Libya

Libya (Arabic: ليبيا‎, Libiya) is a state of Northern Africa, located between the Mediterranean Sea, Tunisia, Algeria, Niger, Chad, Sudan and Egypt. The capital is Tripoli. Libya has 1 759 540 km² and 6 461 454 inhabitants. Its official language is Arabic.

Historically, and since Antiquity, Libya has been viewed as a country located west of Egypt with an imprecise extension. Some ancient Greek authors even called Libya (Λιβύη, Libýē) the part of the African continent stretching between Egypt and the Atlantic Ocean.

The Libyan state is currently divided between:

• Rebel forces supporting the popular uprising that began in February 2011. They control a large part of the country, and are represented by a National Libyan Council.
• The authoritarian state led by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi (more precisely al-Qadhdhafi) since a coup in 1969. Since 1977, it has officially been called the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriyya, where jamahiriyya is a neologism coined by Gaddafi, meaning "state of the masses" (Arabic: الجماهيرية العربية الليبية الشعبية الاشتراكية العظمى, Al Jamahiriyya Al Arabiyya Al Libiyya Ash Shabiyya Al Ishtirakiyya Al Uthma).