sport 2008 african futsal championship
Muammar Mohammed Abu Minyar Gaddafi ( 20 October 2011 ), commonly known as Colonel Gaddafi , was a Libyan revolutionary , politician , and political theorist . He governed Libya as Revolutionary Chairman of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then as the " Brotherly Leader " of the Great Socialist People ' s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011 . He was initially ideologically committed to Arab nationalism and Arab socialism , but he came to rule according to his own Third International Theory before embracing Pan - Africanism . Born near Sirte , Gaddafi was the son of an impoverished Bedouin goat herder . He became involved in politics while at school in Sabha , later enrolling in the Royal Military Academy , Benghazi . He founded a revolutionary cell within the military ; in 1969 , they seized power from the monarchy of King Idris in a bloodless coup . Gaddafi became Chairman of the governing Revolutionary Command Council ( RCC ); he then abolished the monarchy and proclaimed the Republic , ruling by decree . He implemented measures to remove what he viewed as foreign imperialist influence from Libya , and strengthened ties to Arab nationalist governments , particularly Gamal Abdel Nasser ' s Egypt . He was intent on pushing Libya towards " Islamic socialism ", introducing " sharia " as the basis for the legal system and nationalising the oil industry , using the increased revenues to bolster the military , implement social programs , and fund revolutionary militants across the world . In 1973 , he initiated a " Popular Revolution " with the formation of General People ' s Committees ( GPCs ), purported to be a system of direct democracy , but retained personal control over major decisions . He outlined his Third International Theory that year , publishing these ideas in " The Green Book ". In 1977 , Gaddafi dissolved the Republic and created a new socialist state called the " Jamahiriya " (" state of the masses "), officially adopting a symbolic role in governance . He retained power as military commander - in - chief and head of the Revolutionary Committees responsible for policing and suppressing opponents . He oversaw unsuccessful border conflicts with Egypt and Chad , and his support for foreign militants and alleged responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing led to Libya ' s label of " international pariah ". A particularly hostile relationship developed with the United States and ___MASK88___ , resulting in the 1986 U . S . bombing of Libya and United Nations - imposed economic sanctions . Gaddafi rejected his earlier ideological commitments and encouraged economic privatisation from 1999 , seeking rapprochement with Western nations while also embracing Pan - Africanism and serving as Chairperson of the African Union from 2009  10 . Amid the Arab Spring in 2011 , an anti - Gaddafist uprising broke out in eastern Libya , led by the National Transitional Council ( NTC ) and resulting in the Libyan Civil War . NATO intervened militarily on the side of the NTC , bringing about the government ' s downfall . Retreating to Sirte , Gaddafi was captured and killed by NTC militants . Gaddafi dominated Libya ' s politics for four decades and was the subject of a pervasive cult of personality . A controversial and highly divisive world figure , he was decorated with various awards and lauded for both his anti - imperialist stance and his support for Pan - Africanism and Pan - Arabism . Conversely , he was internationally condemned as a dictator and autocrat whose authoritarian administration violated the human rights of Libyan citizens and supported irredentist movements , tribal warfare , and terrorism in many other nations . Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in both South America and Latin America . As the world ' s fifth - largest country by both area and population , it is the largest country to have Portuguese as an official language and the only one in the Americas . Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east , Brazil has a coastline of . It borders all other South American countries except Ecuador and Chile and covers 47 . 3 % of the continent ' s land area . Its Amazon River basin includes a vast tropical forest , home to diverse wildlife , a variety of ecological systems , and extensive natural resources spanning numerous protected habitats . This unique environmental heritage makes Brazil one of 17 megadiverse countries , and is the subject of significant global interest and debate regarding deforestation and environmental protection . The 2008 African ___MASK47___ Championship took place in Tripoli , Libya from 21 March to 30 March 2008 . The tournament served as a qualifying tournament for the 2008 FIFA ___MASK47___ World Cup in Brazil . The tournament was contested by ten teams , split into two groups of five . Group A will be contested by hosts Libya , along with Cameroon , Morocco , Nigeria and Tunisia , while Group 2 consists of Angola , Egypt , Mozambique , South Africa and Zambia . The matches will be played at two venues in Tripoli : Cortuba and African Union . Ginásio Gilberto Cardoso ( Portuguese : Ginásio do Maracanãzinho ), sometimes called just Maracanãzinho (" Little Maracanã " or " Mini Maracanã "), is an indoor arena located in Maracanã in the north zone of Rio de Janeiro , Brazil . It is used mostly for ___MASK86___ . Its formal name , Ginásio Gilberto Cardoso , honors a former Clube de Regatas do Flamengo president . The capacity of the arena is 11 , 800 and it was opened in 1954 . It stands next to the Maracanã Stadium . The FIFA ___MASK47___ World Cup is the international championship for ___MASK47___ , the indoor version of ___MASK52___ organized by FIFA . The 2008 edition of the FIFA ___MASK47___ World Cup was held in Brazil from September 30 to October 19 . It was the sixth World Championship held under the aegis of football ' s world governing body . The venues were Nilson Nelson Gymnasium in Brasília and Ginásio do Maracanãzinho in Rio de Janeiro . The opening ceremony took place in Brasília with the finals in Rio . For the first and only time , 20 teams participated . The number would increase to 24 starting in 2012 . Latin America is a group of countries and dependencies in the Americas where Romance languages are predominant . The term originated in 19th century France as " Amérique latine " to consider French - speaking territories in the Americas ( Haiti , French Guiana , Martinique , Guadeloupe , Saint Martin , Saint Barthélemy ) along with the larger group of countries where ___MASK82___ and Portuguese languages prevailed . It is therefore broader than the terms Ibero - America or Hispanic America  though it usually excludes French Canada and modern French Louisiana . Tripoli (; Berber : " rables ") is the capital city and the largest city of Libya . Tripoli , with its metropolitan area , has a population of about 1 . 1 million people . The city is located in the northwestern part of Libya on the edge of the desert , on a point of rocky land projecting into the Mediterranean and forming a bay . Tripoli includes the Port of Tripoli and the country ' s largest commercial and manufacturing centre . 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 largely ruled the country from his residence in this barracks .