Libya
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. Libya borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad to the south, Niger to the southwest, Algeria to the west, and Tunisia to the northwest, as well as maritime borders with Greece, Italy and Malta to the north. Libya comprises three historical regions: Tripolitania, Fezzan, and Cyrenaica. With an area of almost 1.8 million km2 (700,000 sq mi), it is the fourth-largest country in Africa and the Arab world, and the 16th-largest in the world. Libya claims 32,000 square kilometers of southeastern Algeria, south of the Libyan town of Ghat. The country's official religion is Islam, with 96.6% of the Libyan population being Sunni Muslims. The official language of Libya is Arabic, with vernacular Libyan Arabic being spoken most widely. The majority of Libya's population is Arab. The largest city and capital, Tripoli, is located in northwestern Libya and contains over a million of Libya's seven million people.
Some of the key events about Libya
- 1911Italian invasion and colonization of Libya began
- 1942Major World War II battles devastated parts of Libya
- 1951Libya gained independence from Italian colonial rule
- 1959Major oil reserves were discovered, transforming the country's economy
- 1969A bloodless coup established a new revolutionary government
- 1969Military coup overthrew the Libyan monarchy
- 1977The country's official name was changed to the "Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya"
- 1986US airstrikes targeted Tripoli and Benghazi in response to alleged Libyan terrorism
- 1988Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, linked to Libya
- 1992UN imposed sanctions on Libya over the Lockerbie bombing
- 1999Libya handed over suspects in the Lockerbie bombing, leading to the suspension of UN sanctions
- 2003Libya announced it would dismantle its weapons of mass destruction program
- 2004The United States lifted most sanctions against Libya, restoring diplomatic relations
- 2011A popular uprising led to the overthrow of the long-standing government
- 2011Libyan Civil War erupted, leading to widespread violence and instability
- 2012Libya held its first free national elections in decades
- 2012Attack on US diplomatic compound in Benghazi killed four Americans
- 2014Second Libyan Civil War began, further fragmenting the country
- 2016Islamic State established a presence in parts of Libya, causing additional conflict
- 2020A ceasefire agreement was signed, ending years of civil conflict
Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.
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