Although not as fortunate as its neighboring countries, Tunisia does have several substantial petroleum deposits. Tunisia has the best example of a democratic government in North Africa due to its constitution of 1959 that deemed it a free, independent and sovereign country. The middle and southern parts of the country are virtually unpopulated due to the Libyan desert, which is a part of the Sahara desert. Libya has claimed the Gulf of Sidra and the Azou strip without approval from other countries. Libya was an agricultural society until the discovery of petroleum in the late 1950's, which significantly boosted their economy.
Agriculture accounts for only a small percentage of Libya's yearly domestic product.
Petroleum is the leading product and main source of revenue. A portion of the profits are used to support revolutionary Arab-Islamic causes abroad. The U.S. bombed Libya in 1986 due to their repeated confrontations concerning the Gulf of Sidra, and the speculation of their nuclear and chemical weapons production. The Western Sahara includes the Sanhuiet el-Hamra region in the north and the Wadi ed Dahab region in the south. It has an area of 284,000 square kilometers, which is roughly half the size of France.