Historically the area of Libya was considered three provinces (or states), Tripolitania in the northwest, Barka (Cyrenaica) in the east, and Fezzan in the southwest. It was the conquest by Italy in the Italo-Turkish War that united them in a single political unit.
Within Libya as many as five different climatic zones have been recognized, but the dominant climatic influences are Mediterranean and Saharan.
At times politically unstable, Libya has never enjoyed the tourism swell that its myriad cultural, historical and natural attractions merit. One potential tourist calling card lies in the country's colorful festivals.