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Libya: Countries
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Libya is underlain by basement rocks of Precambrian age (from 3.8? billion to 543 million years ago) that are mantled with marine and wind-borne deposits. The major physical features are the Nafusah Plateau and the Al-Jifarah (Gefara) Plain in the northwest, the Akhdar Mountains in the northeast, and the Saharan plateau, occupying much of the rest of the country.
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Libya was the scene of much desert fighting during World War II. After the fall of Tripoli on Jan. 23, 1943, it came under Allied administration. In 1949, the UN voted that Libya should become independent, and in 1951 it became the United Kingdom of Libya. Oil was discovered in the impoverished country in 1958 and eventually transformed its economy.
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Libya professes to have a government in which the people rule directly. The highest official organ is the General People's Congress, consisting of some 2,700 representatives from local peoples' committees. In practice, Libya is a military regime, with power vested in the revolutionary leader, Muammar al-Qaddafi, who holds no official title but is the de facto chief of state. The head of government is the secretary of the general people's committee. Administratively, the country is divided into 25 municipalities.
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Libya has a largely homogeneous population, both ethnically and religiously. Virtually all the citizens are Arabs practicing Sunni Islam. Small communities of Berbers, many of whom are followers of Ibadi Islam, still reside in the western hill villages, but nothing remains of the once substantial Jewish community, most of which moved to Israel. Libya is not home to any major educational or cultural institutions; apart from some locally venerated saintly families, the people of the area traditionally looked to Tunisia and Egypt for their religious teachers and legal authorities. Despite the contemporary urbanization of the country - over two-thirds of the population live in Tripoli and Benghazi alone - the importance of pastoral nomadism in recent history is evident in the continued social and political significance of kinship and tribal ties. Although women are being educated in increasingly large numbers, they ordinarily marry while in their late teens and are not expected to work outside the home.
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Oil exploration in Libya began in 1955, with the key national Petroleum Law No. 25 enacted in April of that year (a new petroleum law is currently under development). Libya's first oil fields were discovered in 1959 (at Amal and Zelten – now known as Nasser), and oil exports began in 1961. During 2004, Libyan oil production was estimated at nearly 1.6 million barrels per day (bbl/d), with consumption of 237,000 bbl/d and net exports of about 1.34 million bbl/d. The vast majority (more than 90 percent) of Libya's exports are sold to European countries like Italy (562,000 bbl/d in January-October 2005), Germany (285,000 bbl/d), France (101,000 bbl/d), Spain and Greece. In addition, Libyan oil exports to the United States averaged 56,000 bbl/d during the first 10 months of 2005, after resuming in June 2004 for the first time in two decades.
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As with some other countries in the Arab world, Libya boasts few theatres or art galleries. Public entertainment is almost nonexistent, even in the big cities. Recently there has been a revival of the arts in Libya, especially painting: private galleries are springing up to provide a showcase for new talent. Conversely, for many years there have been no public theatres, and only a few cinemas showing foreign films. The tradition of folk culture is still alive and well, with troupes performing music and dance at frequent festivals, both in Libya and abroad. The main output of Libyan television is devoted to showing various styles of traditional Libyan music.
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