Libya is a country in Africa, with about 7.46 million people (2025) and an area of 1,759,540 square kilometres. Its capital is Tripoli, and it shares land borders with 6 countries.
By Team Geography·Last reviewed
Flag of LibyaLibya in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.
The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Libya's 5, in full.
PLACELens 1 of 5
Africa's Mediterranean giant
Libya is the fourth-largest country in Africa by area, yet over 90 percent of its territory is desert or semi-desert. Nearly all of its roughly seven million people live along a narrow coastal strip on the Mediterranean Sea. The country's geography divides naturally into three historic regions: Tripolitania in the northwest, Cyrenaica in the east, and the vast Fezzan interior to the south. The Gulf of Sidra cuts deep into the coastline, creating a natural boundary between the western and eastern population centers.
More on Gulf of Sidra
This large inlet of the Mediterranean separates Tripolitania from Cyrenaica. It was the site of multiple military confrontations between Libya and the United States in the 1980s, when Muammar Gaddafi claimed it as internal waters.
4 more lenses on Libya in the app
STORY Three regions, one contested state
NOW A fractured state after 2011
THREAD Libya as migration gateway
PLACE Water from beneath the desert
Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.
Compare Libya with another country
Opens the country comparison tool with population, area, income and more side by side, every figure dated.
Common questions
What is the capital of Libya?
The capital of Libya is Tripoli. Tripoli lies at about 32.9 degrees north and 13.2 degrees east. Libya is in Africa. It is home to about 7.46 million people. The world capitals quiz on this site tests every capital, and the printable capitals sheets cover each continent.
What is the population of Libya?
About 7.46 million people live in Libya, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 104th most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 1,759,540 square kilometres, that is about 4.2 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Libya?
Libya shares land borders with 6 countries: Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Niger, Sudan and Tunisia. The map on this page outlines each of them around Libya. The count includes only borders on land, not neighbours across a sea or a lake.
How big is Libya?
Libya covers 1,759,540 square kilometres, or about 679,362 square miles. That makes it the 16th largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 7.46 million gives a density of 4.2 people per square kilometre.
Libya is a country in Africa, with about 7.46 million people (2025) and an area of 1,759,540 square kilometres. Its capital is Tripoli, and it shares land borders with 6 countries.
Capital
Tripoli
Continent
Africa
Population
7,458,555 2025, World Bank. 104th of 195.
Area
1,759,540 km² (679,362 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 16th largest of 195.
Population density
4.2 people per km²
Land neighbours
6: Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Niger, Sudan, Tunisia
Official name
State of Libya
UN status
Member state
PLACE · from the Geography app
Africa's Mediterranean giant
Libya is the fourth-largest country in Africa by area, yet over 90 percent of its territory is desert or semi-desert. Nearly all of its roughly seven million people live along a narrow coastal strip on the Mediterranean Sea. The country's geography divides naturally into three historic regions: Tripolitania in the northwest, Cyrenaica in the east, and the vast Fezzan interior to the south. The Gulf of Sidra cuts deep into the coastline, creating a natural boundary between the western and eastern population centers.
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/libya/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
Geography · Country report
Libya
NameDate
Draw the flag
Colour Libya on the map, then fill in what you find.
Capital
Continent
Population
Area
Languages
Currency
Neighbours
Landmarks
Rivers or mountains
Three things I learned
1
2
3
One question I still have
?
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/libya/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
