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- #CARD:Tunisia:Geography
- #IMAGE 49 66 TWPCX \maps\Tunisia.PCX
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK Click Here for MAP
- Tunisia
- Geography
-
-
- Location:
- Northern Africa, 144 km from Italy across the Strait of Sicily, between
- Algeria and Libya
- Map references:
- Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
- Area:
- total area:
- 163,610 km2
- land area:
- 155,360 km2
- comparative area:
- slightly larger than Georgia
- Land boundaries:
- total 1,424 km, Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km
- Coastline:
- 1,148 km
- Maritime claims:
- territorial sea:
- 12 nm
- International disputes:
- maritime boundary dispute with Libya; land boundary disputes with Algeria
- under discussion
- Climate:
- temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in
- south
- Terrain:
- mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the
- Sahara
- Natural resources:
- petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt
- Land use:
- arable land:
- 20%
- permanent crops:
- 10%
- meadows and pastures:
- 19%
- forest and woodland:
- 4%
- other:
- 47%
- Irrigated land:
- 2,750 km2 (1989)
- Environment:
- deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
- Note:
- strategic location in central Mediterranean
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:Tunisia:People
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Tunisia
- People
-
-
- Population:
- 8,570,868 (July 1993 est.)
- Population growth rate:
- 1.84% (1993 est.)
- Birth rate:
- 24.24 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
- Death rate:
- 5.04 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
- Net migration rate:
- -0.79 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
- Infant mortality rate:
- 35.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
- Life expectancy at birth:
- total population:
- 72.54 years
- male:
- 70.55 years
- female:
- 74.62 years (1993 est.)
- Total fertility rate:
- 3.02 children born/woman (1993 est.)
- Nationality:
- noun:
- Tunisian(s)
- adjective:
- Tunisian
- Ethnic divisions:
- Arab-Berber 98%, European 1%, Jewish less than 1%
- Religions:
- Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish 1%
- Languages:
- Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce)
- Literacy:
- age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
- total population:
- 65%
- male:
- 74%
- female:
- 56%
- Labor force:
- 2.25 million
- by occupation:
- agriculture 32%
- note:
- shortage of skilled labor
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:Tunisia:Government
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Tunisia
- Government
-
-
- Names:
- conventional long form:
- Republic of Tunisia
- conventional short form:
- Tunisia
- local long form:
- Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah
- local short form:
- Tunis
- Digraph:
- TS
- Type:
- republic
- Capital:
- Tunis
- Administrative divisions:
- 23 governorates; Beja, Ben Arous, Bizerte, Gabes, Gafsa, Jendouba, Kairouan,
- Kasserine, Kebili, L'Ariana, Le Kef, Mahdia, Medenine, Monastir, Nabeul,
- Sfax, Sidi Bou Zid, Siliana, Sousse, Tataouine, Tozeur, Tunis, Zaghouan
- Independence:
- 20 March 1956 (from France)
- Constitution:
- 1 June 1959
- Legal system:
- based on French civil law system and Islamic law; some judicial review of
- legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint session
- National holiday:
- National Day, 20 March (1956)
- Political parties and leaders:
- Constitutional Democratic Rally Party (RCD), President BEN ALI (official
- ruling party); Movement of Democratic Socialists (MDS), Mohammed MOUAADA;
- five other political parties are legal, including the Communist Party
- Other political or pressure groups:
- the Islamic fundamentalist party, An Nahda (Rebirth), is outlawed
- Suffrage:
- 20 years of age; universal
- Elections:
- President:
- last held 2 April 1989 (next to be held NA March 1994); results - Gen. Zine
- el Abidine BEN ALI was reelected without opposition
- Chamber of Deputies:
- last held 2 April 1989 (next to be held NA April 1994); results - RCD 80.7%,
- independents/Islamists 13.7%, MDS 3.2%, other 2.4%; seats - (141 total) RCD
- 141
- Executive branch:
- president, prime minister, Cabinet
- Legislative branch:
- unicameral Chamber of Deputies (Majlis al-Nuwaab)
- Judicial branch:
- Court of Cassation (Cour de Cassation)
- Leaders:
- Chief of State:
- President Gen. Zine el Abidine BEN ALI (since 7 November 1987)
- Head of Government:
- Prime Minister Hamed KAROUI (since 26 September 1989)
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:Tunisia:Government
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Tunisia
- Government
- Member of:
- ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA,
- IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT,
- INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, NAM, OAPEC (withdrew from
- active membership in 1986), OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
- UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
- Diplomatic representation in US:
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Ismail KHELIL
- chancery:
- 1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005
- telephone:
- (202) 862-1850
- US diplomatic representation:
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador John T. McCARTHY
- embassy:
- 144 Avenue de la Liberte, 1002 Tunis-Belvedere
- mailing address:
- use embassy street address
- telephone:
- [216] (1) 782-566
- FAX:
- [216] (1) 789-719
- Flag:
- red with a white disk in the center bearing a red crescent nearly encircling
- a red five-pointed star; the crescent and star are traditional symbols of
- Islam
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:Tunisia:Economy
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Tunisia
- Economy
-
-
- Overview:
- The economy depends primarily on petroleum, phosphates, tourism, and exports
- of light manufactures. Following two years of drought-induced economic
- decline, the economy came back strongly in 1990-92 as a result of good
- harvests, continued export growth, and higher domestic investment. High
- unemployment has eroded popular support for the government, however, and
- forced Tunis to slow the pace of economic reform. Nonetheless, the
- government appears committed to implementing its IMF-supported structural
- adjustment program and to servicing its foreign debt.
- National product:
- GDP - exchange rate conversion - $13.6 billion (1992 est.)
- National product real growth rate:
- 8% (1992 est.)
- National product per capita:
- $1,650 (1992 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices):
- 6% (1992 est.)
- Unemployment rate:
- 15.7% (1992)
- Budget:
- revenues $4.3 billion; expenditures $5.5 billion, including capital
- expenditures of $NA (1993 est.)
- Exports:
- $3.7 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
- commodities:
- hydrocarbons, agricultural products, phosphates and chemicals
- partners:
- EC countries 74%, Middle East 11%, US 2%, Turkey, former USSR republics
- Imports:
- $6.1 billion (c.i.f., 1992)
- commodities:
- industrial goods and equipment 57%, hydrocarbons 13%, food 12%, consumer
- goods
- partners:
- EC countries 67%, US 6%, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, Turkey, Algeria
- External debt:
- $7.7 billion (1992 est.)
- Industrial production:
- growth rate 5% (1989); accounts for about 25% of GDP, including petroleum
- Electricity:
- 1,545,000 kW capacity; 5,096 million kWh produced, 600 kWh per capita (1992)
- Industries:
- petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism, textiles,
- footwear, food, beverages
- Agriculture:
- accounts for 15% of GDP and one-third of labor force; output subject to
- severe fluctuations because of frequent droughts; export crops - olives,
- dates, oranges, almonds; other products - grain, sugar beets, wine grapes,
- poultry, beef, dairy; not self-sufficient in food; fish catch of 99,200
- metric tons (1987)
- Economic aid:
- US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $730 million; Western (non-US)
- countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $5.2 billion; OPEC
- bilateral aid (1979-89), $684 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $410
- million
- Currency:
- 1 Tunisian dinar (TD) = 1,000 millimes
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:Tunisia:Economy
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Tunisia
- Economy
- Exchange rates:
- Tunisian dinars (TD) per US$1 - 0.9931 (February 1993), 0.8844 (1992),
- 0.9246 (1991), 0.8783 (1990), 0.9493 (1989), 0.8578 (1988)
- Fiscal year:
- calendar year
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:Tunisia:Communications
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Tunisia
- Communications
-
-
- Railroads:
- 2,115 km total; 465 km 1.435-meter (standard) gauge; 1,650 km 1.000-meter
- gauge
- Highways:
- 17,700 km total; 9,100 km bituminous; 8,600 km improved and unimproved earth
- Pipelines:
- crude oil 797 km, petroleum products 86 km, natural gas 742 km
- Ports:
- Bizerte, Gabes, Sfax, Sousse, Tunis, La Goulette, Zarzis
- Merchant marine:
- 22 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 161,661 GRT/221,959 DWT; includes 1
- short-sea passenger, 4 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 oil tanker, 6
- chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 6 bulk
- Airports:
- total:
- 29
- usable:
- 26
- with permanent-surface runways:
- 13
- with runways over 3,659 m:
- 0
- with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
- 7
- with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
- 7
- note:
- a new airport opened 6 May 1993, length and type of surface NA
- Telecommunications:
- the system is above the African average; facilities consist of open-wire
- lines, coaxial cable, and microwave radio relay; key centers are Sfax,
- Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; 233,000 telephones (28 telephones per 1,000
- persons); broadcast stations - 7 AM, 8 FM, 19 TV; 5 submarine cables;
- satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 ARABSAT with
- back-up control station; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria
- and Libya
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:Tunisia:Defense Forces
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Tunisia
- Defense Forces
-
-
- Branches:
- Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary forces, National Guard
- Manpower availability:
- males age 15-49 2,164,686; fit for military service 1,244,683; reach
- military age (20) annually 90,349 (1993 est.)
- Defense expenditures:
- exchange rate conversion - $618 million, 3.7% of GDP (1993 est.)
-
- #ENDCARD
-