Libya is an Arab country in North Africa. It lies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The country is bordered by Egypt and Sudan to the east, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west. Tripoli is the capital and largest city of Libya. The vast dry Sahara covers most of Libya, and the country has few natural resources. But the discovery of oil in 1959 injected huge sums of money into the Libyan economy. The Libyan government used part of this wealth to improve agricultural land and provide services to the population. Almost the entire population of Libya is of mixed Arab and Berber ancestry and is Muslim. Until the early 1900s, Libya consisted of three distinct geographic and historical regions. It became a united and independent country in 1951. The official name of Libya is the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. Government Muammar Muhammad al-Gaddafi is the head of state of Libya, but he does not hold any official title. In 1969, Gaddafi led a military revolt that overthrew the ruling monarchy. The Libyan government is based on popular assemblies. All Libyan citizens aged 18 or over can vote and hold public office. About 1,000 local groups elect a representative to the General People's Congress (GPC), which officially heads the national government. The General People's Congress meets annually to review legislation and select members of the General People's Committee, which develops national policy. Libya is divided into 24 political units called bal...