ABSTRACT
Libya is located in North Africa between longitudes 9°50′E-25°E and latitudes 18°45′N-33°N and bounded to the north by the Mediterranean Sea, to the east by Egypt, to the west by Tunisia and Algeria, and to the south by Sudan, Chad, and Niger. Its area is approximately 1,775,500 sq. km. and comprises four regions: Tarabulus (Tripolitania) in the northwest, Benghazi (Cyrenaica) in the northeast, Sabha (Fazzan) in the southwest, and Al Khalij (Syrtica) in the mid-North and Southeast. The capital city is Tarabulus (Tripoli). The Tarabulus region consists of a coastal plain area, the Jifarah, which rises southward to Jabal Nafusah , up to 300 m (984 ft) in height. The Sabha region consists of a series of east-west depressions and some large oases. In the extreme south, the Tibesti Mountains rise to a height of 3000 m (9843 ft). The Benghazi region consists of a small narrow coastal plain less than 30 km wide, and the terraces of the Al Jabal Al Akhdar (Green Mountains) (Fig. 11.1). The terraces rise to heights of 882 m (2894 ft) and slope southward into the Benghazi Pain; this area includes the Marmarica Plateau which extends into Egypt. Benghazi, the second largest city in the country, is located on the coast in that region. The Al Khalij region consists of a series of undulating plains and low-lying lands. There are a few oases, the Al Kufrah being the largest. Libya has an estimated population of about 6,500,000 (2011) (compared to 1,500,000 in 1964). Magnificent ancient Greek and Roman ruins are present in Leptis Magna (Labdah), Ptolemia (Tolmitha) and Cyrene (Shahat) in addition to many prehistoric cites. Tubruq is famous for World War II cemeteries. Prehistoric caves with well-preserved paintings are found in the Ghat area, in the extreme southwest corner of Libya. Circular features, interpreted as impact structures, occur in the Kufrah Basin in Souteast Libya (Schmieder et al., 2009, Ghoneim, 2009) and in the Gilf Kebir area in Southwest Egypt (Paillou et al., 2004) which provide opportunities for impact geology studies.
