Libya, in full, Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah, nation of northern Africa, comprising the former Italian colonies of Tripolitania, Cyrenaica, and Fezzan. It is bordered to the north by the Mediterranean Sea, to the east by Egypt, to the south-east by the Sudan, to the south by Chad and Niger, to the west by Algeria, and to the north-west by Tunisia. The area of Libya, one of the largest countries in Africa, is 1,759,540 sq km (679,362 sq mi). The capital city is Tripoli.