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The State ofLibya, situated along theMediterraneanSea on Africas northern coast, shares borders with Egypt, Sudan,Chad, Niger, Algeria and Tunisia. Inhabited by its native Berber population since the Bronze Age, the region has variously been ruled by Persians, Egyptians and the Roman and Ottoman Empires. Its capital city of Tripoli is home to more than one million of the nations roughly six million residents.

Libyaemerged as an independent kingdom in 1951 after serving as a key battleground in World War II. Its relatively poor economy was given a major boost in 1958 with the discovery of petroleum. To this day, oil accounts for some 80 percent of the nations gross domestic product andLibyacontinues to boast the largest proven reserves in Africa.

In 1969 a group of officers led by 27-year-old Col Muammar el-Qaddafi ousted King Idris I in a coup. Qaddafi would remainLibyas de facto absolute ruler for more than 40 years, establishing a policy of Arab nationalism and a unique, if erratic, admixture of socialist policies and anti-Communist principles.

Qaddafi was pushed from power by a popular revolt in 2011 amid Arab Spring uprisings across the Middle East.He was killed the same year following a six-month struggle between loyalists and rebel militias that eventually gained significant military support from NATO.

The country has since struggled to attain stability, with a weak and divided central government failing to curtail the power of rival armed militias. This instability was punctuated in September 2012, when Islamist militants executed a deadly surprise attack on the American embassy in Benghazi, claiming the life of US Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens.

Keep up to date on breaking news in Libya and explore our extensive archive below.

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Libya - The New York Times

Libya is literally covered by the Sahara Desert. The only exception is the narrow 1200 mile coastline bordering the Mediterranean Sea, where almost 80% of its population resides. Once part of the Roman province of New Africa, it was subsequently controlled by the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. In modern times it was occupied by the British and French, but since 1969, the country is led by the government of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi.

In total, there are six distinct historical periods of Libya: Ancient Libya, the Roman era, the Islamic era, Ottoman rule, Italian rule, and the Modern era.

Archaeological evidence suggests that Libya's coastal plain was once inhabited by nomadic hunters and herders around the thirtieth millennium BC. This culture prospered until 2000 BC as the desert began expanding, thus forcing the population to migrate into the Sudan.

Eventually the Berbers arrived in North Africa, and settled much of the region from Egypt to the Niger Basin.

Tripoli, the ancient capital city, was designed by the Romans, and remains one of the most exotic destinations on the planet. They conquered the region around Tripoli (Tripolitania) in 106 BC, and unified all three of Libya's provinces into the single Africa proconsularis.

Libya flourished under Roman ruling, and experienced a golden age during the 2nd century AD. Tripoli remained wealthy and prosperous for over 400 years, and grew to be a major exporter of olive oil.

An army of 40,000 Arabs conquered the area in 647 AD, and integrated Libya into the Abbasid dynasty by the year 750.

Although the Abbasid dynasty managed to restore order and bring a measure of prosperity to the region, the economic and political stability of Libya began to slowly collapse.

The beginning of the 16th century marked a period of minimal central authority within Libya, and its waterways grew into a haven for pirates. The Ottomans arrived in the mid-1500s, and Libya was divided into three provinces: Algiers, Tripoli, and Tunis.

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Libya Map / Geography of Libya / Map of Libya - Worldatlas.com

About Libya

The United States Government is committed to working with the Libyan people to build a democratic and prosperous future.

In the aftermath of the Libyan revolution, USAID programs focused on bolstering key political and economic elements of Libyas transition to a stable, prosperous democracy. The programs included emphasis on supporting civil society and media organizations to inform the public about political transition processes; building links between the government and its citizens and promoting justice, reconciliation and economic opportunity. Today despite Libyas political and security instability, USAID maintains its existing programming focused on strengthening the ability of the countrys representative governing bodies, independent institutions and civil society. USAID is helping Libyans as they navigate their transition to build a democratic and prosperous Libya that is a capable of utilizing its human, financial and natural resources for the benefit of all Libyans.

USAID is particularly focused on engaging marginalized populations, including youth, women and minorities, and increasing opportunities for their voices and interests to be heard in critical decision-making processes that will shape Libyas future.

Last updated: April 16, 2016

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Libya | U.S. Agency for International Development

[Updated 12:13 p.m. ET] CNN's chief Washington correspondent, Jake Tapper, says he wasn't surprised that Clinton became emotional when she recalled calling the families of the two State Department personnel who died in Benghazi - Ambassador Chris Stevens and computer expert Sean Smith.

"A lot of diplomatic people, we dont perceive hem in this country as necessarily putting their lives at risk - we think, oh, they work for the State Department, their job is not as dangerous. And its not true," Tapper said. "And people like Secretary Clinton have now learned that firsthand. The other point to take is, from sources close to her, this really did take a very, very, strong emotional toll on her. In addition to an exhausting job, I think probably its all part and parcel of the exhaustion weve seen that shes been suffering.

[Updated 12:05 p.m. ET] CNN's chief Washington correspondent, Jake Tapper, sums up the criticism that Clinton received from some Republicans on the Senate panel this morning:

"Republicans were focused on two areas of criticism. One, of course, (was) the fact that the administration - specifically the United Nations Ambassador Dr. Susan Rice - initially in the Sunday show appearances ... (gave the view that) this was not a terrorist attack, this was a spontaneous protest because of that anti-Islam video, which of course turns out not to have been the case.

"And a lot of senators - Ron Johnson and John McCain especially - focused on why were these talking points false. Specifically, Johnson said that Dr. Rice was purposefully misleading the American public. Dr. Rice, of course, has said she was not - that she was merely using the talking points provided by the intelligence community, and that there was no effort to mislead. She was providing as much information as she knew at the time.

"The other area where there was significant criticism, of course, came from Sen. Rand Paul, who was talking about the lack of accountability - how come nobody was fired? He said that if he had been president at the time ... he would have relieved Secretary Clinton of her job, specifically for not having read all of these cables from on the ground in Libya, of diplomatic personnel requesting more security in the months leading up to the attack."

[Updated 11:37 a.m. ET] This morning's hearing has concluded.

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Libya This Just In - CNN.com Blogs

Official Name: Libya Formerly: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma, Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya short form: Lbiy int'l long form: none int'l short form: Libya

ISO Country Code: ly

Time: Local Time = UTC +2h Actual Time: Fri-June-17 02:02

Country Calling Code: +218

Capital City: Tripoli (pop. est. 1.68 million)

Other Cities: Benghazi (pop. est. 640 000)

Government: Provisional government. The National Transitional Council of Libya was formed by anti-Gaddafi forces to represent Libya in the 2011 Libyan uprising.

Independence: 24 December 1951 (from UN trusteeship). Revolution: 1 September 1969. Constitution: 11 December 1969, amended 2March 1977--established popular congresses and people's committees.

Geography: Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia. Area: 1,759,540 km (679,362 sq. mi., more than three times the size of France) Terrain: Mediterranean coastline, highlands and deserts (90% of Libya) in interior.

Climate: Mediterranean along the coast; dry and extreme hot in desert interior.

People: Nationality: Libyan(s). Population: 6.4 million (includes 0.6 million non-nationals of sub-Saharan Africans living in Libya). Ethnic groups: Berber and Arab 97%; Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians. Religion: Sunni Muslim 97%. Languages: Arabic is the primary language. English, French, and Italian are understood in major cities. Literacy: 82.6%.

Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, gypsum.

Agriculture products: Wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts, soybeans; cattle.

Industries: Petroleum, iron and steel, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement.

Currency: Libyan Dinar (LYD)

Source: GPCT Libya and others.

Libya in Figures Libya key statistical data.

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Libya - Country Profile - Nations Online Project