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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Libya
Index
Size: About 1,760,000 square kilometers (excluding Aouzou Strip
claimed by Chad) consisting mainly of desert. Land boundaries 4,345
kilometers long and coastline 1,770 kilometers long.
Twelve-nautical- mile maritime claim, including disputed Gulf of
Sidra.
Topography: Main contrast between narrow enclaves of fertile
lowlands along Mediterranean coast and vast expanse of arid, rocky
plains and sand seas to south. Coastal lowlands separated from one
another by predesert zone and backed by plateaus with steep,
north-facing scarps; country's only true mountains, Tibesti, rise
in southern desert. Country has several saline lakes but no
perennial watercourses. Less than 5 percent of territory
economically useful.
Climate: Dominant climate influences Mediterranean Sea and
Sahara Desert. In coastal lowlands, where 80 percent of population
lives, climate Mediterranean, with warm summers and mild winters.
Climate in desert interior characterized by very hot summers and
extreme diurnal temperature ranges. Precipitation ranges from light
to negligible; less than 2 percent of country receives enough
rainfall for settled agriculture.
Data as of 1987
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