Libya is a former Roman colony situated in central north Africa. Its capital is Tripoli and its major language is Arabic.
It is bordered to the west by Tunisia and Algeria, to the east by Egypt and Sudan, to the south by Chad and Niger, and to the north by the Mediterranean Sea.
Its 2010 population was 6.5 million, according to the United Nations.
Libya's official name is Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.
It was so named by its current leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, who has also implemented a unique form of Islam in the nation. 'Jamahiriya' means 'state of the masses'.
Under the jamahiriya system, people's committees hold power in theory, but in practice they do not challenge Gaddafi's decisions.
Gaddafi came to power in1969, ten years after oil was discovered in Libya.
He overthrew Libya's king when he was just just 27 years old, and has ruled unopposed ever since.
Libya's chief exports are petroleum products, crude oil and natural gas, making it one of Africa's wealthiest nations.
The international community shunned Libya for decades after Abdelbaset al-Megrahi masterminded the bombing of PanAm flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie, killing 270 people.
Libya took responsibility for the attack in 2003, and has since re-entered international politics, heading up the UN Security Council from 2008-2010.
However, Gaddafi's antics in the diplomatic arena - which included tearing up the UN's Declaration of Human Rights at a congress - have earned him few allies.
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