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{
    "localId": "225248075",
    "label": "Central Intelligence Group, Office of Reports and Estimates Report, Number 39, Significant Considerations Regarding the Disposition of the Italian African Colonies",
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    "id": "225248075",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/225248075",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Central Intelligence Group, Office of Reports and Estimates Report, Number 39, Significant Considerations Regarding the Disposition of the Italian African Colonies",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/225248075",
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        "President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration)",
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    "productionDates": [
        {
            "day": 25,
            "logicalDate": "1947-07-25",
            "month": 7,
            "year": 1947
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    "seq": 13,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
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    "ocrText": "ENCLOSURE C\nBACKGROUND IN BRIEF\nI. LIBYA.\n1. Physical Characteristics.\nLibya, located on the south coast of the Mediterranean Sea between\nEgypt and Tunisia on the Mediterranean-Far East supply route, has an area of\n390,000 square miles (six times that of Italy). Its value is in its strategic\nposition and relatively good harbor facilities, since economically it has only\nvery limited agricultural resources, with no known important mineral deposits.\nLibya is divided into three regions, Tripolitania, Cyrenaica and the Libyan\ndesert, including Kufra. Since 80% of the total area is non-productive, pos-\nsibilities for settlement are limited. Of the 78,000 square miles of produc-\ntive area, 58,500 square miles is arid grazing land unsuitable for any other\npurpose; 17,000 square miles used for grazing and uncertain crops of barley in\nscattered patches; and 2,500 square miles suitable for static farming. Such\nfarming is limited to the coastal strips of Tripoli-Misurata, and the plateau\nof Cyrenaica, which are separated by the 400-mile wide strip of desert south\nof the Gulf of Sirte. Owing to the scant rainfall and the geological struc-\nture of the country, water supplies are poor; surface water is almost non-\nexistent, and there are no rivers. Hence development of irrigation is limited.\n2. Population Characteristics.\nThe total population of Libya is 1,061,000, concentrated almost entirely\n(80%) in the productive coastal areas, and decreasing from north to south into\nthe desert. The coastal strip includes the five largest towns, Tripoli, Homs,\nMisurata, Benghasi and Derna, and most of the foreign population. About one-\nthird of the total population is urban and two-thirds rural. Only a very small\nproportion is nomadic. (Even in the southern district of Fezzan there are ap-\nproximately 25,000 settled inhabitants as against 5,000 nomad. ) The Jewish pop-\nulation has been established for generations. The Italian population reached\nits peak (65,000) in 1940.\nPopulation (1946)\nArea\nArab and Berber\nJews\nItalians\nTotal\nMoslems\nTripolitania\n690,000\n26,000\n38,000\n754,000\nCyrenaica\n254,000\n5,000\n---\n259,000\nLibyan Desert\n48,000 (1936)\n--\n--\n48,000\nTOTAL\n992,000\n31,000\n38,000\n1,061,000\n- 11 -"
}