About Libya

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Geography

 Libya is the fourth largest country in Africa with 1.760.000 sq km of mostly desert terrain. it is bordered on the west by Algeria and Tunisia and on the east by Egypt. on the south Libya borders with Sudan, Chad and Niger. only the narrow coastal strip receives sufficient rainfall and suitable for agriculture making it the area where 90 % of the population resides and where Tripoli, the capital, is situated. south of Tripoli the Jefera plane is located which provides most of the agricultural harvest for the country. 

the northeastern part of the country, the Jebel Akhdar area (the green mountains) is the most verdant and beautiful region in Libya.

 the interior of the country is largely uninhabited desert region with wide spread oasis communities the largest being Kufra, in the south east, and sebha in the center also capital of the Fezzan region.

 in the extreme south of the country lie Tibesti and Tassilimountains of the central Sahara which rise to heights of 3000 and 1000 meters respectively.

the desert area is also known for its sand seas, formations of vast area of shifting sand dunes some several hundred meters in height,  which include the famous Calanscio sand sea in the east near the Egyptian border and the Murzuk and Ubari sand seas in the south west.

 there are no permanent rivers in Libya, only Wadis ( watercourses) which hold the infrequent excess from the rainfall. in the Fezzan area years may go by without rain and agriculture is sustained thanks to subsurface aqueducts. the existence of vast fossil aqueducts in the south and in the southeast has prompted the building of huge pipelines to bring water to the coastal areas for agricultural and industrial use. this latter project is known as the great man made river project being the largest engineering scheme currently carried out and most expensive in the world estimated usd 27 billion.

 Libya has large high quality oil reserves most of which are in the desert areas south of the gulf of Sirt. the gulf area is dotted with oil terminals, mostly around Ras Lanuf and Brega contributing immensely to the nation's economy.

 Climate

 due to the lack of natural barriers, the Sahara desert on the south and the Mediterranean on the north, have a great effect on Libya's climate. the summer season is generally very hot with temperatures in the coast area around 300c  often accompanied by high humidity. in the south region temperatures may reach 500c.

the winter may be cool and rainy of the coast with snow occasionally in the jebels and temperatures dropping below the 00c at night. 

periodically during the spring one may encounter the gebli, a hot, dry, sand laden wind which can raise temperatures in a matter of hours to between 400c and  500c and which can last or a few hours or even days.

Flora & fauna

 the only vegetation inland is largely confined to the oases whereby the date palm reigns supreme along with figs and oleander. outside the oases, the acacia tree can sometimes be found providing the only shade in the core of the wilderness. in the coast the well-known Mediterranean flora thrives where large areas are dedicated to the cultivation of olives and citrus fruits.

an astonishing variety of bird life can be detected in Libyan due to the fact that migratory routes of many species are situated in the Libyan territory.

in the desert region the camel is the most common animal that visitors will come across. However, there are still a few herds of gazelle in remote areas and the nocturnal fennec (small fox) can be spotted from time to time.

Lizards, snakes and scorpions are also quite common. travelers should take great care when traveling in the desert due to the poisonous nature of a few species of snakes.

Education

Education is free for all Libyans and virtually all children attend school until the age of 16 many continuing their education to college and university level.

University students often study abroad on state paid grants. Medicine engineering and agriculture are the most popular fields of study.

women are encouraged to continue their education to university level although few study abroad.

Religion

 The Libyan population is almost 100 % Sunni Muslim .

 The religion of the country is almost 100% Sunni Muslim, and Libyans are conservative, though not fundamentalist, ISLAM is kept as a way of life rather than political force.

Society & conduct

 modern Libyans adhere to the tradition of Muslim society which revolves around the family life. a visitor's overall impression of Libya is one of modest amount of material comfort but with none of the flashy wealth of some oil-rich countries. as a result there is none of the general hassle towards tourists that you find in other north Africa or middle-east countries, for example locals begging for money, or hustling you to buy something during the visits of Souks or markets.

in fact an offer of payment for small kindness would probably cause offence to a Libyan. Also haggling over prices in markets in not common in Libya.

Libyans are very friendly to tourists but it is best to dress conservatively, for example short skirt and tight tops should be avoided, trousers, long shorts for both sexes will be okay, and ladies should cover their heads when visiting the mosques.

Language

Arabic is the official language in Libya.

a few people speak English in the main centers and some of the older generation speak Italian.

 Some Berber groups, notably in the jebel nafus, still speak their own language . the tuaregs in the south in addition to Arabic also speak tifinagh (aslo known as tamashek(

Visa arrangements:

 tourist visa to Libya requires a letter of invitation from a Libyan travel agency, the requirements for the letter are, occupation of the client, and passport information (full name, date & place of birth, passport number, date of issue and expiry, place of issue.

A copy of the letter will be sent to our embassy or consulate in your city, and another copy of the letter will be sent to the client in order to apply for the visa.

Money & currency

 the unit currency is the Libyan Dinar (lyd), which equals 1000 dirhams. dinars are issued in 20, 10, 5, 1, 0.5, 0.25 notes. coins are rarely used now days are available in 250, 100, 10, 5, dirhams.

Business hours:

Libya operates an Islamic working week, with Friday as the day off, government offices work from 8 am to 2 pm.

 Time: Libya is gmt/utc plus two hours