Libya (2001) | Turks and Caicos Islands (2004) | |
Administrative divisions | 25 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ajdabiya, Al 'Aziziyah, Al Fatih, Al Jabal al Akhdar, Al Jufrah, Al Khums, Al Kufrah, An Nuqat al Khams, Ash Shati', Awbari, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi, Darnah, Ghadamis, Gharyan, Misratah, Murzuq, Sabha, Sawfajjin, Surt, Tarabulus, Tarhunah, Tubruq, Yafran, Zlitan; note - the 25 municipalities may have been replaced by 13 regions | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
35.41% (male 947,645; female 907,854) 15-64 years: 60.64% (male 1,645,085; female 1,533,066) 65 years and over: 3.95% (male 101,701; female 105,248) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 32.5% (male 3,301; female 3,184)
15-64 years: 63.8% (male 6,696; female 6,036) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 327; female 412) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts, soybeans; cattle | corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish |
Airports | 136 (2000 est.) | 8 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
58 over 3,047 m: 23 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 22 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
78 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 40 under 914 m: 18 (2000 est.) |
total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
Area | total:
1,759,540 sq km land: 1,759,540 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 430 sq km
land: 430 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than Alaska | 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | Since he took power in a 1969 military coup, Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI has espoused his own political system - a combination of socialism and Islam - which he calls the Third International Theory. Viewing himself as a revolutionary leader, he used oil funds during the 1970s and 1980s to promote his ideology outside Libya, even supporting subversives and terrorists abroad to hasten the end of Marxism and capitalism. Libyan military adventures failed, e.g., the prolonged foray of Libyan troops into the Aozou Strip in northern Chad was finally repulsed in 1987. Libyan support for terrorism decreased after UN sanctions were imposed in 1992. Those sanctions were suspended in April 1999. | The islands were part of the UK's Jamaican colony until 1962, when they assumed the status of a separate crown colony upon Jamaica's independence. The governor of The Bahamas oversaw affairs from 1965 to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the islands received a separate governor in 1973. Although independence was agreed upon for 1982, the policy was reversed and the islands remain a British overseas territory. |
Birth rate | 27.67 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 22.85 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$6.85 billion expenditures: $4.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
revenues: $47 million
expenditures: $33.6 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997-98 est.) |
Capital | Tripoli | Grand Turk (Cockburn Town) |
Climate | Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior | tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry |
Coastline | 1,770 km | 389 km |
Constitution | 11 December 1969, amended 2 March 1977 | introduced 30 August 1976; suspended in 1986; restored and revised 5 March 1988 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya conventional short form: Libya local long form: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma local short form: none |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands |
Currency | Libyan dinar (LYD) | US dollar (USD) |
Death rate | 3.51 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 4.26 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $4.1 billion (2000 est.) | NA (2002 est.) |
Dependency status | - | overseas territory of the UK |
Diplomatic representation from the US | the US suspended all embassy activities in Tripoli on 2 May 1980 | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | Libya does not have an embassy in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Disputes - international | Libya claims about 19,400 sq km in northern Niger and also a part of southeastern Algeria | have received Haitians fleeing economic collapse and civil unrest |
Economic aid - recipient | $8.4 million (1995) | $4.1 million (1997) |
Economy - overview | The socialist-oriented economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contributes practically all export earnings and about one-quarter of GDP. These oil revenues and a small population give Libya one of the highest per capita GDPs in Africa, but little of this income flows down to the lower orders of society. In this statist society, import restrictions and inefficient resource allocations have led to periodic shortages of basic goods and foodstuffs. The nonoil 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 aluminum. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit agricultural output, and Libya imports about 75% of its food requirements. Higher oil prices in 1999 and 2000 led to an increase in export revenues, which improved macroeconomic balances and helped to stimulate the economy. Following the suspension of UN sanctions in 1999, Libya has been trying to increase its attractiveness to foreign investors, and several foreign companies have visited in search of contracts. | The Turks and Caicos economy is based on tourism, fishing, and offshore financial services. Most capital goods and food for domestic consumption are imported. The US is the leading source of tourists, accounting for more than half of the 93,000 visitors in the late 1990s. Major sources of government revenue include fees from offshore financial activities and customs receipts. Tourism fell by 6% in 2002. |
Electricity - consumption | 17.577 billion kWh (1999) | 4.65 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 18.9 billion kWh (1999) | 5 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Hills 49 m |
Environment - current issues | desertification; very limited natural fresh water resources; the Great Manmade River Project, the largest water development scheme in the world, is being built to bring water from large aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities | limited natural fresh water resources, private cisterns collect rainwater |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Climate Change, Desertification, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban |
- |
Ethnic groups | Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians | black 90%, mixed, European, or North American 10% |
Exchange rates | Libyan dinars per US dollar - 0.5101 (January 2001), 0.5081 (2000), 0.4616 (1999), 0.3785 (1998), 0.3891 (1997), 0.3651 (1996)
note: Libya currently has two rates for foreign trade; one for government operations and foreign companies and one for Libyan individuals (0.45 dinars per US dollar in December 1998) |
the US dollar is used |
Executive branch | chief of state:
Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI (since 1 September 1969); note - holds no official title, but is de facto chief of state head of government: Secretary of the General People's Committee (Premier) Mubarak al-SHAMEKH (since 2 March 2000) cabinet: General People's Committee established by the General People's Congress elections: national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of people's committees; head of government elected by the General People's Congress; election last held 2 March 2000 (next to be held NA) election results: Mubarak al-SHAMEKH elected premier; percent of General People's Congress vote - NA% |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1953), represented by Governor Jim POSTON (since 16 December 2002)
head of government: Chief Minister Michael Eugene MISICK (since 15 August 2003) cabinet: Executive Council consists of three ex officio members and five appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is appointed chief minister by the governor |
Exports | $13.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | crude oil, refined petroleum products | lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells |
Exports - partners | Italy 33%, Germany 24%, Spain 10%, France 5%, Turkey 4%, Tunisia 4% (1999) | US, UK |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state religion) | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the colonial shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield is yellow and contains a conch shell, lobster, and cactus |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $45.4 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $231 million (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
7% industry: 47% services: 46% (1997 est.) |
agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA (2001 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $8,900 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $9,600 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 6.5% (2000 est.) | 4.9% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 25 00 N, 17 00 E | 21 45 N, 71 35 W |
Geography - note | - | about 40 islands (eight inhabited) |
Highways | total:
24,484 km paved: 6,800 km unpaved: 17,684 km (1996) |
total: 121 km
paved: 24 km unpaved: 97 km (2000) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
Illicit drugs | - | transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe |
Imports | $7.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | machinery, transport equipment, food, manufactured goods | food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction materials |
Imports - partners | Italy 24%, Germany 12%, Tunisia 9%, UK 7%, France 6%, South Korea 5% (1999) | US, UK |
Independence | 24 December 1951 (from Italy) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA |
Industries | petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement | tourism, offshore financial services |
Infant mortality rate | 28.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 16.27 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 18.79 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 18.5% (2000 est.) | 4% (1995) |
International organization participation | ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CAEU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO | Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), UPU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 4,700 sq km (1993 est.) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court | Supreme Court |
Labor force | 1.5 million (2000 est.) | 4,848 (1990 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | services and government 54%, industry 29%, agriculture 17% (1997 est.) | about 33% in government and 20% in agriculture and fishing; significant numbers in tourism, financial, and other services |
Land boundaries | total:
4,383 km border countries: Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,150 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land:
1% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 8% forests and woodland: 0% other: 91% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 2.33%
permanent crops: 0% other: 97.67% (2001) |
Languages | Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities | English (official) |
Legal system | based on Italian civil law system and Islamic law; separate religious courts; no constitutional provision for judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on laws of England and Wales, with a few adopted from Jamaica and The Bahamas |
Legislative branch | unicameral General People's Congress (NA seats; members elected indirectly through a hierarchy of people's committees) | unicameral Legislative Council (19 seats of which 13 are popularly elected; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 24 April 2003 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - PDM 53.8%, PNP 46.2%; seats by party - PDM 7, PNP 6; note - in by-elections held 7 August 2003, the PNP gained two seats for a majority of 8 seats; PDM now has 5 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
75.65 years male: 73.53 years female: 77.88 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 74.25 years
male: 72.05 years female: 76.57 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 76.2% male: 87.9% female: 63% (1995 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 98% male: 99% female: 98% (1970 est.) |
Location | Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia | Caribbean, two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas, north of Haiti |
Map references | Africa | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | territorial sea:
12 NM note: Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees, 30 minutes north |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | total:
28 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 399,725 GRT/654,843 DWT ships by type: cargo 10, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 3, petroleum tanker 6, roll on/roll off 4, short-sea passenger 4 (2000 est.) |
none |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Command | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $1.3 billion (FY99/00) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 3.9% (FY99/00) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
1,459,400 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
866,012 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - military age | 17 years of age | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
61,694 (2001 est.) |
- |
National holiday | Revolution Day, 1 September (1969) | Constitution Day, 30 August (1976) |
Nationality | noun:
Libyan(s) adjective: Libyan |
noun: none
adjective: none |
Natural hazards | hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms | frequent hurricanes |
Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas, gypsum | spiny lobster, conch |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 11.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
People - note | - | destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands, Bahamas, and US |
Pipelines | crude oil 4,383 km; petroleum products 443 km (includes liquefied petroleum gas or LPG 256 km); natural gas 1,947 km | - |
Political parties and leaders | none | People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Derek H. TAYLOR]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Michael Eugene MISICK]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Wendal SWANN] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | various Arab nationalist movements with almost negligible memberships may be functioning clandestinely, as well as some Islamic elements | NA |
Population | 5,240,599
note: includes 662,669 non-nationals, of which an estimated 500,000 or more are Africans living in Libya (July 2001 est.) |
19,956 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA |
Population growth rate | 2.42% (2001 est.) | 3.03% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Al Khums, Banghazi, Darnah, Marsa al Burayqah, Misratah, Ra's Lanuf, Tobruk, Tripoli, Zuwarah | Grand Turk, Providenciales |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 17, FM 4, shortwave 3 (1998) | AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004) |
Radios | 1.35 million (1997) | - |
Railways | note:
Libya has had no railroad in operation since 1965, all previous systems having been dismantled; current plans are to construct a 1.435-m standard gauge line from the Tunisian frontier to Tripoli and Misratah, then inland to Sabha, center of a mineral-rich area, but there has been little progress; other plans made jointly with Egypt would establish a rail line from As Sallum, Egypt, to Tobruk with completion originally set for mid-1994; Libya signed contracts with two private companies - Bahne of Egypt and Jez Sistemas Ferroviarios of Spain - in 1998 for the supply of crossings and pointwork (1001) |
- |
Religions | Sunni Muslim 97% | Baptist 40%, Methodist 16%, Anglican 18%, Church of God 12%, other 14% (1990) |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
telecommunications system is being modernized; mobile cellular telephone system became operational in 1996 domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, cellular, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations international: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat, NA Arabsat, and NA Intersputnik; submarine cables to France and Italy; microwave radio relay to Tunisia and Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece; participant in Medarabtel (1999) |
general assessment: fair cable and radiotelephone services
domestic: NA international: country code - 1-649; 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 380,000 (1996) | 5,700 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 1,700 (1999) |
Television broadcast stations | 12 (plus one low-power repeater) (1998) | 0 (broadcasts from The Bahamas are received; 2 cable television networks) (2004) |
Terrain | mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions | low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps |
Total fertility rate | 3.64 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 3.11 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 30% (2000 est.) | 10% (1997 est.) |
Waterways | none | - |