Part of the country series of articles.
TRAVEL ADVISORY: EXERCISE HEIGHTENED CAUTIONPARSTATE advises travellers to exercise heightened caution in Libya. The political situation is opaque to outside observers and the treatment of foreign nationals has been inconsistent. Commonwealth consular services have limited capacity in Tripoli and travellers should register prior to arrival.
| Great Socialist People's Libyan Jamahiriya | |
|---|---|
| Jamahiriya | |
 |
|
| Capital | Tripoli |
| Languages | Arabic, Tamazight, Italian |
| Population | 6,800,000 |
The Great Socialist People’s Libyan Jamahiriya is a North African state governed according to a theory of direct popular authority called the Jamahiriya – a state of the masses, in which conventional government is formally abolished in favour of people’s congresses and committees at every administrative level. In practice, authority remains concentrated in the leadership that devised the system, which acts as the primary interpreter and guardian of Jamahiriya principles. Political dissent is not expressed openly.
Libya separated from the Maghreb Federation approximately half a century ago. It participates in the Non-Aligned Movement and maintains relations with Vekllei, the Balkan Federation and India, though its broader international engagement is limited. Oil revenues fund both the sponsorship of liberation movements across Africa and the Arab world and domestic infrastructure and social programmes that have raised living standards significantly since independence.