Due to the lack of natural barriers, the climate is greatly influenced by the desert to the south and the Mediterranean Sea to the north. The coastal regions have a Mediterranean climate with moderate temperatures and enough rain during the winter months for grain farming. In Tripoli average temperatures are 30^oC (86^oF) in summer and 8^oC (46^oF) in winter; annual precipitation averages 380 mm (15 in) and falls mainly in winter. Semiarid conditions predominate in the AL MARJ and JAFFARA plains, and in the southern deserts frequent periods of drought occur. A scorching wind called the "GHIBLI" which is a hot, very dry, sand laden wind which can raise the temperatures in a matter of hours to between 40^o and 50^oC, occasionally blows into the usually humid coastal towns is a cultural and geographic bridge firstly between Egypt and the Arabian lands to the East, the mashreq and the territory of the Arab W, the maghreb. Secondly, Libya acts as a link between the Miditerranean/Europe and Saharan Africa. The arabic spoken in Libya is generally different from the French-influenced Arabic of the Maghreb with its quite separate accent and dialect from the Arabic of the Nile valley.

Libya. Warm sun, warm hearts. A great country with a great history, a country of breathtaking beauty. High mountain chains are just one of the beauties of its fabulous landscape with green fields and sun-drenched Mediterranean beaches. The desert, watered by magnificent oases, extends far into Africa. Fabulous villages and cities scattered amongst meadows, with oases everywhere. Historical monuments forests, towering mountains... and a warm Libyan Arab welcome.

The country has known its ups and downs, but the historical monuments are a testimony of the great Libyan civilization of old. Look at the engravings of the AKAKUS mountains, the drawings in the MATCHANDOUSH caves. The cities of JARMA, ZAKAKRA, and SABHA' in the south, and the historical city of GHIRZA in the centre. Libya has played host to many civilizations, and has enriched civilization in its turn, with writings, drawings and engravings in the caves of TADRART mountains, and archaeological treasures from ATAFT. The Phoenician, Roman, and Byzantine ports of TRIPOLI, SABRATAH, LIBDAH, SHAH'HAT, SUSAH, TUKRAH, and TALMITHA. The old Islamic cities such as SIRT, DARNAH, and AJDABIYA, and other cities in the heart of the desert, including GHADAMES, ZUWAYLAH, JALU, OJLA, GHAT, and FEZZAN. Not forgetting the places and fortresses of GHARYAN, MIZDAH, AL-QARYAT, YIFRAN, JADU, NALUT, MISALLATAH, and AWINAT.

Take the highway east to the magnificent cities of the Green Mountain: DARNAH with its falls and splendid coast; AL BAYDA', a quiet city high up in the mountains; ancient SHAH'HAT (Cyrene) and beautiful SUSAH (Apollonia), TULMAYTHAH, TUKRAH, RA'S AL HILAL.... Libya offers you two thousand kilometers of splendid beaches, and some beautiful small cities each with its typical architecture and special characteristics, like AUWARAH, TUBRUQ, MISRATAH, AZ ZAWIYAH, AL-KHUMS, and ZLITAN. In WADI ASH SHATI, the plain of AWAYNAT, BRAK, MURZUQ, and the oases of AL KUFRAH, ZALLAH and BAZIMAH. Then cool off in AL BAYDA' or near AL MARJ, or on the plain of DARNAH.

As you go further and further into the desert, all you meet are waves and waves, "the great sand sea", but then there are the refreshing oases. The history, the monuments and tales told by the locals make this place unique. It is a feast for the senses... The jewel of the desert is GHADAMES, a melange of natural beauty, important monuments and a distinctive architectural style for which it is famous.