Libya’s biggest geographical disadvantage is its lack of freshwater resources. There are no permanent rivers or lakes to speak of. Instead, it has wadis—dry riverbeds that occasionally fill with water after rare rainstorms, only to evaporate quickly. These conditions make Libya one of the driest nations on Earth.
Most of the country’s rainfall is concentrated in a tiny sliver along the coast, which makes up less than 5% of Libya’s total area. Even there, average annual rainfall is just around 4 inches. In the interior, rain is practically nonexistent, falling in brief, heavy showers at the end of winter and early spring. That’s it.
Unsurprisingly, most of the population clusters in cities along the coast, where water is at least somewhat available. According to data from 2020, nearly 80% of Libyans lived in urban areas—roughly 5.4 million people out of a total population of 6.8 million. In rural regions, people survive in small pockets—mainly around oases—using traditional irrigation methods for farming. But water access remains a constant struggle.
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