Libya Fast Facts
Here’s some background information about Libya, an oil-rich country in North Africa bordering the Mediterranean Sea and Egypt,Tunisia, Algeria, Chad, Niger and Sudan.
About Libya
Area: 1,759,540 square kilometers (slightly larger than Alaska)
Population: 7,017,224 (July 2021 est.)
Median age: 25.8 years
Capital: Tripoli
Ethnic groups: Berber and Arab 97%, other 3% (includes Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians and Tunisians)
Religion: Sunni Muslim 96.6%, other is 3.4%
Unemployment: 30% (2004 est.)
Colonel Moammar Gadhafi ruled Libya from 1969 to 2011. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was known for supporting Palestinian terrorist groups. In the late 1990s, Gadhafi made steps toward rapprochement with the West.