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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Libya
Index
Tribal elders in a rural village engage in a traditional
game
Courtesy United Nations
The present population of Libya is composed of several distinct
groups. By far the majority identify themselves as Arabs. Arab
invaders brought the Arab language and culture to Libya between the
seventh to the eleventh centuries, but intermarriage with Berbers
and other indigenous peoples over the centuries has produced so
mixed a strain that few Libyans can substantiate claims to pure or
even predominantly Arab ancestry. These Arabic-speaking Muslims of
mixed Arab and Berber ancestry make up 90 percent of the country's
population. Berbers, other indigenous minority peoples, and black
Africans make up most of the remainder, although small scattered
groups of Greeks, Muslim Cretans, Maltese, and Armenians make up
long-established communities in urban areas.
Data as of 1987
Figure 5. Ethnic Groups
Peoples of Libya
Tribal elders in a rural village engage in a traditional
game
Courtesy United Nations
The present population of Libya is composed of several distinct
groups. By far the majority identify themselves as Arabs. Arab
invaders brought the Arab language and culture to Libya between the
seventh to the eleventh centuries, but intermarriage with Berbers
and other indigenous peoples over the centuries has produced so
mixed a strain that few Libyans can substantiate claims to pure or
even predominantly Arab ancestry. These Arabic-speaking Muslims of
mixed Arab and Berber ancestry make up 90 percent of the country's
population. Berbers, other indigenous minority peoples, and black
Africans make up most of the remainder, although small scattered
groups of Greeks, Muslim Cretans, Maltese, and Armenians make up
long-established communities in urban areas.
Data as of 1987
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