|
| Background: |
Following
independence from France in 1956,
President Habib BOURGIUBA established a
strict one-party state. He dominated the
country for 31 years, repressing Islamic
fundamentalism and establishing rights for
women unmatched by any other Arab nation.
In recent years, Tunisia has taken a
moderate, non-aligned stance in its
foreign relations. Domestically, it has
sought to diffuse rising pressure for a
more open political society. |
| Location: |
Northern
Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea,
between Algeria and Libya |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
34
00 N, 9 00 E |
| Area: |
total:
163,610 sq km
land: 155,360 sq km
water: 8,250 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly
larger than Georgia |
| Land
boundaries: |
total:
1,424 km
border countries: Algeria 965
km, Libya 459 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous
zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| 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 |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest
point: Shatt al Gharsah -17 m
highest point: Jebel ech
Chambi 1,544 m |
| Natural
resources: |
petroleum,
phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt |
| Land
use: |
arable
land: 19%
permanent crops: 13%
permanent pastures: 20%
forests and woodland: 4%
other: 44% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
3,850
sq km (1993 est.) |
| Environment
- current issues: |
toxic
and hazardous waste disposal is
ineffective and presents human health
risks; water pollution from raw sewage;
limited natural fresh water resources;
deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion;
desertification |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party
to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
Marine Life Conservation |
| Geography
- note: |
strategic
location in central Mediterranean; Malta
and Tunisia are discussing the commercial
exploitation of the continental shelf
between their countries, particularly for
oil exploration |
| Population: |
9,705,102
(July 2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14
years: 28.74% (male 1,440,636;
female 1,348,133)
15-64 years: 65.12% (male
3,157,988; female 3,161,596)
65 years and over: 6.14%
(male 296,930; female 299,819) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.15%
(2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
17.11
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
4.99
deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-0.67
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at
birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.99
male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female
(2001 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
29.04
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 73.92 years
male: 72.35 years
female: 75.62 years (2001
est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.99
children born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.04%
(1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Tunisian(s)
adjective: Tunisian |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Arab
98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1% |
| Religions: |
Muslim
98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1% |
| Languages: |
Arabic
(official and one of the languages of
commerce), French (commerce) |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 66.7%
male: 78.6%
female: 54.6% (1995 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: Republic of Tunisia
conventional short form:
Tunisia
local long form: Al
Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah
local short form: Tunis |
| Government
type: |
republic |
| Administrative
divisions: |
23
governorates; Ariana (Aryanah), Beja (Bajah),
Ben Arous (Bin 'Arus), Bizerte (Banzart),
El Kef (Al Kaf), Gabes (Qabis), Gafsa (Qafsah),
Jendouba (Jundubah), Kairouan (Al Qayrawan),
Kasserine (Al Qasrayn), Kebili (Qibili),
Mahdia (Al Mahdiyah), Medenine (Madanin),
Monastir (Al Munastir), Nabeul (Nabul),
Sfax (Safaqis), Sidi Bou Zid (Sidi Bu Zayd),
Siliana (Silyanah), Sousse (Susah),
Tataouine (Tatawin), Tozeur (Tawzar),
Tunis, Zaghouan (Zaghwan) |
| Independence: |
20
March 1956 (from France) |
| National
holiday: |
Independence
Day, 20 March (1956) |
| Constitution: |
1
June 1959; amended 12 July 1988 |
| Legal
system: |
based
on French civil law system and Islamic
law; some judicial review of legislative
acts in the Supreme Court in joint session |
| Suffrage: |
20
years of age; universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief
of state: President Zine El
Abidine BEN ALI (since 7 November 1987)
head of government: Prime
Minister Mohamed GHANNOUCHI (since 17
November 1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
appointed by the president
elections: president elected
by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 24 October 1999 (next
to be held NA 2004); prime minister
appointed by the president
election results: President
Zine El Abidine BEN ALI reelected for a
third term without opposition; percent of
vote - Zine El Abidine BEN ALI nearly 100% |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral
Chamber of Deputies or Majlis al-Nuwaab
(182 seats; members elected by popular
vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 24
October 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: percent of
vote by party - RCD 92%; seats by party -
RCD 148, MDS 13, UDU 7, PUP 7, Al-Tajdid
5, PSL 2; note - reforms enabled
opposition parties to win up to 20% of
seats; the opposition increased number of
seats from 19 to 34 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Court
of Cassation or Cour de Cassation |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Al-Tajdid
Movement [Adel CHAOUCH]; Constitutional
Democratic Rally Party (Rassemblement
Constitutionnel Democratique) or RCD
[President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI
(official ruling party)]; Liberal Social
Party or PSL [Mounir BEJI]; Movement of
Democratic Socialists or MDS [Khamis
CHAMMARI]; Popular Unity Party or PUP
[Mohamed Belhaj AMOR]; Unionist Democratic
Union or UDU [Abderrahmane TLILI] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
the
Islamic fundamentalist party, Al Nahda
(Renaissance), is outlawed |
| International
organization participation: |
ABEDA,
ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, BSEC
(observer), CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAS
(observer), OAU, OIC, OPCW, OSCE
(partner), UN, UN Security Council
(temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief
of mission: Ambassador Hatem
ATALLAH
chancery: 1515 Massachusetts
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone: [1] (202) 862-1850 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief
of mission: Ambassador Rust M.
DEMMING
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
description: |
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 |
| Economy
- overview: |
Tunisia
has a diverse economy, with important
agricultural, mining, energy, tourism, and
manufacturing sectors. Governmental
control of economic affairs while still
heavy has gradually lessened over the past
decade with increasing privatization,
simplification of the tax structure, and a
prudent approach to debt. Real growth
averaged 5.5% in the past four years, and
inflation is slowing. Growth in tourism
and increased trade have been key elements
in this steady growth. Tunisia's
association agreement with the European
Union entered into force on 1 March 1998,
the first such accord between the EU and
Mediterranean countries to be activated.
Under the agreement Tunisia will gradually
remove barriers to trade with the EU over
the next decade. Broader privatization,
further liberalization of the investment
code to increase foreign investment, and
improvements in government efficiency are
among the challenges for the future. |
| GDP: |
purchasing
power parity - $62.8 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
5%
(2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing
power parity - $6,500 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
14%
industry: 32%
services: 54% (1999 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
6%
(2000 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest
10%: 2.3%
highest 10%: 30.7% (1990) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
3%
(2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
2.65
million (2000 est.)
note: shortage of skilled
labor |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
services
55%, industry 23%, agriculture 22% (1995
est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
15.6%
(2000 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$7.5 billion
expenditures: $8.1 billion,
including capital expenditures to $1.6
billion (2000 est.) |
| Industries: |
petroleum,
mining (particularly phosphate and iron
ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, food,
beverages |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
4.1%
(2000 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
9.173
billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil
fuel: 99.2%
hydro: 0.8%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
8.677
billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
19
million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
165
million kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
olives,
olive oil, grain, dairy products,
tomatoes, citrus fruit, beef, sugar beets,
dates, almonds |
| Exports: |
$6.1
billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
textiles,
mechanical goods, phosphates and
chemicals, agricultural products,
hydrocarbons |
| Exports
- partners: |
Germany
28%, France 22%, Italy 17%, Belgium 5%,
Libya 4% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$8.4
billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery
and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals,
food |
| Imports
- partners: |
France
23%, Germany 23%, Italy 15%, Belgium 3%
(1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$13
billion (2000 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$933.2
million (1995); note - ODA, $90 million
(1998 est.) |
| Currency: |
Tunisian
dinar (TND) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Tunisian
dinars per US dollar - 1.3753 (January
2001), 1.4667 (November 2000), 1.1862
(1999), 1.1387 (1998), 1.1059 (1997),
0.9734 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar
year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
654,000
(1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
50,000
(1998) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: above the African
average and continuing to be upgraded; key
centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and
Tunis; Internet access available
domestic: trunk facilities
consist of open-wire lines, coaxial cable,
and microwave radio relay
international: 5 submarine
cables; satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat;
coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to
Algeria and Libya; participant in
Medarabtel; two international gateway
digital switches |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM
7, FM 20, shortwave 2 (1998) |
| Radios: |
2.06
million (1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
26
(plus 76 repeaters) (1995) |
| Televisions: |
920,000
(1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.tn |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1
(2000) |
| Internet
users: |
110,000
(2000) |
| Railways: |
total:
2,168 km
standard gauge: 471 km
1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,687 km
1.000-m gauge
dual gauge: 10 km 1.000-m and
1.435-m gauges (three rails) (2001) |
| Highways: |
total:
23,100 km
paved: 18,226 km
unpaved: 4,874 km (1996) |
| Pipelines: |
crude
oil 797 km; petroleum products 86 km;
natural gas 742 km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Bizerte,
Gabes, La Goulette, Sfax, Sousse, Tunis,
Zarzis |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
15 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
149,554 GRT/156,861 DWT
ships by type: bulk 2, cargo
4, chemical tanker 3, liquefied gas 1,
petroleum tanker 1, short-sea passenger 3,
specialized tanker 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
15
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
17
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 7 (2000 est.) |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
|
