Demographics the indigenous population of Libya is mostly Berber and Arab in origin. A substantial minority of the general population consists of foreign workers and their families. Urban residents comprise 86 percent (1997) of the population, making Libya one of the most urbanized countries of North Africa, although some Libyans still live in nomadic or semi nomadic groups.
The population is unevenly distributed, as more than two-thirds live in the more densely settled coastal areas. The ports of Tripoli and Benghazi are the two largest urban areas.
When it became known for its olive oil exports. After the Arab conquest of AD 642, it ceased to exist. Sabratah was designated a World Heritage Site in 1982.

Religion
Islam.

Libraries and Museums
The Government Library and National Archives are located in Tripoli, and the country's largest library, containing more than 300,000 volumes, is affiliated with University of Garyounis in Benghazi. Among the leading museums, which contain mainly antiquities excavated from various ruins, are the Leptis Magna Museum at Al Khums, and the archaeological, natural history, and prehistory museums at Tripoli.

Transportation and Communication
Good roads along the coast connect Tripoli with Tunis, Tunisia, and, through Benghazi and Tobruk, with Alexandria, Egypt. Another road connects Sabha in the deep interior with the coastal roadway. Libyan Arab Airlines provides both local and international flights, and international airlines serve Tripoli and Benghazi, but sanctions prohibited international flights for most of the 1990s. In addition to port facilities at Tripoli, Benghazi, and Tobruk, a new port was opened in Misratah in 1978.

Postal and telecommunication systems of Libya are government owned and operated. Radio communications link the interior with the coastal regions. Libya's 4 daily newspapers, including Al-Fajr al-Jadid published in Tripoli, had a circulation of 71,000 in 1996.

Tripoli
Population: 1,500,000 (1994 estimate)
The capital of Libya, Tripoli is the country's largest city, a principal seaport, and its leading commercial and manufacturing center. Major manufactured goods include processed food, textiles, construction materials, and tobacco products. Tripoli is the site of Alfateh University, the National Archives, and the Government Library. Tripoli boasts an impressive number of museums, including the Natural History Museum, the Archaeological Museum, the Ethnographic Museum, the Epigraphy Museum, and the Islamic Museum. Visitors can also see a Roman triumphal arch erected in honor of Emperor Marcus Aurelius in the 2nd century, the Karamanli and the Gurgi mosques, and a Spanish fortress dating from the 16th century.

The settlement was probably established by the Phoenicians in the 7th century BC as Oea. When Libya was granted independence in 1951, Tripoli and Benghazi became co-capitals of the country; Tripoli was made the sole capital in the early 1970s. Since 1963, revenues from foreign petroleum sales have greatly contributed to the development of the city.

Benghazi
Population 800,000 (1994 estimate)
Benghazi lies on the northeast coast of the Gulf of Sidra, in northern Libya. Located on a railroad, the city has considerable caravan trade with the interior.
In addition to farming, sponge and tuna fishing are important occupations. Sponges, hides, and wool are the chief exports.
The University of Garyounis is located in the city. Benghazi was the site of the ancient Greek colony Hesperides.


Misratah
The third largest city in Libya, Misratah is the capital of Misurata Governorate. An old section characterized by narrow streets complements a spacious modern section with gardens and tree-lined avenues. Carpets and textiles are major items produced in this coastal city, which dates from the 7th century.


Tobruk
Population: 94,006 (1984)
Lying on the northeastern coast of Libya, Tobruk has one of the finest ports on the Mediterranean Sea, making it an important trade and transportation center. A pipeline carries oil from a major oil field to the port, which ships it on to other parts of the world.
Because of its port, Italian forces captured Tobruk in 1911, and it became part of their African colonial empire. During World War II the city changed hands several times and was the scene of some of the most prolonged fighting in North Africa.
The British captured Tobruk in January 1941. The city was then besieged and bombed by the Italian and German forces, under the direction of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Afrikakorps, until relieved by the British in December. It fell to the Germans in June 1942 but was recaptured in November by the British, led by General Bernard Montgomery, who was later called Montgomery of Alamein, for an offensive he helped launch from Al 'Alamayn, Egypt. Today, gravestones for both Allied and Axis troops line Tobruk's war cemetery .