Portal:Libya

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The Libya Portal

A view of the Benghazi port, 2013

Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. Libya borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad to the south, Niger to the southwest, Algeria to the west, and Tunisia to the northwest. Libya comprises three historical regions: Tripolitania, Fezzan, and Cyrenaica. With an area of almost 1.8 million km² (700,000 sq mi), it is the fourth-largest country in Africa and the Arab world, and the 16th-largest in the world. Libya claims 32,000 square kilometers of southeastern Algeria, south of the Libyan town of Ghat. The country's official religion is Islam, with 96.6% of the Libyan population being Sunni Muslims. The official language of Libya is Arabic, with vernacular Libyan Arabic being spoken most widely. The majority of Libya's population is Arab. The largest city and capital, Tripoli, is located in northwestern Libya and contains over a million of Libya's seven million people.

Libya has been inhabited by Berbers since the late Bronze Age as descendants from Iberomaurusian and Capsian cultures. In classical antiquity, the Phoenicians established city-states and trading posts in western Libya, while several Greek cities were established in the East. Parts of Libya were variously ruled by Carthaginians, Persians, and Greeks before the entire region becoming a part of the Roman Empire. Libya was an early center of Christianity. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the area of Libya was mostly occupied by the Vandals until the 7th century when invasions brought Islam to the region. From then on, centuries of Arab migration to the Maghreb shifted the demographic scope of Libya in favor of Arabs. In the 16th century, the Spanish Empire and the Knights of St John occupied Tripoli until Ottoman rule began in 1551. Libya was involved in the Barbary Wars of the 18th and 19th centuries. Ottoman rule continued until the Italo-Turkish War, which resulted in the Italian occupation of Libya and the establishment of two colonies, Italian Tripolitania and Italian Cyrenaica (1911–1934), later unified in the Italian Libya colony from 1934 to 1943.

During the Second World War, Libya was an area of warfare in the North African Campaign. The Italian population then went into decline. Libya became independent as a kingdom in 1951. A bloodless military coup in 1969, initiated by a coalition led by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, overthrew King Idris I and created a republic. Gaddafi was often described by critics as a dictator, and was one of the world's longest serving non-royal leaders, ruling for 42 years. He ruled until being overthrown and killed during the 2011 Libyan Civil War, which was part of the wider Arab Spring, with authority transferred to the National Transitional Council then to the elected General National Congress. By 2014 two rival authorities claimed to govern Libya, which led to a second civil war, with parts of Libya split between the Tobruk and Tripoli-based governments as well as various tribal and Islamist militias. The two main warring sides signed a permanent ceasefire in 2020, and a unity government took authority to plan for democratic elections, though political rivalries continue to delay this. Libya is a developing country ranking 104th by HDI and has the 10th-largest proven oil reserves in the world. Libya is a member of the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the African Union, the Arab League, the OIC and OPEC.

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Muammar Gaddafi became the de facto leader of Libya on 1 September 1969 after leading a group of young Libyan Army officers against King Idris I in a bloodless coup d'état. After the king had fled the country, the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) headed by Gaddafi abolished the monarchy and the old constitution and established the Libyan Arab Republic, with the motto "freedom, socialism and unity". The name of Libya was changed several times during Gaddafi's tenure as leader. From 1969 to 1977, the name was the Libyan Arab Republic. In 1977, the name was changed to Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. Jamahiriya was a term coined by Gaddafi, usually translated as "state of the masses". The country was renamed again in 1986 as the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, after the United States bombing that year.

After coming to power, the RCC government initiated a process of directing funds toward providing education, health care and housing for all. Public education in the country became free and primary education compulsory for both sexes. Medical care became available to the public at no cost, but providing housing for all was a task the RCC government was unable to complete. Under Gaddafi, per capita income in the country rose to more than US$11,000, the 5th highest in Africa. The increase in prosperity was accompanied by a controversial foreign policy, and increased domestic political repression. (Full article...)

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The following are images from various Libya-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1A map of Libya (from Libya)
Image 2Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the head of the Libyan National Army, one of the main factions in the 2014 civil war. (from Libya)
Image 3The siege of Tripoli in 1551 allowed the Ottomans to capture the city from the Knights of St. John. (from Libya)
Image 4Omar Mukhtar was the leader of Libyan resistance in Cyrenaica against the Italian colonization. (from History of Libya)
Image 5Muammar al-Gaddafi, leader of Libya (1969—2011) (from Libya)
Image 6Areas of control in the Civil War, updated 11 June 2020:
Tobruk-led Government
Government of National Accord
Petroleum Facilities Guard
Tuareg tribes
Local forces (from Libya)
Image 7The temple of Zeus in the ancient Greek city of Cyrene. Libya has a number of World Heritage Sites from the ancient Greek era. (from History of Libya)
Image 8Libya has emerged as a major transit point for people trying to reach Europe (from Libya)
Image 9The Atiq Mosque in Awjila is the oldest mosque in the Sahara. (from Libya)
Image 10Australian infantry at Tobruk during World War II. Beginning on 10 April 1941, the Siege of Tobruk lasted for 240 days. (from History of Libya)
Image 11Territorial growth of Italian Libya: Territory ceded by Ottoman Empire 1912 (dark-green) but effectively Italy controlled only five ports (black), territories ceded by France and Britain 1919 and 1926 (light-green), territories ceded by France and Britain 1934/35 (red) (from History of Libya)
Image 12Omar Mukhtar was a prominent leader of Libyan resistance in Cyrenaica against Italian colonization. (from Libya)
Image 13A US Navy expedition under Commodore Edward Preble engaging gunboats and fortifications in Tripoli, 1804 (from Libya)
Image 14Pivot irrigation in Kufra, southeast Libya, 2008 (from Libya)
Image 15UK Foreign Secretary William Hague with Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, November 2013 (from Libya)
Image 16Gaddafi was the leader of Libya until 2011 Civil War (from Libya)
Image 17Libyan soldier of the Achaemenid army, c. 480 BCE. Xerxes I tomb relief. (from History of Libya)
Image 18Demonstrations in Bayda, on 22 July 2011 (from History of Libya)
Image 19Flag of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (lasting from 1977 to 2011), the national anthem of which was "الله أكبر" (English: Allahu Akbar=god (is) great) (from History of Libya)
Image 20A view of the Business District in Tripoli (from Libya)
Image 21An effigy of Muammar Gaddafi hangs from a scaffold in Tripoli's Martyrs' Square, 29 August 2011 (from History of Libya)
Image 22The no-fly zone over Libya as well as bases and warships which were involved in the 2011 military intervention (from Libya)
Image 23The USS Enterprise of the Mediterranean Squadron capturing a Tripolitan Corsair during the First Barbary War, 1801 (from Libya)
Image 24Al-Fatah Revolution day decorations in Tripoli 2008 (from Libya)
Image 25King Roger II of Sicily was the first Norman King to rule Tripoli when he captured it in 1146. (from History of Libya)
Image 26Prehistoric Libyan rock paintings in Tadrart Acacus reveal a Sahara once lush in vegetation and wildlife. (from History of Libya)
Image 27Archaeological site of Sabratha, Libya (from Libya)
Image 28The Arch of Septimius Severus at Leptis Magna. The patronage of Roman emperor Septimus Severus allowed the city to become one of the most prominent in Roman Africa. (from History of Libya)
Image 29Mosque in Ghadames, close to the Tunisian and Algerian border. (from Libya)
Image 30Italian propaganda postcard depicting the Italian invasion of Libya in 1911. (from Libya)
Image 31Temple of Zeus in Cyrene (from Libya)
Image 32Change in per capita GDP of Libya, 1950–2018. Figures are inflation-adjusted to 2011 International dollars. (from Libya)
Image 33Ancient Roman mosaic in Sabratha (from Libya)
Image 34Libyan National Security Advisor Mutassim Gaddafi and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, April 2009 (from Libya)
Image 35The Siege of Tripoli in 1551 allowed the Ottomans to capture the city from the Knights of St. John. (from History of Libya)
Image 36An elevation of the city of Ottoman Tripoli in 1675 (from History of Libya)
Image 37Libya is a predominantly desert country. Over 95% of the land area is covered in desert. (from Libya)
Image 38King Idris I of the Senussi order became the first head of state of Libya in 1951. (from Libya)
Image 39Bazeen, a communal bread dish (from Libya)
Image 40Libya is the fourth most water stressed country in the world. (from Libya)
Image 41Districts of Libya since 2007 (from Libya)
Image 42The Atiq Mosque in Awjila is the oldest mosque in the Sahara. (from History of Libya)
Image 43Libya map of Köppen climate classification (from Libya)
Image 44King Idris I announced Libya's independence on 24 December 1951, and was King until the 1969 coup that overthrew his government. (from History of Libya)
Image 45Oil is the major natural resource of Libya, with estimated reserves of 43.6 billion barrels. (from Libya)
Image 46Muammar Gaddafi, former leader of Libya, in 2009. (from History of Libya)
Image 47Al Manar Royal Palace in central Benghazi – the location of the University of Libya's first campus, founded by royal decree in 1955 (from Libya)
Image 48A proportional representation of Libya exports, 2019 (from Libya)
Image 49Gaddafi (left) with Egyptian President Nasser in 1969 (from Libya)
Image 50An oil platform off the Libyan coast (from Libya)
Image 51Ethnic composition of the Libyan population in 1974 (CIA map)
  Arab and Arab-Berber

  Berber

  Tuareg

  Toubou

  Uninhabited
(from Libya)
Image 52USS Enterprise of the Mediterranean Squadron capturing Tripolitan Corsair during the First Barbary War, 1801 (from History of Libya)
Image 53Leptis Magna (from Libya)

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Haruj seen from space

Haruj (Arabic: هروج, also known as Haroudj) is a large volcanic field spread across 42,000–45,000 km² (16,000–17,000 sq mi) in central Libya. It is one of several volcanic fields in Libya along with Tibesti, and its origin has been attributed to the effects of geologic lineaments in the crust.

It contains about 150 volcanoes, including numerous basaltic scoria cones and about 30 small shield volcanoes, along with craters and lava flows. Most of the field is covered by lava flows that originated in fissure vents; the rest of the flows originated within small shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes and scoria cones. Some of these vents have large craters. Volcanism in Haruj blocked ancient rivers and led to the formation of Lake Megafezzan. (Full article...)

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... that to repel migrants, the European Union has paid hundreds of millions of euros to Libyan partners known to be involved in human trafficking, slavery, and torture?

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