Libya

Libya


Type of government: Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in practice, an authoritarian state

Current head of state: Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI

Total population: 6,461,454

% of population living in poverty:  NA%

GDP: $77.91 billion 

Capital: Tripoli

Largest city: Tripoli

Coastline: 1,770 km

Major bodies of water: Mediterranean Sea

Major rivers: none

Bordering countries: Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Chad, Niger, and Sudan

Largest religion: Islam

Climate: Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior

Geographical features: mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, and depressions some mountains in central

Libya, an oil-rich nation in North Africa, has been under the firm control of Col. Muammar El-Qaddafi since he seized power in 1969. But in February 2011, the unrest sweeping through much of the Arab world started in many Libyan cities. The trajectory of the Libyan revolt has been radically different from those that toppled Arab autocrats in Tunisia and Egypt. Though it began with a relatively organized core of antigovernment opponents in Benghazi, its spread to the capital of Tripoli was swift and spontaneous, outracing any efforts to coordinate the protests, and Colonel Qaddafi has lashed out with a level of violence unseen in either of the other uprisings.