1.
[syn: Tunisia, Republic of Tunisia]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
Tunisia
n 1: a republic in northwestern Africa on the Mediterranean
coast; achieved independence from France in 1956; "southern
Tunisia is mostly desert" [syn: Tunisia, Republic of
Tunisia]
CIA World Factbook 2002:
Tunisia
Introduction Tunisia
--------------------
Background: Following independence from France
in 1956, President Habib BOURGUIBA
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.
Geography Tunisia
-----------------
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the
Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria
and Libya
Geographic coordinates: 34 00 N, 9 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 163,610 sq km
water: 8,250 sq km
land: 155,360 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Georgia
Land boundaries: total: 1,424 km
border countries: Algeria 965 km,
Libya 459 km
Coastline: 1,148 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: 18.67%
permanent crops: 12.87%
other: 68.46% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 3,800 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: toxic and hazardous waste disposal
is ineffective and poses health
risks; water pollution from raw
sewage; limited natural fresh water
resources; deforestation;
overgrazing; soil erosion;
desertification
Environment - international party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: 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
People Tunisia
--------------
Population: 9,815,644 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 27.8% (male 1,412,625;
female 1,320,729)
15-64 years: 65.9% (male 3,234,770;
female 3,233,149)
65 years and over: 6.3% (male
303,093; female 311,278) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.12% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 16.83 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: -0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2002 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: 0.97 male(s)/
female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 27.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.16 years
female: 75.89 years (2002 est.)
male: 72.56 years
Total fertility rate: 1.94 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.04% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ NA
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 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.)
Government Tunisia
------------------
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of
Tunisia
conventional short form: Tunisia
local short form: Tunis
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah at
Tunisiyah
Government type: republic
Capital: Tunis
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, increasing the
number of seats they hold from 19 in
the last election to 34 now
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 the Islamic fundamentalist party, Al
leaders: Nahda (Renaissance), is outlawed
International organization ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF,
participation: AMU, BSEC (observer), CCC, ECA, FAO,
G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ISO, ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM,
OAS (observer), OAU, OIC, OPCW, OSCE
(partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Hatem
ATALLAH
FAX: [1] (202) 862-1858
telephone: [1] (202) 862-1850
chancery: 1515 Massachusetts Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20005
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador Rust M.
US: DEMING
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 Tunisia
---------------
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 5.4% in the past five
years, and inflation is slowing.
Growth in tourism and increased
trade have been key elements in this
steady growth, although tourism
revenues have slowed since 11
September 2001 and may take a year
or more to fully recover. Tunisia's
association agreement with the
European Union entered into force on
1 March 1998, the first such accord
between the EU and a Mediterranean
country. 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 - $64.5
billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.8% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,600
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 13%
industry: 33%
services: 54% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 6% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: 2.3%
percentage share: highest 10%: 31.8% (1995)
Distribution of family income - Gini 41.7 (1995)
index:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.7% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 2.69 million (2001 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: $5.7 billion
expenditures: $6.3 billion,
including capital expenditures of
$1.5 billion (2001 est.)
Industries: petroleum, mining (particularly
phosphate and iron ore), tourism,
textiles, footwear, agribusiness,
beverages
Industrial production growth rate: 5.2% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 10.3 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.03%
hydro: 0.97%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 9.562 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 19 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 2 million kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: olives, olive oil, grain, dairy
products, tomatoes, citrus fruit,
beef, sugar beets, dates, almonds
Exports: $6.6 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: textiles, mechanical goods,
phosphates and chemicals,
agricultural products, hydrocarbons
Exports - partners: France 28%, Italy 21%, Germany 14%,
Belgium 6%, Libya (2000)
Imports: $8.9 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment,
hydrocarbons, chemicals, food
Imports - partners: France 30%, Italy 21%, Germany 11%,
Spain 4%, Belgium (2000)
Debt - external: $11.5 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $933.2 million (1995); note - ODA,
$90 million (1998 est.)
Currency: Tunisian dinar (TND)
Currency code: TND
Exchange rates: Tunisian dinars per US dollar - 1.44
(January 2002), 1.3753 (2001),
1.3707 (2000), 1.1862 (1999), 1.1387
(1998), 1.1059 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Tunisia
----------------------
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: 280,000 (2001)
Transportation Tunisia
----------------------
Railways: total: 2,168 km
standard gauge: 471 km 1.435-m gauge
dual gauge: 10 km 1.000-m and 1.435-
m gauges (three rails) (2001)
narrow gauge: 1,687 km 1.000-m gauge
Highways: total: 23,100 km
paved: 18,226 km
unpaved: 4,874 km (1996)
Waterways: none
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: 16 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 150,710 GRT/162,616 DWT
ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 4,
chemical tanker 4, liquefied gas 1,
petroleum tanker 1, short-sea
passenger 3, specialized tanker 1
(2002 est.)
Airports: 30 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 14
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 16
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 7 (2001)
Military Tunisia
----------------
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary
forces, National Guard
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,806,881 (2002
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 1,597,565 (2002
service: est.)
Military manpower - reaching military males: 105,146 (2002 est.)
age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar $356 million (FY99)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 1.5% (FY99)
GDP:
Transnational Issues Tunisia
----------------------------
Disputes - international: none