The Probert Encyclopaedia of Places of the World

LIBYA

The Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (Libya) is a country in north Africa. It has a total area of 1,759,540 km2. The climate is Mediterranean along the coast with a dry, extreme desert interior. The terrain is mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions. Natural resources are crude oil, natural gas, gypsum. The religion is 97% Sunni Muslim. The official language is Arabic with Italian and English widely understood in the major cities. The area that is Libya first became independent in 1951 as the United Kingdom of Libya under the rule of King Idris. In 1969 a bloodless-coup by Army officers proclaimed Libya an Arab republic.
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