Libya - Tourism and Travel

Libya is a country in North Africa, on the coast of the Mediterranean sea.

It has an area of 679,362 square miles (1,759,540 square kilometers).

Most of Libya lies within the Sahara Desert, the Earth's largest hot desert.

Along the coast, it is cooler and there is a moderate amount of rainfall.

Tripoli is the capital of Libya.

6,420,000 people live in Libya, most of them on the coast.

95% of the people are Arab or Berber.

Arabic is the official language. Tuareg is also spoken.

97% of the people are Muslim, mostly Sunni Muslim.

Libya is an important producer of oil, and oil forms the basis of its economy. Almost all of the country's export earnings come from oil.

Libyan oil is considered to be particularly valuable because it contains relatively little sulfur, meaning that it does not pollute the environment as much as other fuel oils.

In the northwest, farming and herding are important.

The official currency of Libya is the Libyan dinar, which equals 1000 dirhams.

Libya was an Italian colony from 1822 until the end of World War II.

It remained under the control of the Allies until 1951, when it became an independent country.

Libya was then ruled by King Idris I until Muammar Gaddafi  ousted him from power in a military coup.

In February 2011, some Libyans began protesting the Gadaffi regime. This resulted in an uprising which led to Gadaffi's removal from power in September 2011. Gadaffi was killed in October 2011.