Libya Overview
Libya is located in North Africa, has a coastline towards the Mediterranean Sea and borders Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Algeria and Tunisia. With an area of almost 1.8 million km2, of which 90 percent is desert, Libya is Africa’s fourth largest country in terms of area, and the seventeenth largest in the world.
| Capital: | Tripoli |
| Biggest city: | Tripoli |
| State: | republic |
| Language: | Arabic |
| Religion: | Islam |
| Surface: | 1 759 540 km² |
| Population: | 6.5 million (2013) |
| Population density: | 4 residents per km² |
| Life expectancy: | 77 years |
| Illiteracy: | 17% |
| Currency: | Libyan dinar (SOUND) 1 dinar = 6.12 kr |
| GDP per capita: | $ 14,900 (2010) |
| Time difference: | +1 hour |
| Electricity: | 150/220 V AC, 50Hz |
| National Day: | 1 September |
| Country area code: | 218 |
| 2-Letter country abbreviation: | LY (See more abbreviations on Abbreviationfinder) |
| Business: | service sector 51%, industry 31%, agriculture 18% |
| Climate: | mainly desert climate; temperate along the coasts |
The country is led by Colonel Muammar al-Qadhdhafi, whose foreign policy has often led to conflict with the West and governments of other African countries. However, Libya has officially abandoned its claims to acquire nuclear weapons in the 21st century, and Libya’s relations with the outside world are now less controversial.
Archaeological finds indicate that the coastal plain of Libya as early as the 7th century BC. was inhabited by a Neolithic people who had knowledge of animal husbandry and crop cultivation. The area now known as Libya was later ruled by a number of different peoples. The Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Vandals and Byzantines owned all or part of the area. The Greeks and Romans left ruins in Kyrene, Leptis Magna and Sabratha, but otherwise little of these ancient cultures remain.
The Libyan flag is the only national flag in the world with only one color and no pattern, weapon or other details.
WORLD HERITAGE
The following objects in Libya are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The year in which the item was added to the list is indicated in parentheses.
- Kyrenes fornlämningsområde (1982)
- Leptis Magna’s Antiquities Area (1982)
- Sabratha Archaeological Site (1982)
- The Rock Paintings of Tadrart Acacus (1985)
- Ghadamès Old Town (1986)
ELECTRICAL OUTLET
Electricity and electrical outlets in Libya
Voltage: 127 V
Frequency: 50 Hz
Type of plug: D, L
Need an adapter: Yes, Swedes need an adapter.
CLIMATE AND WEATHER
Weather in Tripoli
| Climate | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Christmas | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Average temperature °C | 11 | 14 | 18 | 23 | 27 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 24 | 19 | 11 |
| Day °C | 17 | 22 | 26 | 31 | 36 | 40 | 38 | 37 | 36 | 32 | 26 | 16 |
| Night °C | 5 | 7 | 10 | 15 | 19 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 17 | 12 | 7 |
Tripoli
According to Countryaah, Tripoli has been the capital of Libya since independence in 1951, and also the largest city in the country. Tripoli has about 1.7 million residents (2005). Tripoli was founded in the 600s BC. of the Phoenicians under the name Oea. Together with Sabratha and Leptis Magna, the area was called Tripolitania.
