The security situation in Libya is very difficult. Armed fighting is ongoing in large parts of the country and the terrorist threat is high. Norwegians located in Libya are encouraged to leave the country. The Norwegian authorities’ ability to provide consular assistance to Norwegian nationals is extremely limited.
Country data
Area: 1,775,500 km2 (world rank: 16)
Residents: 6,375,000
Population density: 4 per km2 (as of 2017, world rank: 108)
Capital: Tarabulus (Tripoli)
Official languages: Arabic
Gross domestic product: no information
Gross national product (GNP, per resident and year): 6540 US$
Currency: 1 Lib. Dinar (LD.) = 1000 Dirham
Embassy
Podbielskiallee 42, 14195 Berlin
Telephone 030 2005960,
Fax 030 20059699www.libyschebotschaft.de
Government
Head of State: Presidential Council, Head of Government: Fayez as-Sarraj, Outside: Mohamed Taha Siala
National Day: 17.2. (Anniversary of the revolution of 2011)
Administrative division
Structure in preparation
State and form of government
Constitution in preparation; internationally recognized unity government based on the Libyan Political Agreement 2015
Population of: Libyans, last census 2006: 5,657,692
Arabs; Minorities of Berbers (Tuareg, Nilosaharans, etc.), Egyptians, Black Africans
Cities (with population): (as of 2006) Tarabulus (Tripoli) 1,228,187 residents, Banghazi (Benghazi) 670,797, Misratah (Misrata) 507,069, Az-Zawiyah 318,726, Sabha 250,404, Ajdabiya 108,771, Al-Khums 103,743
Religions: 97% Muslim (Sunnis); Minority of Christians (Copts, etc.), Hindus, Baha’i, Buddhists, Jews, etc. (status: 2006)
Languages: Arabic; Berber and Nilo-Saharan languages Employed
By economic sector: no information
Unemployment (in% of all economically active persons)
no information
Inflation rate (in%): 2017: 28.0%
Foreign trade: Import: 11.7 billion US $ (2017); Export: 15.6 billion US $ (2017)
Safety
The security situation in Libya was further aggravated through 2019. Fighting is taking place between various factions, including in the capital Tripoli. The terrorist threat is high. The security situation shows no signs of improvement.
Large parts of the country are controlled by militias, including Isil/ Daesh-affiliated extremists. A large number of weapons are in circulation after the revolution and additional weapons and explosives are still flowing into the country.
The threat to foreigners is high, both in terms of the risk of being hit by martial law, terrorist attacks and the danger of kidnapping. In addition, war memorials such as mines and undone ammunition pose a risk of accidents.
There is very limited international presence in Libya. Most countries with embassies in Tripoli have temporarily withdrawn personnel from the country. Tripoli airport can be closed at short notice. This means that the Norwegian authorities’ ability to provide consular assistance in Libya is extremely limited. The Norwegian Embassy in Cairo handles all inquiries regarding visa matters and services. For more information see the embassy’s website.
Entry
The Foreign Service is not responsible if the following information on entry regulations or visa requirements is changed at short notice. It is the responsibility of the traveler to ensure that travel documents are valid for entry and to familiarize themselves with the current entry rules for each country.
There is currently an unclear situation in relation to Libya’s visa regulations.
Norwegian citizens must have a visa to travel to Libya. Information regarding visas can be sent to the Libya Embassy in Stockholm:
Embassy of Libya
Valhallavägen 74,
Box 10133,
S-100 55 Stockholm
Sweden
Tel: 46 8 14 34 35
Fax: 46 8 10 43 80
E-mail: libyanembassy06@hotmail.com
Health
The health care system is poorly developed. Due to the current situation in Libya, the health sector is in crisis. In Benghazi and Tripoli, several hospitals are closed and medicines are lacking.
Practical information
Libyan Dinars is a non-convertible currency that can only be exchanged upon arrival in Libya. There are very limited opportunities to withdraw money from ATM ATMs. Only the major hotels in Tripoli take credit cards. According to allcitycodes, Libya area code is +218.
According to Libyan family law, children who have a Libyan father automatically become Libyan citizens. This is true even if one has not applied for Libyan citizenship. This means that underage children with Libyan father who are brought to Libya cannot leave the country without their father’s written consent.
Climate
Despite the size of the country, Libya’s climate has only two main characteristics: a subtropical warm climate zone along the coast and a hot, dry desert climate zone in the interior (by far the larger part).
On the narrow coastal strip on the Mediterranean Sea, mild winters prevail, with some rain falling. On average one receives here 250 to 400 mm of precipitation per year, which corresponds to about 30-50 rainy days, which occur almost exclusively from November to February.
The temperatures during this period are 8–12 ° C at night and 16–20 ° C during the day. Spring is warm, with values between 12 and 16 ° C and 20-28 ° C, with almost no precipitation. Then there is also the time of hot sandstorms (Gibli) from the south, which can bring peak temperatures of up to 43 ° C even in April. The summers are long, very dry and hot with average daily temperatures of 30–33 ° C. During the night, temperatures usually drop to around 20–22 ° C. Autumn is warm and towards the end a little more humid with day and night values of 22-27 and 13-16 ° C, respectively. At this time gibli can appear again, which in turn causes heat waves of 40 ° C. The air humidity is high all year round at 60–75%.
The cities of Tripoli (the capital), Misrata, Surt, al-Baida and Benghazi are also in this climatic zone.
The steppe and desert areas, which start just behind the coast, are characterized by mild winters and very hot summers. There is almost no precipitation all year round (0–5 days of precipitation or 1–35 mm of rain).
In winter, temperatures are around a warm 18–24 ° C during the day, while at night they drop to cool values of 3–8 ° C. In some areas, light frost is quite possible. The humidity is medium at 35–55%.
Spring and autumn are very warm during the day (24–35 ° C, but it can also get hotter), while the nights are still cool (10–18 ° C). Often there are sandstorms that sometimes also reach the coast. The humidity decreases in spring and increases again in autumn. The summers are very hot with dry air (only 20–30% humidity). The daily average temperatures are 38–42 ° C, in the nights between 20 and 26 ° C.
With up to 58 ° C, the Libyan desert areas are considered to have the highest temperatures ever recorded in the world. In the city of Ghadamis on the Tunisian border, the maximum values for a full five months (May to September) are 50 ° C and above. The desert climate applies to cities such as Ghat, Ghadamis, Kufra and Sabha, which despite their distance from one another have very similar climatic conditions.