upon Libya's independence in 1951, most
   of the Jewish community emigrated. After the Suez Crisis in 1956, all
   but about 100 Jews were forced to flee.

Culture

   Coastline of Benghazi, Libya's second largest city. With the longest
   coastline among Mediterranean nations, Libya's mostly unspoilt beaches
   are a social gathering place.
   Enlarge
   Coastline of Benghazi, Libya's second largest city. With the longest
   coastline among Mediterranean nations, Libya's mostly unspoilt beaches
   are a social gathering place.

   Libya is culturally similar to its neighboring Arab states. While the
   primary language of the country is a local colloquial form of Arabic,
   the Libyan people consider themselves very much a part of a wider Arab
   community. There seem to be two distinct dialects and a small number of
   village and tribal dialects. Libyan Arabs have a heritage in the
   traditions of the nomadic Bedouin and associate themselves with a
   particular Bedouin tribe.

   Family life is important for Libyan families, the majority of which
   live in apartment blocks and other independent housing units, with
   precise modes of housing depending on their income and wealth. Although
   the Libyan Arabs traditionally lived nomadic lifestyles in tents, they
   have now settled in various towns and cities. Because of this, their
   old ways of life are gradually fading out. An unknown small number of
   Libyans still live in the desert as their families have done for
   centuries. Most of the population has occupations in industry and
   services, and a small percentage is in agriculture.

   As with some other countries in the Arab world, Libya boasts few
   theatres or art galleries. Public entertainment is almost nonexistent,
   even in the big cities. Recently there has been a revival of the arts
   in Libya, especially painting: private galleries are springing up to
   provide a showcase for new talent. Conversely, for many years there
   have been no public theatres, and only a few cinemas showing foreign
   films. The tradition of folk culture is still alive and well, with
   troupes performing music and dance at frequent festivals, both in Libya
   and abroad. The main output of Libyan television is devoted to showing
   various styles of traditional Libyan music. Tuareg music and dance are
   popular in Ghadames and the south. Libyan television programmes are
   mostly in Arabic with a 30-minute news broadcast each evening in
   English and French. The government maintains strict control over all
   media outlets. A new analysis by the Committee to Protect Journalists
   has found Libya’s media the most tightly controlled in the Arab world.
   To combat this, the government plans to introduce private media, an
   initiative intended to bring the country's media in from the cold.

   Many Libyans frequent the country's beaches. They also visit Libya's
   beautifully-preserved archaeological sites—especially Leptis Magna,
   which is widely considered to be one of the best preserved Roman
   archaeological sites in the world.

   The nation's capital, Tripoli, boasts many good museums and archives;
   these include the Government Library, the Ethnographic Museum, the
   Archaeological Museum, the National Archives, the Epigraphy Museum and
   the Islamic Museum. The Jamahiriya Museum, built in consultation with
   UNESCO, may be the country's most famous. It houses one of the finest
   collections of classical art in the Mediterranean.

International rankings

   Organisation Survey Ranking
   Heritage Foundation/The Wall Street Journal 2006 Index of Economic
   Freedom 152 out of 157
   The Economist The World in 2005 - Worldwide quality-of-life index, 2005
   70 out of 111
   Energy Information Administration Greatest Oil Reserves by Country,
   2006 9 out of 20
   Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index (2005) 162 out of 167
   Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 2005 117 out of
   158
   United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index 2005 58
   out of 177
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libya"
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