Mini Guide To Libya

Libya is a country located in Northern Africa along the coast. It is the fourth largest country in Africa and the seventeenth largest country in the world with an area that covers 1.8 million square miles. Ninety percent of the country is an arid desert, unused, and helps reside about ten percent of the population. The other ninety percent of the population lives along the coastline. The capital of Libya is Tripoli where about 1.7 million people live, making it the largest population center by far.

The population of the Libyan people is about 5.7 million people with an increased rate of about 2.3 percent a year, and roughly half of the population is under the age of 20. Ninety-seven percent of the population speak Arabic, making it the official language in Libya, and adhere to Sunni Islam as their religion. Native Libyans ethnic groups are broken down between the Berbers and Arabs. About eighty percent of the population is educated with a life expectancy of seventy-four percent for men and seventy-eight percent for women.

Libya has seen very little independence, being ruled by foreign leaders in its historic past, everyone from the Phoenicians to the Carthaginians to the Greeks and Romans. This has been due to the Phoenicians establishing trading posts in Libya and made agreements with the Berbers to ensure their cooperation of raw materials. All of this took place in what is now known as Tripoli, Libya’s capital. Libya claimed its independence in 1951.

Today you can see the ancient structures and ruins of days past and is ideal for travelers that enjoy historical sightseeing.

The ruler of Libya is Mu’ammar Abu Minyar al-Qadhafi who staged a sudden, unconstitutional deposition against King Idris. Ever since his rule, Libya has been known to have high amounts of terror activity, including the bombing of a plane over Scotland. Libya has since tried to turn away from its violent past.

Even though Libya is still getting back on track from its past, it is a good country to visit. The people are making efforts to attract tourists and to have an accepting and welcoming attitude to travelers that may come through.