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Libya: Quick Facts

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News •

Egypt's FM: Cairo in talks with Tripoli over maritime deal with Turkey • Nov. 11, 2026, 9:57 AM ET (Jerusalem Post)
Court rules against Home Office in asylum seeker kidnapping case • Nov. 7, 2026, 8:02 AM ET (The Guardian)
Nike is hit with religious ban in Libya because its name is a Greek goddess • Nov. 6, 2026, 12:45 AM ET (Washington Post)
Nike faces religious ban in Libya because it was named after Greek goddess • Nov. 3, 2026, 9:56 AM ET (BBC)
Power, profit, crime: Irregular migration out of east Libya • Oct. 30, 2026, 3:00 AM ET (Deutsche Welle)

Facts

Also Known As Al-Jumhūriyyah al-Lībiyyah • The Libyan Republic
Head Of Government Prime Minister: Abdul Hamid Dbeibah
Capital Tripoli
Population (2026 est.) 7,351,000
Currency Exchange Rate 1 USD equals 6.440 Libyan dinar
Head Of State Chairman of the Presidential Council: Mohamed al-Menfi
Form Of Government interim government
Official Language Arabic
Official Religion Islam
Official Name الجمهورية الليبية (Al-Jumhūriyyah al-Lībiyyah; “The Libyan Republic”)
Total Area (Sq Km) 1,676,198
Total Area (Sq Mi) 647,183
Monetary Unit Libyan dinar (LD)
Population Rank (2026) 107
Population Projection 2030 7,773,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi (2026) 11.4
Density: Persons Per Sq Km (2026) 4.4
Urban-Rural Population Urban: (2024) 81.9% • Rural: (2024) 18.1%
Life Expectancy At Birth Male: (2021) 70.2 years • Female: (2021) 74.2 years
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000) (2024) 50,869
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$) (2024) 6,890

Photos

Flag of Libya with horizontal stripes of red, black, and green, featuring a white crescent and star centered on the black stripe.
Political map of Libya showing national boundaries, major cities such as Tripoli, Benghazi, and Misratah, and neighboring countries including Tunisia, Algeria, Niger, Chad, Sudan, and Egypt. The map also includes a small locator inset highlighting Libya's position in northern Africa along the Mediterranean Sea.
Leptis Magna, Libya: Roman amphitheatre
Map of northern Africa and southern Europe highlighting Libya in tan, with neighboring countries labeled, including Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Chad, Niger, and Sudan. The Mediterranean Sea is shown to the north, and the capital city Tripoli is marked within Libya.
Map of Libya highlighting its physical features, including the Mediterranean coastline, the Nafusah Plateau and Al-Jifarah Plain in the northwest, the Al-Akhdar Mountains in the northeast, the Libyan Desert, and major hills and plateaus such as the Al-Haruj al-Aswad Hills and the Sahara region. Neighboring countries-Tunisia, Algeria, Niger, Chad, Sudan, and Egypt-are shown, and an inset locator map marks Libya's position in northern Africa.
Map of Libya showing the routes and phases of the Great Man-Made River project, which transports water from the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System in the Sahara to northern coastal cities. Different colored lines indicate the five phases of the pipeline system, with reservoirs marked along the routes and major cities such as Tripoli, Benghazi, and Sirte labeled. The map also shows international borders and the Mediterranean Sea to the north.
Sabhā, Libya: Fort Elena
Al-Kufrah oasis
Stone ruins of the Roman theater at Sabratha, Libya, showing a semicircular seating area and a multi-story stage backdrop with columns and arches.
Leptis Magna, Libya: Roman basilica
See All Images and Interactives →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Muammar al-Qaddafi
Muammar al-Qaddafi
de facto leader of Libya
Idris I
Idris I
king of Libya
Enver Paşa
Enver Paşa
Ottoman general
Pietro Badoglio.
Pietro Badoglio
Italian general and statesman

Related Places

A map of the continent of Africa, including its countries, boundaries, and capital cities. It also shows parts of Europe and Asia and surrounding bodies of water, including the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean.
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region, Africa
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region, Asia, Africa, and Europe
Tripoli, Libya
Tripoli
national capital, Libya
Tripolitania
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