Name: Libya is officially called the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

Government type: Jamahiriya (a state of the masses), in theory, governed by the populace through local councils (baladiyat).

Capital: Tripoli

Location: Libya is located in the centre of Northern Africa, Mediterranean Sea (North), between Egypt (East), Tunisia & Algeria (West), Niger & Chad (South) and Sudan (South East)

Religion: All Libyans are Sunni Muslims of the Malikite rite. There are also churches and place of worship for the foreigners who are estimated to be more than one million living in Libya.

Population: Libya’s population according to the latest statistic of 2006 is estimated to be 5,673.000 million in total, Libyans forms 5,323.00, and the rest are foreigners of 350.00, and said to be growing a rate of 3.5 per cent, one of the highest population growth rates in the world, more than 85 percent of population live along the Mediterranean coast.

Area: total: 1,759,540 sq km (680.000 sq miles) land: 1,759,540 sq km water: 0 sq km, more that 90 percent of Libya is arid desert or semi-desert.

Area - comparative: Libya is the fourth largest country in Africa, seven times the size of the UK, and slightly larger than Alaska

Land boundaries: total: 4,348 km border countries: Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,115 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km

Climate: Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior. (The cooling Mediterranean sea gives Libya mild winters and warm summers, with a pleasant range of temeratures throughout the year between 8 C and 30 C (46-86F), it may sometimes climb over 35 C (95F) in summer. As more that 90 percent of Libya is arid desert or semi-desert, winter and spring temperature in the desert can rise to 25 C (77 F), but it can drop to below freezing overnight. In summer it can reach 50 C (122 F).  The highest temperature ever recorded was in Libya (at El Azizia [or Al Aziziyah]), the temperature reached 58°C (136° F) recorded on 13 September 1922.

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, gypsum

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.

Geography - note: More than 90% of the country is desert or semi desert

Legal System: The Libyan legal system is a civil law system similar to that of France, like others, there is a hierarchy of legislative texts with, in descending order of authority, the constitutions, laws, executive regulations and executive and ministerial decisions.

In absence of applicable legal provisions, a judge refers to other source of law and will apply the following principles

• Islamic law (Shari’a)
• Prevailing custom
• Principles of natural law and rules of equity
  

Cities of Libya: Libya was divided into several governorates (muhafazat) before being split into 25 municipalities (baladiyat), Currently Libya is divided into thirty two sha'biyah.