Since its independence in 1951, Libya has experienced rapid economic and social change. Many of these developments, though dramatic, have not been comprehensively documented until now. One of the problems that Libya has had to face has been the absorption of burgeoning oil revenues, and here the Libyan experience accords with that of other oil-rich states. The country has embarked on ambitious policies based on oil wealth; this book charts the development of traditional agricultural way of life, and the growth of new industrial projects and transport systems. The effect of Libya s new...

Oil revenues have made Libya rich since 1961, when oil exports began. This new wealth has affected all sectors of the economy and especially the agricultural sector; there have been considerable movements of population, changes in the use of land, and, possibly most important, there has been a profound change in the expectations of the Libyan people. Agriculture was the major contributor to GDP before oil and even in 1968 it was still the major sector in terms of employment, occupying 32 per cent of the employed population; as such it has always been given prominence in government...