Libya facts

Muammar Gaddafi. Beginning in the 1980s Gadaffi travelled with his Amazonian Guard, which was a group of female bodyguards, hand-picked by Gaddafi himself. They reportedly were sworn to a life of celibacy. However, in the latter days of the Libyan civil war, accusations emerged from five members of the Amazonian Guard of rape and other abuse by the upper echelons of the Gaddafi government.

Agricultural fields. This is an astronaut photo of the Al Khufrah Oasis in Libya. The circular shape of fields is characteristic of center pivot irrigation. These fields are approximately 0.6 mile (1 kilometer) in diameter. Lighter colors indicate fields that have been harvested recently or just planted.

Tripoli. The name Tripoli means literally "Three Cities" in Greek. The city is also known as Tripoli-of-the-West (especially in Arabic world), to distinguish it from Tripoli in Lebanon.

In Libya. The ruins of Leptis Magna are located in Khoms, Libya, 130 km east of Tripoli, on the coast where the Wadi Lebda meets the sea. The site is one of best preserved Roman ruins in the Mediterranean.