Topography

Libya is situated in northern Africa, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north. Egypt lies to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, Nigeria to the west and Tunisia to the northwest.

Libya is one of Africa's largest countries, and largely consists of barren rocky and sandy desert, which is part of the Sahara. Along the southern border near Chad rises the rugged mountain range of Tibesti Massif, which contains Libya's highest point, Bette Peak (2,286m; 7,500 feet).

The Libyan seaboard stretches for 1,750km along the Mediterranean coast, from Zuwarah in the west to Al-Bardia in the east. This is the country's most densely populated area. The coastal plain is often marshy.

The north-west region, once known as Tripolitania, rises from the narrow coastal plain in a series of steps until it reaches the Jafara Plain and the Jabal Nafusah Plateau. Land here rises to between 2,000 and 3,000 feet above sea level.

In the north-eastern region, once known as the province of Cyrenaica, the land rises from the coastal plain to the Green Mountains (Jabal al Akhdar) to a height of just under 3,000 feet.