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AREA HANDBOOK

for

LIBYA

Co-Authors
Richard F. Nyrop

John Duke Anthony
Beryl Lieff Benderly
William W. Cover

Newton B. Parker

Suzanne Teleki

Research was completed September 1972

Second Edition

Published 1973

(This handbook supersedes DA Pam 550-85, September 1969)

DA Pam 550-85

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 72-600 386

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents,
U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402
Price $3.60 cents domestic postpaid or $3.25 cents GPO Bookstore

FOREWORD

This volume is one of a series of handbooks prepared by Foreign Area Studies (FAS) of The American University, designed to be useful to military and other personnel who need a convenient compilation of basic facts about the social, economic, political, and military institutions and practices of various countries. The emphasis is an objective description of the nation's present society and the kinds of possible or probable changes that night be expected in the future. The handbook seeks to present as full and as balanced an integrated exposition as limitations on space and research time permit. It was compiled from information available in openly published material. An extensive bibliography is provided to permit recourse to other published sources for more detailed information. There has been no attempt to express any specific point of view or to make policy recommendations. The contents of the handbook represent the work of the authors and FAS and do not represent the official view of the United States government.

An effort has been made to make the handbook as comprehensive as possible. It can be expected, however, that the material, interpretations, and conclusions are subject to modification in the light of new information and developments. Such corrections, additions, and suggestions for factual, interpretive, or other change as readers may have will be welcomed for use in future revisions. Comments may be addressed to:

The Director

Foreign Area Studies

The American University

5010 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D. C. 20016

PREFACE

By late 1972 the Libyan Arab Republic and its military government had emerged as one of the most revolutionary states of the Arab world. Under the leadership of Colonel Muammar al Qadhaafi, the small group of military officers that deposed and abolished the monarchy in a bloodless coup d'etat in September 1969 had capitalized on Libya's vast earnings from its oil exports to become a dominant force in Middle Eastern and African regional politics. In August 1972 Qadhaafi and his colleagues took a significant move toward their goal of Arab unity by engineering an agreement with the Arab Republic of Egypt that provides for a complete merger of the two states on or before September 1, 1973. As of September 29, 1972, when research on the study was completed, only the introductory measures of the proposed merger had been agreed upon.

The present Area Handbook for Libya is a full revision of a study completed in mid-1969. The handbook is an attempt to provide a comprehensive survey and analysis of the dominant social, economic, and political aspects of Libyan society. Sources of information used included scholarly studies, official reports of governments and international organizations, newspapers, periodicals, and journals. The data available were very uneven. Statistics on the oil exports were secured from non-Libyan sources and were believed to be quite accurate. Data on population, working force, government expenditures, and agricultural production either were unavailable or were subject to wide margins of error and should be used with caution. Unless otherwise indicated, the weights given are metric tons.

The authors wish to express their gratitude to persons in various agencies of the United States government who gave of their time, documentary possessions, and special knowledge to provide information and perspective. The staff of the Joint Library of the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development was also very helpful. In addition, the authors are particularly grateful to Dr. Hector Correa of the University of Pittsburgh and Frank R. Golino of the Department of State for information that they made available.

The literature on Libya is frequently confusing because of the varying methods of transliteration used by scholars and other writers. The name Qadhaafi, for example, may be seen as Qadhdhaafi, Qadhafi, Getaf, Gadhafi, and other variants. With minor exceptions, the authors adhered to the system known as BGN/ PCGN, the system agreed to by the United States Board on Geographic Names and the Permanent Committee on Geographical

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