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Country profile

Libya

State of Libya Β· Northern Africa

UN member

Libya is a country in Northern Africa, with Tripoli as its capital, home to about 7,458,555 people. Libya shares land borders with 6 countries, listed below alongside its flag, currency, calling code and ISO codes.

CapitalTripoli
RegionNorthern Africa
CurrencyLibyan dinar (LYD Ω„.Ψ―)
Calling code+218
ISO codesLY / LBY / 434 ISO 3166-1
Flag emojiπŸ‡±πŸ‡Ύ
Population7,458,555 (2025) World Bank
Area1,759,540 kmΒ²
LanguagesArabic
Internet domain.ly
DemonymLibyan

Bordering countries

πŸ‡©πŸ‡Ώ AlgeriaπŸ‡ΉπŸ‡© ChadπŸ‡ͺπŸ‡¬ EgyptπŸ‡³πŸ‡ͺ NigerπŸ‡ΈπŸ‡© SudanπŸ‡ΉπŸ‡³ Tunisia

What does the flag of Libya mean?

Libya's red, black and green triband was designed by Omar Faiek Shennib and approved by King Idris, and adopted on 24 December 1951. In the designer's own reading, red is the blood sacrificed for the freedom of Libya, black recalls the dark days Libyans lived through under Italian occupation, and green stands for agriculture, the country's primary wealth, and for its future prosperity. The white star and crescent set in the black band refer to the Senussi flag and to King Idris's part in leading the country to independence. The flag was abolished after Gaddafi took power in 1969, and from 1977 Libya flew a plain green banner, the only entirely single-colour national flag in modern use. The 1951 design was restored by the National Transitional Council and recognised by the United Nations on 3 August 2011.

Source: Wikipedia: Flag of Libya

About Libya

Libya, officially State of Libya, is a United Nations member state in Northern Africa. Its capital and seat of government is Tripoli. It shares land borders with 6 countries. The official currency is the Libyan dinar (Ω„.Ψ―), using the code LYD.

Curious about the city itself? See what is the capital of Libya for Tripoli’s own facts and history.

To call Libya from abroad, dial the country code +218. In international standards it is identified by the ISO 3166-1 codes LY (alpha-2) and LBY (alpha-3), which appear in everything from web addresses to shipping labels. As of 2025, its population is around 7,458,555.

Frequently asked questions

What is the capital of Libya?
The capital of Libya is Tripoli.
What currency does Libya use?
Libya uses the Libyan dinar (LYD, symbol Ω„.Ψ―).
What is the country calling code for Libya?
The international dialling code for Libya is +218.
What are the ISO codes for Libya?
Libya has the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code LY, the alpha-3 code LBY and the numeric code 434.
What is the flag emoji for Libya?
The flag emoji for Libya is πŸ‡±πŸ‡Ύ. You can copy it from the top of this page.
What do the colors on the flag of Libya mean?
Libya's red, black and green triband was designed by Omar Faiek Shennib and approved by King Idris, and adopted on 24 December 1951. In the designer's own reading, red is the blood sacrificed for the freedom of Libya, black recalls the dark days Libyans lived through under Italian occupation, and green stands for agriculture, the country's primary wealth, and for its future prosperity. The white star and crescent set in the black band refer to the Senussi flag and to King Idris's part in leading the country to independence. The flag was abolished after Gaddafi took power in 1969, and from 1977 Libya flew a plain green banner, the only entirely single-colour national flag in modern use. The 1951 design was restored by the National Transitional Council and recognised by the United Nations on 3 August 2011.

How Libya compares

Flags with the same colours as Libya

3 other national flags use exactly the same set of colour families (red, green, black). Similar colours are the most common reason flags get mistaken for one another, though colour alone says nothing about layout.

Libya appears in these lists

Population from the World Bank (SP.POP.TOTL); flag, capital, currency, calling code and ISO data from open datasets. Rankings, density and flag colour matches are computed from that same dataset. Full sources and vintage on the data page. Last updated . Report a correction.