Present-day
Libyans descend almost entirely from the Arabian incursion of the 11th century AD, with a few black Africans from the south and indigenous Berbers in the west. Although traditionally the rural people have been
nomadic shepherds, since the
discovery of oil there has been a drift into the towns. Once one of Italy’s few colonies, Libya was occupied by the British and French during WWII.
Emerging from years of international isolation, Libya’s
beauty and diversity are still relatively unknown and, as a result, the country remains largely
unspoilt by tourism. Visitors
can enjoy exploring the
bustling souks and
Italian streets and squares of
Tripoli and will be amazed by the spectacular remains of the
Roman cities of Leptis Magna and Sabratha, testaments to ancient civilizations.
Tourists also have plenty of opportunity to travel through the vast
Saharan desert and camp amongst great sand seas, while appreciating
Berber hospitality in western Libya.
GeographyLibya consists mostly of huge areas of desert. It shares borders with Tunisia and Algeria in the west and Egypt in the east, while the Sahara extends across the southern frontiers with Niger, Chad and the Sudan. There are almost 2,000km (1,250 miles) of Mediterranean coast, with a low plain extending from the Tunisian border to the Jebel Akhdar (Green Mountain) area in the east. Inland the terrain becomes more hilly. Agriculture has developed mainly on the coast between Zuwarah and Misratah in the west and from Marsa Susa to Benghazi in the east. In the uplands of the old province of Cyrenaica and on Jebel Akhdar the vegetation is more lush. With the exception of the ‘Sand Sea’ of the Sarir Calanscio, and the Saharan mountains of the Sarir Tibesti, there are oases scattered throughout the country.
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