Libya
Libya is a large, desert country with a population of just 6 million, most of whom live in the cities of the north coast, including the capital, Tripoli. The Romans occupied the northern part of Libya for hundreds of years and built cities that are evident today in the well-preserved ruins at Leptis Magna and elsewhere. More recently, in 1969, Muammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi staged a coup d'etat and took over power in the country. Forty years on, he is still there and still referred to in his official press as 'Brother Leader and Guide of the Revolution'. The Libyan flag is the only national flag in the world with just one colour (green) and nothing else. The country's most dramatic natural scenery is to be found deep within the Libyan Sahara, in the range of mountains known as the Acacus. Here, it is possible to trek on trails used for centuries by nomadic desert-dwellers, seek out ancient rock art and camp under the stars with the Tuaregs and their camels.