Mediaboss Marketing

Libya is literally covered by the Sahara Desert. The only exception is the narrow 1200 mile coastline bordering the Mediterranean Sea, where almost 80% of its population resides. Once part of the Roman province of New Africa, it was subsequently controlled by the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. In modern times it was occupied by the British and French, but since 1969, the country is led by the government of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi.

In total, there are six distinct historical periods of Libya: Ancient Libya, the Roman era, the Islamic era, Ottoman rule, Italian rule, and the Modern era.

Archaeological evidence suggests that Libya's coastal plain was once inhabited by nomadic hunters and herders around the thirtieth millennium BC. This culture prospered until 2000 BC as the desert began expanding, thus forcing the population to migrate into the Sudan.

Eventually the Berbers arrived in North Africa, and settled much of the region from Egypt to the Niger Basin.

Tripoli, the ancient capital city, was designed by the Romans, and remains one of the most exotic destinations on the planet. They conquered the region around Tripoli (Tripolitania) in 106 BC, and unified all three of Libya's provinces into the single Africa proconsularis.

Libya flourished under Roman ruling, and experienced a golden age during the 2nd century AD. Tripoli remained wealthy and prosperous for over 400 years, and grew to be a major exporter of olive oil.

An army of 40,000 Arabs conquered the area in 647 AD, and integrated Libya into the Abbasid dynasty by the year 750.

Although the Abbasid dynasty managed to restore order and bring a measure of prosperity to the region, the economic and political stability of Libya began to slowly collapse.

The beginning of the 16th century marked a period of minimal central authority within Libya, and its waterways grew into a haven for pirates. The Ottomans arrived in the mid-1500s, and Libya was divided into three provinces: Algiers, Tripoli, and Tunis.

Most Dangerous Cities in the World

The 10 Smallest Countries In The World

The Richest Countries In The World

What Animals Live In The Amazon Rainforest?

29 Most Obese Countries In The World

Countries With The Tallest Average Heights

See the article here:
Libya Map / Geography of Libya / Map of Libya - Worldatlas.com

About Libya

The United States Government is committed to working with the Libyan people to build a democratic and prosperous future.

In the aftermath of the Libyan revolution, USAID programs focused on bolstering key political and economic elements of Libyas transition to a stable, prosperous democracy. The programs included emphasis on supporting civil society and media organizations to inform the public about political transition processes; building links between the government and its citizens and promoting justice, reconciliation and economic opportunity. Today despite Libyas political and security instability, USAID maintains its existing programming focused on strengthening the ability of the countrys representative governing bodies, independent institutions and civil society. USAID is helping Libyans as they navigate their transition to build a democratic and prosperous Libya that is a capable of utilizing its human, financial and natural resources for the benefit of all Libyans.

USAID is particularly focused on engaging marginalized populations, including youth, women and minorities, and increasing opportunities for their voices and interests to be heard in critical decision-making processes that will shape Libyas future.

Last updated: April 16, 2016

View post:
Libya | U.S. Agency for International Development

Official Name: Libya Formerly: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma, Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya short form: Lbiy int'l long form: none int'l short form: Libya

ISO Country Code: ly

Time: Local Time = UTC +2h Actual Time: Fri-June-17 02:02

Country Calling Code: +218

Capital City: Tripoli (pop. est. 1.68 million)

Other Cities: Benghazi (pop. est. 640 000)

Government: Provisional government. The National Transitional Council of Libya was formed by anti-Gaddafi forces to represent Libya in the 2011 Libyan uprising.

Independence: 24 December 1951 (from UN trusteeship). Revolution: 1 September 1969. Constitution: 11 December 1969, amended 2March 1977--established popular congresses and people's committees.

Geography: Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia. Area: 1,759,540 km (679,362 sq. mi., more than three times the size of France) Terrain: Mediterranean coastline, highlands and deserts (90% of Libya) in interior.

Climate: Mediterranean along the coast; dry and extreme hot in desert interior.

People: Nationality: Libyan(s). Population: 6.4 million (includes 0.6 million non-nationals of sub-Saharan Africans living in Libya). Ethnic groups: Berber and Arab 97%; Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians. Religion: Sunni Muslim 97%. Languages: Arabic is the primary language. English, French, and Italian are understood in major cities. Literacy: 82.6%.

Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, gypsum.

Agriculture products: Wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts, soybeans; cattle.

Industries: Petroleum, iron and steel, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement.

Currency: Libyan Dinar (LYD)

Source: GPCT Libya and others.

Libya in Figures Libya key statistical data.

See the original post:
Libya - Country Profile - Nations Online Project

[Updated 12:13 p.m. ET] CNN's chief Washington correspondent, Jake Tapper, says he wasn't surprised that Clinton became emotional when she recalled calling the families of the two State Department personnel who died in Benghazi - Ambassador Chris Stevens and computer expert Sean Smith.

"A lot of diplomatic people, we dont perceive hem in this country as necessarily putting their lives at risk - we think, oh, they work for the State Department, their job is not as dangerous. And its not true," Tapper said. "And people like Secretary Clinton have now learned that firsthand. The other point to take is, from sources close to her, this really did take a very, very, strong emotional toll on her. In addition to an exhausting job, I think probably its all part and parcel of the exhaustion weve seen that shes been suffering.

[Updated 12:05 p.m. ET] CNN's chief Washington correspondent, Jake Tapper, sums up the criticism that Clinton received from some Republicans on the Senate panel this morning:

"Republicans were focused on two areas of criticism. One, of course, (was) the fact that the administration - specifically the United Nations Ambassador Dr. Susan Rice - initially in the Sunday show appearances ... (gave the view that) this was not a terrorist attack, this was a spontaneous protest because of that anti-Islam video, which of course turns out not to have been the case.

"And a lot of senators - Ron Johnson and John McCain especially - focused on why were these talking points false. Specifically, Johnson said that Dr. Rice was purposefully misleading the American public. Dr. Rice, of course, has said she was not - that she was merely using the talking points provided by the intelligence community, and that there was no effort to mislead. She was providing as much information as she knew at the time.

"The other area where there was significant criticism, of course, came from Sen. Rand Paul, who was talking about the lack of accountability - how come nobody was fired? He said that if he had been president at the time ... he would have relieved Secretary Clinton of her job, specifically for not having read all of these cables from on the ground in Libya, of diplomatic personnel requesting more security in the months leading up to the attack."

[Updated 11:37 a.m. ET] This morning's hearing has concluded.

FULL POST

More here:
Libya This Just In - CNN.com Blogs

The Italians supplanted the Ottoman Turks in the area around Tripoli in 1911 and did not relinquish their hold until 1943 when 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. Libya in 2012 formed a new parliament and elected a new prime minister. The country subsequently elected a new parliament in 2014, but remnants of the outgoing legislature refused to leave office and created a rival government. The UN since September 2014 has been working to reconcile the governments and encouraging them to form a national unity government.

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

25 00 N, 17 00 E

Africa

total: 1,759,540 sq km

land: 1,759,540 sq km

water: 0 sq km

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

total: 4,339 km

border countries (6): Algeria 989 km, Chad 1,050 km, Egypt 1,115 km, Niger 342 km, Sudan 382 km, Tunisia 461 km

1,770 km

territorial sea: 12 nm

note: Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees, 30 minutes north

exclusive fishing zone: 62 nm

Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior

mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions

mean elevation: 423 m

elevation extremes: lowest point: Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m

highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m

petroleum, natural gas, gypsum

agricultural land: 8.8%

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

forest: 0.1%

other: 91.1% (2011 est.)

4,700 sq km (2012)

0.7 cu km (2011)

total: 4.33 cu km/yr (14%/3%/83%)

per capita: 796.1 cu m/yr (2000)

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

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

more than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert

noun: Libyan(s)

adjective: Libyan

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

note: non-Sunni Muslims include native Ibadhi Muslims (<1% of the population) and foreign Muslims (2010 est.)

6,411,776 (July 2015 est.)

note: immigrants make up just over 12% of the total population, according to UN data (2015) (July 2015 est.)

0-14 years: 26.52% (male 869,583/female 830,751)

15-24 years: 17.77% (male 588,243/female 551,139)

25-54 years: 46.62% (male 1,567,608/female 1,421,246)

55-64 years: 4.97% (male 163,133/female 155,703)

65 years and over: 4.12% (male 132,740/female 131,630) (2015 est.)

total dependency ratio: 52.4%

youth dependency ratio: 45.5%

elderly dependency ratio: 6.9%

potential support ratio: 14.5% (2015 est.)

total: 28 years

male: 28.2 years

female: 27.8 years (2015 est.)

2.23% (2015 est.)

18.03 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)

3.58 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)

7.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)

urban population: 78.6% of total population (2015)

rate of urbanization: 1.13% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

TRIPOLI (capital) 1.126 million (2015)

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.07 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 1.1 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female

total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

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

total: 11.48 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 12.42 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 10.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)

total population: 76.26 years

male: 74.54 years

female: 78.06 years (2015 est.)

2.05 children born/woman (2015 est.)

41.9% (2007)

4.3% of GDP (2013)

1.9 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

3.7 beds/1,000 population (2012)

improved:

urban: 54.2% of population

rural: 54.9% of population

total: 54.4% of population

unimproved:

urban: 45.8% of population

rural: 45.1% of population

total: 45.6% of population (2001 est.)

improved:

urban: 96.8% of population

rural: 95.7% of population

total: 96.6% of population

unimproved:

urban: 3.2% of population

rural: 4.3% of population

total: 3.4% of population (2015 est.)

NA

NA

31.9% (2014)

5.6% (2007)

NA

See the rest here:
CIA - The World Factbook: Libya