Area comparison map:

about 2.5 times the size of Texas; slightly larger than Alaska

Land boundaries:
total: 4,339 km
[see also: Land boundaries - total country ranks ]
border countries (6): Algeria 989 km, Chad 1050 km, Egypt 1115 km, Niger 342 km, Sudan 382 km, Tunisia 461 km

Coastline:
1,770 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - territorial sea country ranks ]
exclusive fishing zone: 62 nm
note: Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees, 30 minutes north

Climate:
Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior
More Climate Details

Terrain:
mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions

Elevation:
mean elevation: 423 m
[see also: Elevation - mean elevation country ranks ]
lowest point: Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m
highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, gypsum

Land use:
agricultural land: 8.8% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
arable land: 1% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 0.2% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent crops country ranks ]
permanent pasture: 7.6% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent pasture country ranks ]
forest: 0.1% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 91.1% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
4,700 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Population distribution:
well over 90% of the population lives along the Mediterranean coast in and between Tripoli to the west and Al Bayda to the east; the interior remains vastly underpopulated due to the Sahara and lack of surface water

Natural hazards:
hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms

Environment - current issues:
desertification; limited natural freshwater resources; the Great Manmade River Project, the largest water development scheme in the world, brings water from large aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities; water pollution is a significant problem; the combined impact of sewage, oil byproducts, and industrial waste threatens Libya's coast and the Mediterranean Sea

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:
note 1: more than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert

note 2: the volcano Waw an Namus lies in south central Libya in the middle of the Sahara; the caldera is an oasis - the name means "oasis of mosquitoes" - containing several small lakes surrounded by vegetation and hosting various insects and a large diversity of birds