World Factbook
Libya
Dawlat Libiya
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
1,759,540 sq km
water
0 sq km
total
1,759,540 sq km
Climate
Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior
Terrain
mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions
Land use
other
91.2% (2023 est.)
forest
0.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
8.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 7.6% (2023 est.)
Location
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria
Coastline
1,770 km
Elevation
lowest point
Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m
highest point
Bikku Bitti 2,267 m
mean elevation
423 m
Irrigated land
4,700 sq km (2012)
Major aquifers
Nubian Aquifer System, North Western Sahara Aquifer System, Murzuk-Djado Basin
Map references
Africa
Land boundaries
total
4,339 km
border countries
Algeria 989 km; Chad 1,050 km; Egypt 1,115 km; Niger 342 km; Sudan 382 km; Tunisia 461 km
Maritime claims
note
note: Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees, 30 minutes north
territorial sea
12 nm
exclusive fishing zone
62 nm
Natural hazards
hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms
Geography - note
note 1: more than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert note 2: the volcano Waw an Namus lies in south central Libya in the middle of the Sahara; the caldera is an oasis -- the name means "oasis of mosquitoes" -- containing several small lakes that host many species of insects and birds
Natural resources
petroleum, natural gas, gypsum
Area - comparative
about 2.5 times the size of Texas; slightly larger than Alaska
Geographic coordinates
25 00 N, 17 00 E
Population distribution
over 90% of the population lives along the Mediterranean coast in and between Tripoli to the west and Al Bayda to the east; the interior remains vastly underpopulated due to the Sahara and its lack of surface water, as shown in this population distribution map
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Internal (endorheic basin) drainage
Lake Chad (2,497,738 sq km)