t, the largest
water development scheme in the world, is being built to bring water
from large aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities

Environment-international agreements:
party to: Desertification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea

@Libya:People

Population: 5,690,727 (July 1998 est.)
note: includes 144,363 non-nationals (July 1998 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 48% (male 1,399,354; female 1,351,442)
15-64 years: 49% (male 1,412,067; female 1,361,372)
65 years and over: 3% (male 81,711; female 84,781) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.68% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 43.95 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 7.15 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 55.81 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.44 years
male: 63.21 years
female: 67.78 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.18 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Libyan(s)
adjective: Libyan

Ethnic groups: Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians,
Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians

Religions: Sunni Muslim 97%

Languages: Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the
major cities

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 76.2%
male: 87.9%
female: 63% (1995 est.)

@Libya:Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
conventional short form: Libya
local long form: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al
Ishtirakiyah
local short form: none

Data code: LY

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

National capital: Tripoli

Administrative divisions: 25 municipalities (baladiyah,
singular-baladiyat); Ajdabiya, Al 'Aziziyah, Al Fatih, Al Jabal al
Akhdar, Al Jufrah, Al Khums, Al Kufrah, An Nuqat al Khams, Ash Shati',
Awbari, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi, Darnah, Ghadamis, Gharyan, Misratah,
Murzuq, Sabha, Sawfajjin, Surt, Tarabulus, Tarhunah, Tubruq, Yafran,
Zlitan
note: the 25 municipa