Libya, a now independent country was once ruled by Italy. Libya gained their independence from Italy in 1951.[1] It took Libya over 400 years to gain its’ independence after the rule of the Ottoman Empire and then Italy. [2] The Ottoman Empire took control of Tripoli first, then the rest of Libya. The years that followed were ones of control being shared and fought over by Italy, Constantinople, and Britain. Europeans were and are still now more interested in Libya. This is most likely due to the location of Libya compared to Europe than to Asia.

 As previously discussed in other posts, Libya had a high amount of crude oil. Libya had had a good relationship with United States through trade, up until the 1980s. This relationship was ruined when Libya began to support Palestine’s military. This all led to the United States bombing some of Libya. There were problems between Libya and Chad, which led to issues between Libya and France, and more issues with the United States. [3] With these disagreements between Libya and other countries, it caused tensions and negatively affected both countries. Libya lost some countries to trade with and the United States were not able to trade with Libya and use their oil. When Libya was first being established there was religious influence from European countries to their north, that migrated, bringing the Muslim faith. This migration of Arabic faith expanded the religion and caused it to spread to other African countries. As of today, other countries are trying to help the Libyan people as much as possible. France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States of America are all trying to protect Libya’s independence.[4] While Libyan government may not be the best to deal with, these other countries are still trying to help the people as much as possible.

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[1] http://literati.credoreference.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/content/entry/cqpresssomedpol/libya

[2] http://site.ebrary.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/lib/liberty/reader.action?docID=10574297&ppg=19

 

[3] http://academic.eb.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/EBchecked/topic/339574/Libya

 

[4] http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2015/05/242135.htm

 

A major natural resource found in Libya is petroleum. In 1956, petroleum was discovered in Libya. The oil reserves in Libya make up three percent of the total amount in the world. Libya did sell oil to European countries. In 1980, there was a decline in sales due to a decline in demand because the amount of oil found in other places were enough. [1] Libya is in competition with other countries for supplying oil, however, Libya is one of those most important African countries that supplies oil.

At one point in time, Libya was producing 1.6 million barrels of oil each day. That number decline in 2014 to 800,000 a day because of rebel groups. This was a big decrease in production and affected Libya negatively.

Libya depends on oil for their economy. In 2010, by exporting oil, $47 billion dollars was made for the treasury. BP, Royal Dutch Shell and Total are among other corporations that are in Libya using their oil. [2]

Not only does the supply and demand, as well as the availability of oil, affect the Libyan economy, but it also affects the entire world. Because Libya has such an impact on the oil industry due to its amount found in the country, it can have effects on other oil. Oil from Libya can affect the prices of all the other countries that trade oil. [3]

  [4]

As mentioned before, there are rebel groups in Libya. These groups of people have been known to cause a decline in the oil market. There are rival groups that protest and fight other groups that are armed as well. They have been known to make demands in political and financial areas. The constant attacks and threats will cause production rates to decline and could essentially ruin the whole Libyan oil export situation. [5]

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[1] http://www.britannica.com/place/Libya

[2] http://journal-neo.org/2015/03/15/rus-liviya-neftyanoj-sektor-pod-pritselom-boevikov/

[3] http://rx9vh3hy4r.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Oil+and+economic+development%3A+Libya+in+the+post-Gaddafi+era&rft.jtitle=Economic+modelling&rft.au=Ali%2C+Issa&rft.au=Harvie%2C+Charles&rft.date=2013-05-01&rft.issn=0264-9993&rft.eissn=1873-6122&rft.volume=32&rft.spage=273&rft.epage=285

[4] http://www.globalresearch.ca/protests-grow-as-western-powers-rival-militias-loot-libyan-oil-industry/5355345

[5] http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/doi/10.1111/j.1467-6346.2015.06568.x/epdf

Like most of the continent of Africa, Libyans take on the religion of Islam.  In Libya, there is no separation of religion and state. The lives of those in Libya are intertwined with religion and nationality. For example, in Thailand they believe in Hinduism. For one to be Thai, is to be Hindu. They are born being told that they are of this religion because of where they live. Just like in Thailand, in Libya, to be Libyan is to be Islamic, in most cases.
[1]
Islam came to be in A.D. 610 when a prophet name Muhammad preached revelations that he claimed to be from Allah, his form of God. In A.D. 622, the religion really took off and Muhammad began to get more and more followers. The Quran is of Muhammad's experience with God. Rules were created and put in the Quran in order to instruct the followers in how to live life. This Islamic religion spread to Libya and other African countries. [2]


Unlike the United States and other countries, there is no freedom of religion in Libya. All Libyans are to take the Islamic faith and abide by it. It is rare to find a Christian in Libya, so there has not been much of an impact from.Libya has the highest amount of Buddhism in all of the northern African countries with 0.3%. [3] There are very few Judaist in Libya, as Islam is 97% of the country's religion. The 3% of other religions in Libya are of immigrants coming from Asian countries.


 [4]


One myth about Islam is that all Islamic people are terrorists. That is untrue. There are certain types of Islam, some more radical than others. Especially in Libya, based on events in the past years, it is easy to think that Islamic Libyans are all awful people but that is a false assumption. I have not read the Quran so I cannot speak for what is written in it, but according to this article, there is a chapter that speaks of peace.[5]




[1]http://africawiki.wikispaces.com/file/view/Libyan_Religions.JPG/34195179/Libyan_Religions.JPG
[2]http://countrystudies.us/libya/50.htm
[3]http://us.wow.com/wiki/Religion_in_Libya
[4]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv4X-RSBMI4yDfYmIg-nGomPXkZu3WqLtfDGqHB9yPgyY_bATRv7E-ViFFYRGTrCIhnNtrwl0KsTp99k1bVEQD3ghxq3ND06iihZz-aT1bKkHtJPCvA93y-BrrZ3HSoKaObf5LnGpWMyTE/s1600/Islam+Symbol+(31).jpg
[5]http://islam.about.com/od/terrorism/f/terrorism.htm

Art And Music

[1] 



Like many other countries, art is found in the country of Libya. 
Libya, however, does have some restrictions.
Artwork in Libya cannot have animals or people represented in pictures because of the main religion of the country, Islam, prohibits it. Artwork can be found in mosques, on embroidery, made by engraving metal and leather work. [2]
 [3]

Libya also has traditional dances that are done. Most symbolize something for those that are participating in the dance. An example of this is the Hagallah, a dance performed by a single girl. The dance is performed at weddings and symbolizes cultural unity. During this dance, a woman dances by herself as men clap. She takes small steps and carries either a handkerchief or a stick. If the woman uses a stick, it must not twist. The dance is a time for the woman to show her beauty and power to the audience. [4] To see an example of Hagallah being performed, click the YouTube link![5]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws0Efn0r07Q

Music is also important to the culture of Libya. Various different types of instruments can be used to create music. A main instrument that is used is the tambourine. Some more of these instruments being used include goblet drums and flutes. Clapping is also a big part of creating music in Libya. [6] Traditional music can refer to specific periods time in Libyan history. One example of this is Andalusi music which is from the Andalus period.[6] To listen to Andalusi performance, click the link below![7]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8d0lx4yEkI
The Andalusi period was a twenty year span between to dynasties. It was a time when foreign merchants were coming to the markets and a weak government was emerging. The music and dance are to reflect that period of time. [8]

Overall, the art and music of Libya is that of cultural and religious significance. It is very involving of all- whether performing or in the audience.







[1]http://www.123rf.com/photo_699375_traditional-ancient-ceramics-libya.html
[2]http://www.britannica.com/place/Libya/Government-and-society#toc279576
[3]http://www.cordoue-prevoste.com/en/
[4]http://www.libyatravelandtours.com/libyan-culture/folklore-dancing/
[5]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws0Efn0r07Q
[6]http://www.libyatravelandtours.com/libyan-culture/music/
[7]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8d0lx4yEkI
[8]https://books.google.com/books?id=cbfORLWv1HkC&pg=PA765&lpg=PA765&dq=what+was+the+andalusi+period+in+libya&source=bl&ots=tZOmEk0fWU&sig=4qxG47aJnSynvubWEZ8uxbBQjl0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjuv8_C_szKAhWG8x4KHWtXBmsQ6AEINjAF#v=onepage&q=what%20was%20the%20andalusi%20period%20in%20libya&f=false

Libya

[1]

Libya is a country in the Northern region of Africa. The official language is Arabic and the official religion is Islam. The capital is Tripoli.
The two largest cities are Tripoli with 1,150,989 people and Benghazi with 650,629 people. [2]
Tripoli is located at 32° 53' 33" N / 13° 10' 48" E.
Benghazi it located at 32° 7' 0" N / 20° 4' 0" E. [3]
[4]
Libya has two different climates. In the summer months it is very hot and dry and in the winter it is cooler and often rainy. The weather is influenced by the Mediterranean Sea and the Sahara.
The main geographic features are the Mediterranean Sea, Gulf of Sidra and the Sahara. In the Northeast area of Libya there is the Nafusah Plateau, the Al-Jifarah Plain and the Akhdar Mountains.
Libya has annual grasses, but in most areas it is very sparse. In the mountainous region, herds of sheep, goats, and camels can be found. There are also farmers in the lowlands of the country, The agriculture is focused on cereal production. The main product is wheat, along with production of barley and olives. As well as some farming, there is also fishing along the coast of the Mediterranean, mostly in Tripoli. [5]

[6]

In 2013, there was an outbreak of foot and mouth disease. Asia and Africa are two continents where this disease can be easily spread. Foot and mouth disease can be caused by working closely with livestock. Due to these conditions being prominent in Northern Africa, this disease came bout. This was caused by the close watch of livestock that is highly used for food in the grasslands previously discussed.  [7]

[8]
The discovery of oil in Libya changed the county's status on dependence. When oil was found, the country had independence from other countries.Oil is now a large resource being used in Libya as well as by other countries. Libya has the largest amount in Africa. Currently, there is still a lot of debate and fights over who should be using the oil. [9]

[1] https://prezi.com/fqol91um_nh-/libya/
[2]http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/libya-population/major-cities-in-libya/
[3]http://www.travelmath.com/cities/Benghazi,+Libya
[4]http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/libya/lylatlog.htm
[5]http://www.britannica.com/place/Libya
[6]https://www.pinterest.com/TheLibyan/libya/
[7]http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/tbed.12299/full
[8]http://www.econmatters.com/2011/04/red-herring-libya-oil-export-offline.html
[9]http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2015/02/battle-libyas-oil-150219124633572.html