Libya

Introduction

Libya is situated on the coast of North Africa and is the fourth largest country on the continent. It borders with Egypt in the east, Sudan in the southeast, Chad and Niger in the south, Algeria to the west and Tunisia in the northwest and the Mediterranean Sea in the north.

Libya forms part of the North African plateau extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. The highest point is 10,335 ft, a peak in the extreme south. The main geographical areas are Tripolitania, Cyrenaica, and Fezzan. Tripolitania consists of a series of terraces rising slowly from sea level along the coastal plain of the Jafara to sharp escarpments commonly called the Jabal. These are the most important agricultural areas of Tripolitania. South of the Jabal is an upland plateau of sand, scrub and scattered masses of stone. Further south are depressions extending from east to west. Here are found many oases and artesian wells. An upland plateau rising to 2,000 ft gives a rugged coastline to Cyrenaica. This plateau, the Green Mountain (Jabal Akhdar) contains three of Libya's leading cities - Benghazi, El Bayda and Darnah. Further south, the desert is studded with oases such as Jalu and Jaghbub. South of Cyrenaica are the Tibesti Mountains. The Fezzan is largely a series of depressions with occasional oases. There are no perennial rivers in the whole country.

The Africa Guide's recommended Book
		Berlitz Libya Pocket Guide   (amazon.co.uk) - UK covers all the main sights, area by area, in a handy, compact format. Descriptions of tourist attractions include Tripoli's medina, markets and National Museum, the magnificent Roman cities of Leptis Magna and Sabratha, the imposing Greek city of Cyrene and its harbour Apollonia, the Ubari Lakes and rock art of the Fezzan region.

The Africa Guide's recommended Map
		Libya Folded Map   (Maps Worldwide) Published by Institut Geographique National (IGN) - Countries and Cities of the World Road map of Gabon with place name index and town map of Libreville. .