is a southern wind lasting
one to four days in spring and fall; desertification; sparse natural
surface-water resources

_#_Note: the Great Manmade River Project, the largest water
development scheme in the world, is being built to bring water from large
aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities

_*_People
_#_Population: 4,350,742 (July 1991), growth rate 3.0% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 36 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 62 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 71 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 5.1 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Libyan(s); adjective--Libyan

_#_Ethnic divisions: Berber and Arab 97%; some Greeks, Maltese,
Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians

_#_Religion: Sunni Muslim 97%

_#_Language: Arabic; Italian and English widely understood in major
cities

_#_Literacy: 64% (male 75%, female 50%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1990 est.)

_#_Labor force: 1,000,000, includes about 280,000 resident
foreigners; industry 31%, services 27%, government 24%, agriculture 18%

_#_Organized labor: National Trade Unions' Federation, 275,000
members; General Union for Oil and Petrochemicals; Pan-Africa Federation
of Petroleum Energy and Allied Workers

_*_Government
_#_Long-form name: Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

_#_Type: Jamahiriya (a state of the masses); in theory, governed by
the populace through local councils; in fact, a military dictatorship

_#_Capital: Tripoli

_#_Administrative divisions: 46 municipalities (baladiyat,
singular--baladiyah); Ajdabiya, Al Abyar, Al
Aziziyah, Al Bayda, Al Jufrah, Al Jumayl, Al Khums, Al
Kufrah, Al Marj, Al Qarabulli, Al Qubbah, Al Ujaylat, Ash
Shati, Awbari, Az Zahra, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi,
Bani Walid, Bin Jawwad, Darnah, Ghadamis, Gharyan,
Ghat, Jadu, Jalu, Janzur, Masallatah, Misratah,
Mizdah, Murzuq, Nalut, Qaminis, Qasr Bin Ghashir, Sabha,
Sabratah, Shahhat, Surman, Surt, Tajura,
Tarabulus, Tarhunah, Tubruq, Tukrah, Yafran, Zlitan,
Zuwarah; note--the number of municipalities may have been reduced to
13 named Al Jabal al-Akhdar, Al Jabal al-Gharbi, Al Jabal al-Khums, Al
Batnam, Al Kufrah, Al Marqab, Al Marzuq, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi,
Khalij Surt, Sabha, Tripoli, Wadi al-Hayat