Libya

In brief

Libya is a country in North Africa. Its capital is Tripoli. With 7.5 million inhabitants in 2025, it ranks 104th in the world by population, out of the 195 countries recognised by the UN. Its area is 1,759,540 km². It shares land borders with Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Niger, Sudan and Tunisia.

GDP per capita stands at $6,449 (2025), 108th in the world. Life expectancy at birth is 71.1 years (2024). 88% of the population lives in cities.

History of Libya

Greek colonies such as Cyrene and Roman cities such as Leptis Magna lined the Libyan coast in antiquity. Conquered by the Arabs in the 7th century and later Ottoman, Libya was invaded by Italy in 1911. It became independent on 24 December 1951 as a kingdom. Muammar Gaddafi seized power in 1969 and held it for 42 years. Overthrown in 2011, he was killed during the civil war; the country has since been split between rival authorities in the east and west.

Geography of Libya

Desert covers more than 90% of Libya; most people live along the Mediterranean, where the country has Africa’s longest Mediterranean coastline. It holds the continent’s largest oil reserves.

Map of Libya

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Flag of Libya

The flag of Libya is red, green and black. Its official proportions are 1:2 (height to width).

• Black49%
• Green26%
• Red25%

Share of the flag’s surface taken by each colour.

What the flag stands for

Red, black and green, with a white crescent and star. It was the flag of the kingdom from 1951 to 1969, taken up by the rebels in 2011. Its three bands evoke the three historic regions: Tripolitania, Cyrenaica and Fezzan.

Sources: Wikipedia, articles “Libya” and “Flag of Libya”.

See also: flags with a star, flags with a crescent moon.

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Fact file

Economy and society