Libya

Libya is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa, with the Mediterranean Sea in the north, Egypt in the east, Sudan in the southeast, Chad in the south, Niger in the southwest, Algeria in the west, Tunisia in the northwest, and the maritime border between Malta and Greece. The sovereign state consists of three historical regions: Tripolitania, Fezzan and Cyrenaica. With an area of ​​approximately 700,000 square miles (1.8 million km2), Libya is the fourth largest country in Africa, the second largest in the Arab world, and the Arab League is the 16th largest country in the world after Algeria. Libya has proven to be the tenth largest oil reserve in any country in the world. Tripoli, the largest city and capital, is located in western Libya and is home to more than 3 million of Libya's 7 million people.

Amazighs have lived in Libya since the late Bronze Age as descendants of the Iberomaurisian and Capsian cultures. The Phoenicians established a trading post in western Libya, and ancient Greek settlers established a city-state in eastern Libya. Part of Libya was variously dominated by the Carthaginians, Persians, Egyptians, and Greeks before the entire region became part of the Roman Empire. Libya was an early Christian center. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the region of Libya was mostly occupied by the Vandals until the 7th century, when the invasion brought Islam to the region. In the 16th century, the Spanish Empire and the Knights of St. John occupied Tripoli until the Ottoman Empire began to rule in 1551. Libya was involved in the barbaric wars of the 18th and 19th centuries. The rule of the Ottoman Empire continued until the Italo-Turkish War, which led to the occupation of Italian Libya and the establishment of two colonies, Italian Tripolitania and Italian Cyrenaica (1911–1934), and later Italian territory from 1934 to 1947. Unified in the Libyan colony.

During World War II, Libya was a war zone on the North African Campaign. Since then, Italy's population has declined. Libya became independent as a kingdom in 1951. In 1969, a bloodless military coup led by Mu'ammar Al-Kadafi defeated Idris I, created a republic governed by Kadafi, and began the Cultural Revolution in Libya. Gaddafi ruled until he was defeated and killed in the 2011 Libyan Civil War, and his authority was transferred to the National Assembly. By 2014, two rival authorities claimed to have ruled Libya, destabilized the country and caused a second civil war. Part of Libya was divided between Tobruk and Tripoli-based governments, and various tribal militias and Islamic militias. The two major war parties signed a permanent ceasefire on October 23, 2020, with the Unity Government taking power.

Libya is a member of the United Nations (since 1955), Non-Aligned Movement, Arab League, OIC and OPEC. The official religion of the country is Islam, with 96.6% of Libya's population being Sunni Muslims.