MONGABAY.COM
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
|
|
Libya
Index
Libya's road network has been considerably expanded since
1978. At that time, Libya had only about 8,800 kilometers of roads,
of which perhaps one-half were paved. However, by 1985 Libya
possessed between 23,000 and 25,600 kilometers of paved roads.
Surfaced roads existed between the north and the southern oases of
Al Kufrah, Marzuq, and Sabha. These roads have done much to end the
isolation of these remote settlements. In particular, the
agricultural projects underway in the desert oases have benefited
from the more efficient crop marketing made possible by these
roads. The National General Company for Roads oversaw all new
construction and maintenance.
The number of vehicles in Libya steadily increased in the 1970s
and early 1980s. By 1985 there were 313,000 automobiles and trucks
in the country, as well as about 70,000 buses. The ratio of
automobile ownership to population was on a par with that of many
West European countries. Urban and interurban bus routes were
maintained by the state-owned General Corporation for Public
Transport.
As of 1985, Libya had no railroads; however, discussions had
been held with China over the possibility of technical assistance
in railway construction. Plans existed for a possible rail link
between the Tunisian rail system and Tripoli. Another possible
project envisioned transporting iron-ore deposits in the Fezzan to
the Misratah iron and steel works via rail. Given Libya's financial
constraints in the mid-1980s, however, prospects for these projects
were not bright.
Libya has had a long history of port congestion. In 1977 the
average waiting time for ships to be unloaded in Tripoli harbor was
24 days. Consequently, since the mid-1970s, port improvements have
been a top priority for the government. These improvements raised
Libya's total dry cargo handling capacity from 10.5 million tons in
1976 to 13.7 million tons in 1980. In 1985 major cargo-handling
ports were located at Tripoli, Benghazi, Tobruk, and Qasr Ahmad
(near Misratah). Projects underway at Tripoli in 1985 were designed
to raise the port's handling capacity to 12.5 million tons a year.
Similar construction projects at the Benghazi port envisioned
expanding its capacity to 3.5 million tons a year. Qasr Ahmad was
equipped to handle about 1.5 million tons a year. Plans for a new
port facility also were being formulated in 1985 to provide
logistical support to the Bouri offshore oil field, which was then
coming into production.
In the mid-1970s, Libya embarked on an ambitious program of
ship acquisition to build up its merchant fleet. However, it failed
to take into account world competition and, by 1977, as much as 70
percent of its total tonnage was idle--the largest such proportion
in the world at that time. Libya has since sold a number of its
tankers and in 1985 owned fourteen oil tankers and eighteen cargo
ships.
Civil aviation in Libya in 1987 was the responsibility of the
Secretariat of Communications, which operated all airports, and the
Civil Aviation Institute, which trained all personnel. The three
internation airports in 1985 were located at Tripoli (Al Aziziyah),
Benghazi (Benina), and Sabha. Smaller airfields were located at
Marsa al Burayqah, Tobruk Ghat, Ghadamis, Al Kufrah, and several
other locations. Most civil air personnel went abroad for training.
Britain suspended its air traffic control training program for
Libyans in 1985, but Pakistan subsequently agreed to train about
seventy-eight Libyan air traffic controllers.
The national air carrier, Libyan Arab Airlines (LAA), was
nationalized in 1973. Possessing only a dozen aircraft in 1977, it
grew rapidly, expanding its fleet to twenty-five aircraft in 1985.
The main aircraft in service were manufactured by Boeing, Hawker
Siddeley, Caravelle, and Fokker. In 1980, LAA carried 1.17 million
passengers. A new carrier called United African Airlines (UAA) was
created in 1985 in association with LAA.
Data as of 1987
Figure 10. Transportation System, 1985
Although the transportation and communications sector was a
relatively unimportant contributor to GDP (5.2 percent in 1984), it
absorbed a large share of the annual development budgets. In 1982
actual expenditure on transportation and communications (including
shipping) comprised 17.5 percent of total development budget
expenditure. Much of this expenditure was oil-sector-related in
that it was designed to lessen oil transport costs and to
facilitate access to hydrocarbon development sites.
Transportation
Libya's road network has been considerably expanded since
1978. At that time, Libya had only about 8,800 kilometers of roads,
of which perhaps one-half were paved. However, by 1985 Libya
possessed between 23,000 and 25,600 kilometers of paved roads.
Surfaced roads existed between the north and the southern oases of
Al Kufrah, Marzuq, and Sabha. These roads have done much to end the
isolation of these remote settlements. In particular, the
agricultural projects underway in the desert oases have benefited
from the more efficient crop marketing made possible by these
roads. The National General Company for Roads oversaw all new
construction and maintenance.
The number of vehicles in Libya steadily increased in the 1970s
and early 1980s. By 1985 there were 313,000 automobiles and trucks
in the country, as well as about 70,000 buses. The ratio of
automobile ownership to population was on a par with that of many
West European countries. Urban and interurban bus routes were
maintained by the state-owned General Corporation for Public
Transport.
As of 1985, Libya had no railroads; however, discussions had
been held with China over the possibility of technical assistance
in railway construction. Plans existed for a possible rail link
between the Tunisian rail system and Tripoli. Another possible
project envisioned transporting iron-ore deposits in the Fezzan to
the Misratah iron and steel works via rail. Given Libya's financial
constraints in the mid-1980s, however, prospects for these projects
were not bright.
Libya has had a long history of port congestion. In 1977 the
average waiting time for ships to be unloaded in Tripoli harbor was
24 days. Consequently, since the mid-1970s, port improvements have
been a top priority for the government. These improvements raised
Libya's total dry cargo handling capacity from 10.5 million tons in
1976 to 13.7 million tons in 1980. In 1985 major cargo-handling
ports were located at Tripoli, Benghazi, Tobruk, and Qasr Ahmad
(near Misratah). Projects underway at Tripoli in 1985 were designed
to raise the port's handling capacity to 12.5 million tons a year.
Similar construction projects at the Benghazi port envisioned
expanding its capacity to 3.5 million tons a year. Qasr Ahmad was
equipped to handle about 1.5 million tons a year. Plans for a new
port facility also were being formulated in 1985 to provide
logistical support to the Bouri offshore oil field, which was then
coming into production.
In the mid-1970s, Libya embarked on an ambitious program of
ship acquisition to build up its merchant fleet. However, it failed
to take into account world competition and, by 1977, as much as 70
percent of its total tonnage was idle--the largest such proportion
in the world at that time. Libya has since sold a number of its
tankers and in 1985 owned fourteen oil tankers and eighteen cargo
ships.
Civil aviation in Libya in 1987 was the responsibility of the
Secretariat of Communications, which operated all airports, and the
Civil Aviation Institute, which trained all personnel. The three
internation airports in 1985 were located at Tripoli (Al Aziziyah),
Benghazi (Benina), and Sabha. Smaller airfields were located at
Marsa al Burayqah, Tobruk Ghat, Ghadamis, Al Kufrah, and several
other locations. Most civil air personnel went abroad for training.
Britain suspended its air traffic control training program for
Libyans in 1985, but Pakistan subsequently agreed to train about
seventy-eight Libyan air traffic controllers.
The national air carrier, Libyan Arab Airlines (LAA), was
nationalized in 1973. Possessing only a dozen aircraft in 1977, it
grew rapidly, expanding its fleet to twenty-five aircraft in 1985.
The main aircraft in service were manufactured by Boeing, Hawker
Siddeley, Caravelle, and Fokker. In 1980, LAA carried 1.17 million
passengers. A new carrier called United African Airlines (UAA) was
created in 1985 in association with LAA.
Data as of 1987
|
|