Portal:Libya/Intro
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Libya is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. Bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Libya faces Egypt to the east, Sudan to the south east, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west. Libya has been ruled by the Gaddafi regime since 1969, since 1977 under the name of Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. Since February 2011, the regime has been put under pressure by a rebellion inspired by the wider 2010–2011 Middle East and North Africa protests. As a result of the 2011 Libyan uprising, there are currently two entities claiming to be the official government of Libya. The regime of Muammar Gaddafi controls Tripoli and most of western Libya. The National Transitional Council of the Libyan Republic is based in Benghazi and controls Cyrenaica in the east. As of April 2011, the two factions are locked in a military stalemate in conflict over the towns along the Gulf of Sidra. With an area of almost 1,800,000 square kilometres (700,000 sq mi), Libya is the fourth largest country in Africa by area, and the 17th largest in the world. The capital, Tripoli, is home to 1.7 million of Libya's 6.4 million people. The three traditional parts of the country are Tripolitania, Fezzan, and Cyrenaica. Libya has the highest HDI in Africa and the fourth highest GDP (PPP) per capita in Africa as of 2009, behind Seychelles, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. These are largely due to its large petroleum reserves and low population. Libya is one of the world's 10 richest oil-producing countries. The flag of Libya used by the Gaddafi regime consists of a green field with no other characteristics. It is the only national flag in the world with just one color and no design, insignia, or other details. The Anti-Gaddafi forces based in Cyrenaica and organized politically in the National Transitional Council use the historical flag of the Kingdom of Libya. |
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