Urban population:	87% (4 911 559 inhabitants)
Source : World Bank - World Development Indicators

Average annual population growth:	2%
Source : World Bank - World Development Indicators

Surface area (km˛) :	1 759 540

Population origin

Free translation tools

Arjeeb
Free English-Arabic-English translation of text and web pages.

Religion
Religious practises : Sunni Muslims (97% of the population)

Libya (official name: Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) is a Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory but in reality governed by military dictatorship.
The Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI is the de facto chief of the state, although he holds no official title. He enjoys all the executive powers. The head of the government is called Secretary of the General People's Committee (equivalent to council of ministers) and is elected by the country's parliament, and have no fixed term period as long as he enjoys the confidence of the parliament. Parliament also selects the members of the General People's Committee.
The legislature is unicameral in Libya. The parliament consists of General People's Congress (GPC). Its members are elected representatives (called secretariats) of around 600 local bodies called ‘basic popular congresses', and serve a term of four years. Only the Revolutionary Leader has the power to dissolve the parliament or veto its enactment . The people of Libya have very limited political rights.
The judiciary is not independent in Libya. Security forces have the power to pass sentence without a trial and political trials are held in secret. The main source of the law is the constitution of 1 969 (amended in March 1977). The country's legal system is based on Italian civil law system and Islamic law. Libya has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction. Arabic is the judicial language in the country, having an interpreter is possible.
Libya is not ruled by law. Foreign nationals cannot expect an impartial trial from the country's judicial system. A high degree of corruption exists in the country, especially in politics and police force.

Political parties are banned in Libya since 1971. However establishment of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has been allowed but these need to work under strict government control.

Revolutionary Leader: Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI (since September 1969, gained power through a military coup)
Secretary of the General People's Committee (Prime Minister): Al-Baghdadi Ali al-MAHMUDI (since March 2006)

General People's Congress (GPC): Dates not announced

For more information about tourism in Libya , check out the following web site(s) :
Tourism office in Libya

Food

Traditional dishes
Libyan cooking is influenced by Italian and Arab cuisine. The basic ingredients of Libyan cooking are lamb, chicken, beef, nuts, dry apricots, figs and unleavened bread. The most popular dishes are "shakshouka" (pieces of lamb and vegetables in tomato sauce with an egg on top) and couscous.

Food-related taboos
The Muslim religion partly regulates the dietary customs of the Libyans and, in this respect, alcohol and pork are prohibited.