 | Capital city: Tripoli, largest city
(main international airport and sea port) |
 | Area: 1759540 square km |
 | National day: 1 September
(anniversary of the 1969 revolution). |
 | Independence: 24 December 1951.
Italian colony until 1942. British and French control until 1951. |
 | Population: 6.4 million as of 2000 |
 | Leader: Col Muammar Gaddafi, born
1942. Head of State since 1969 and Revolutionary Leader since 1977. |
 | Language: Arab official |
 | Currency: Libyan dinars (LD) |