Federation of Arab Republics

Federation of Arab Republics
اتحاد الجمهوريات العربية Ittiḥād al-Jumhūrīyāt al-‘Arabīyah
1972–1977
Flag Coat of arms
The Federation of Arab Republics in 1972.
Capital		Tripoli (Libya) Cairo (Egypt) Damascus (Syria)
Languages		Arabic
Government		Confederal republic
Legislature		Federal National Assembly
Historical era		Cold War
•	Referenda held	1 September 1971
•	Federation established	1 January 1972
•	Disestablished	19 November 1977
Area
•	1977	2,947,171 km² (1,137,909 sq mi)
Population
•	1977 est.	52,703,600
Density		17.9 /km²  (46.3 /sq mi)
Currency		Libyan dinar Egyptian pound Syrian pound
Preceded by Succeeded by Egypt Syria Libyan Arab Republic Egypt Syria Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Today part of		Egypt  Libya  Syria

The Federation of Arab Republics (Arabic: اتحاد الجمهوريات العربية‎‎ Ittiḥād al-Jumhūrīyāt al-‘Arabīyah) was an attempt by Libya's Muammar Gaddafi to merge Libya, Egypt and Syria in order to create a United Arab state. Although approved by a referendum in each country on 1 September 1971, the three countries disagreed on the specific terms of the merger. The federation lasted from 1 January 1972 to 19 November 1977.

It is not to be confused with the United Arab Republic, which was a single sovereign state uniting Egypt and Syria.

In 1969, Arab nationalist military officers seized power in Libya. The ideological influence of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser over the new Libyan regime was immediately apparent. The administration was immediately recognized by the Arab nationalist regimes in Egypt, Iraq, Sudan and Syria with Egypt sending experts to aid Libya's inexperienced government. Gaddafi propounded Pan-Arab ideas, proclaiming the need for a single Arab state stretching across North Africa and the Middle East. In December 1969, Libya founded the Arab Revolutionary Front with Egypt and Sudan as a step towards political unification, and in 1970 Syria stated its intention to join.