State of Libya
Northern Africa
Desert · Ancient · Vast
Libya (officially State of Libya) is a country located in Northern Africa. Its capital city is Tripoli, with other major cities including Benghazi and Misrata. With a population of approximately 7.0M, the main language spoken is Arabic. The country covers an area of 1,759,540 km². The official currency is the Libyan dinar (ل.د). Traffic drives on the right side.
Libya has the largest proven oil reserves in Africa, yet the ancient Roman ruins at Leptis Magna — birthplace of Emperor Septimius Severus — are among the best-preserved Roman ruins in the world, rivalling Pompeii.
Tripoli serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Libya, positioned in Northern Africa. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Benghazi, Misrata, Zawiya — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Tripoli's medina contains Roman, Arab, Ottoman, and Italian colonial architecture layered in the same narrow streets where ancient market functions — metalwork in one alley, spice trading in another — persist from the medieval specialised trade organisation that Ottoman administrators formalised and that modern commercial pressure has not yet dissolved.
With a population of approximately 7.0M, Libya is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is Arabic, which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, Libya is reached via the dialling code +218. Libyans navigated the Arab Spring aftermath into a decade of civil war and political fragmentation following the 2011 overthrow of Gaddafi — the country splitting between Tripoli-based and Tobruk-based rival governments whose conflict drew Turkish, UAE, Russian, and Egyptian military involvement in a proxy war that confirmed Libya's strategic importance to regional powers and the global oil industry.
Libya spans 1,759,540 km², in the Northern Africa subregion of Africa. Geographically centred around 25.0°N, 17.0°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Africa convention.
The official currency is the Libyan dinar (ل.د), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Libya's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+01:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
Football holds a special place in the heart of Libya's national identity. Football is Libya's primary sport, with the national team occasionally qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations — but the country's 2011 conflict and subsequent instability have disrupted both domestic league competition and national team development, while the traditional camel and horse racing culture of the desert Tuareg and Arab pastoral communities represents athletic traditions predating Arab settlement.
The highest point in Libya is Bikku Bitti, rising to 2,267 metres above sea level. The Akakus Mountains in Libya's southwestern corner contain the world's most extensive concentration of prehistoric Saharan rock art — paintings and engravings showing lions, elephants, hippos, and giraffes in a region that was green savanna 8,000 years ago, alongside human figures hunting, herding cattle, and performing ritual dances, a pictorial record of climate change written in pigment on stone.