Libya

C

Religion

Islam is the state religion, and about 97 per cent of all Libyans are Sunni Muslims. There is a small number of Roman Catholics.

D

Language

The official language is Standard Arabic, although this is not a mother tongue as it is learnt only in schools and places of worship and used for official purposes. Libyan Spoken Arabic is used by 96 per cent of the inhabitants and five different languages (including Nafusi and Tahaggart Tamahaq) from the Berber language family are spoken in certain areas.

E

Education

Primary education in Libya is free and compulsory. About 84 per cent of the adult population is literate. In 1992 some 1.23 million pupils were enrolled in primary schools, and about 138,800 students attended secondary schools. Libya’s five universities together were attended by almost 72,900 students. In 1992 almost 10 per cent of the country’s gross national product (GNP) was spent on education.

The Government Library and National Archives are located in Tripoli, and the country’s largest library, containing more than 300,000 volumes, is affiliated with the University of Garyounis (1955) in Banghāzī. Other major universities include Al-Fateh University (1957) in Tripoli; University of Moragab (1987), and Sebha University (1983). Among the leading museums, which contain mainly antiquities excavated from various ruins, are the Lepcis Magna Museum at al-Khums, and the archaeological, natural history, epigraphy, prehistory, and ethnography museums at Tripoli.

IV

Economy

Libya was traditionally an agricultural country, although farming was restricted primarily to the coastal regions. Livestock husbandry was also important. The discovery of petroleum in the late 1950s effected a profound change in the economy: the gross domestic product (GDP) increased from US$1,500 million in 1965 to US$25,400 million in 1985; it was US$32,900 million by 1994. Between 1965 and 1980 the economy grew at an annual average of 4.2 per cent; but then declined by 4 per cent annually throughout the 1980s. Libya’s socialist-oriented economy depends primarily upon oil revenues, which contribute practically all export earnings and about 25 per cent of GDP. This has fluctuated sharply in response to changes in the world oil market. Import restrictions and inefficient resource allocations have led to periodic shortages of basic goods and foodstuffs.

Manufacturing and construction, which account for about 20 per cent of GDP, have expanded from the processing of mostly agricultural products to include the production of petrochemicals, iron, steel, and aluminium. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit agricultural output, and Libya imports about 75 per cent of its food requirements.

In 1989 Libya had a GNP of US$23,300 million (World Bank figure; 1987-1989 prices), or US$5,310 per capita. The estimated annual budget in 1989 included current revenue of US$8,100 million and current and capital outlays of US$3,100 million.

A

Agriculture and Fishing

Most of the arable land and pasture of Libya is in Tripolitania. Cultivation in the eastern and southern regions is sporadic and dependent on rainfall. About 11 per cent of the working population is engaged in agriculture, but the output amounts to only about 5 per cent of Libya’s yearly national product. Principal crops with annual production in tonnes in 2005 included wheat (125,000), barley (10,000), and potatoes (195,000). Livestock included 25 million poultry, 4.50 million sheep, 1,265,000 goats, 47,000 camels, and 130,000 cattle. The first part of the Great Man-Made River project, a massive 25-year irrigation scheme costing in excess of US$25 billion, was opened in 1996 and is now in operation.

Small quantities of tuna and sardines are caught in the coastal waters off Libya, and sponges are collected from inshore waters. In 2004 the total catch was approximately 46,073 tonnes of marine fish.