Tripoli is Libya’s capital and largest city, with a population of about three million people in 2019. It is located northwest of Libya on the edge of the desert, on the point of rocky land projecting into the Mediterranean Sea and forming a bay.

It includes the port of Tripoli and the country’s largest commercial and manufacturing center. It is also the site of the University of Tripoli. The vast Bab al-Azizia barracks, which includes the former family estate of Muammar Gaddafi, is also located in the city. Colonel Gaddafi essentially ruled the country from his residence in these barracks.

Benghazi is a city in Libya. Located on the Gulf of Sidra in the Mediterranean, Benghazi is a major seaport, the second-most populous city in the country, and the largest city in Cyrenaica, with an estimated population of 632,937 in 2019.

A Greek colony named Euesperides had existed in the area from around 525 BC. In the 3rd century BC, it was relocated and refounded as the Ptolemaic city of Berenice. Berenice prospered under the Romans, and after the 3rd century AD, it superseded Cyrene and Barca as the center of Cyrenaica. The town declined during the Byzantine period and had already been reduced to a small village before its conquest by the Arabs. In 1911, Italy captured Benghazi and the rest of Tripolitania from the Ottomans. Under Italian rule, Benghazi witnessed a period of extensive development and modernization, particularly in the second half of the 1930s. The city changed hands several times during World War II and was heavily damaged. After the war, Benghazi was rebuilt and became the co-capital of the newly independent Kingdom of Libya. Following the 1969 coup d’état by Muammar Gaddafi, Benghazi lost its capital status, and all government offices relocated to Tripoli.

Sirte, also spelled Sirt, Surt, Sert, or Syrte, is a city in Libya. It is located south of the Gulf of Sirte, between Tripoli and Benghazi. It is famously known for its battles, ethnic groups, and loyalty to Muammar Gaddafi. Also, due to its development, it was the capital of Libya as Tripoli’s successor after the Fall of Tripoli from 1 September 2011 to 20 October 2011. The Italians established the settlement in the early 20th century at the site of a 19th-century fortress built by the Ottomans. It grew into a city after World War II.

Sabha or Sebha is an oasis city in southwestern Libya, approximately 640 kilometers (400 mi) south of Tripoli. It was historically the capital of the Fezzan region and the Military Territory of Fezzan-Ghadames and is now the capital of the Sabha District. Sabha Air Base, south of the city, is a Libyan Air Force installation home to multiple MiG-25 aircraft.

Al-Khums or Khoms is a city, port, and the de jure capital of the Murqub District on the Mediterranean coast of Libya, with an estimated population of around 202,000. The number of people in the 1984 census was 38,174. Between 1983 and 1995, it was the administrative center of the al-Khums District.