With very little in the way of natural water sources within the country including zero rivers tributaries or lakes, drought is frequently a problem. Despite this, Libyans manage what little natural resources they have. Sandstorms frequently create havoc throughout the dry and arid desert interior. Libya is a land greatly affected by the ever-altering shape of the mighty Sahara's sands, and huge areas are in danger of being overpowered by this great natural force. In fact, 90% of Libya is comprised of semi or actual desert. Date-palm fringed oases and crumbling Greek and Roman architecture are amongst the other features of this country.

Although there is very little in the way of rain within the interior of Libya, the North facing Mediterranean coast receives a supply of rains between October and March. The wettest area of Libya is Jebel Akhdar, owing to the fact that the land elevation is higher, at times rising to heights of 500m above sea level. Average temperatures are a good deal cooler along the coastal strip of Libya, whereas the other side of the spectrum occurs within the interior, with temperatures sometimes in the region of 50°C.

The main economical contributor to Libya is oil. Although this makes the country affluent to some extent, poor agricultural conditions mean that Libya cannot feed itself. This means that it has to import 75% of its food supply from outside sources. Other industries include petroleum, textile manufacturing and handicrafts. The unit of currency for Libya is the Libyan Dinar.

Libya has no rail network, although there are plans for the construction of a railroad in the future. For the time being though, this means that travel within the country must be by road. There are approximately 24,000km of highway within the country, of which only 7000km are paved. Along the Northern Coast, sea ports include Tripoli, Banghazi and Misratah.