Tunisia

Republic of TunisiaAl Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah

republicIndependence 20 March 1956 (from France)

Tunisia as the 1998 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 98 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalTunis
Position34 00 N, 9 00 E
Area163,610 sq km
LocationNorthern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between
1998

Every edition of Tunisia

Populationas each edition published it
9.38 million July 1998 est. · 8.1m in 1990
Population growth% a year
1.43% 1998 est. · 1.84% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 26.2 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
73.1 years 1998 est. · 72.54 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
2.44 children per woman 1998 est. · 4 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
32.64 deaths per 1,000 live births 1998 est. · 40 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$6,100 1997 est. · $1,650 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
5.6% 1997 est. · 8% in 1993

Geography

Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between | Algeria and Libya

18 fields

Land useshare of 163,610 sq km

arable land 19%permanent crops 13%permanent pastures 20%forests and woodland 4%other 44% (1993 est.)irrigated 3,850 sq km (1993 est.)
Area
163,610sq km
land: 155,360 sq kmwater: 8,250 sq kmslightly larger than Georgia
Coastline
1,148km
contiguous zone: 24 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm
Highest point
1,544m
Jabal ash Shanabilowest point: Shatt al Gharsah -17 m
Land boundaries
1,424km
border countries: Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km

Location

Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya

Geographic coordinates

34 00 N, 9 00 E

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

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

People

15 fields
Population
9,380,404
(July 1998 est.)growth rate: 1.43% (1998 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1998 est.)

Birth
20.07Death
5.06Net migration
-0.73

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1998 est.)73.1
71.72 · 74.58
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1995 est.)66.7%
78.6% · 54.6%
MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Ethnic groups

Arab 98%European 1%Jewish and other 1%

Religions

Muslim 98%Christian 1%Jewish and other 1%

Age structure

0-14 years:
32% (male 1,526,743; female 1,433,503)
15-64 years:
63% (male 2,933,487; female 2,947,189)
65 years and over:
5% (male 275,411; female 264,071) (July 1998 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:
1.04 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate

32.64 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.44 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Tunisian(s)
adjective:
Tunisian

Languages

Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce)

Government

Republic; President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI (since 7 November 1987); Prime Minister Hamed KAROUI (since 26 September 1989)

20 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

97.7%
RCD 97.7%MDS 1.0%others 1.3%last held 20 March 1994 (next to be held NA 1999)

Legislature, 163 seats, elected 20 March 1994one dot, one seat

RCD 144MDS 10others 9

Percent of vote

RCD 97.7%MDS 1.0%others 1.3%

Country name

conventional long form:
Republic of Tunisia
conventional short form:
Tunisia
local long form:
Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah
local short form:
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)

National holiday

National Day, 20 March (1956)

Constitution

1 June 1959; amended 12 July 1988

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 Hamed KAROUI (since 26 September 1989)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections:
  • president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
  • election last held 20 March 1994 (next to be held NA 1999);
  • prime minister appointed by the president
election results:
President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI reelected without opposition; percent of vote-Zine El Abidine BEN ALI 99%

Legislative branch

unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Majlis al-Nuwaab (163 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections:
last held 20 March 1994 (next to be held NA 1999)
election results:
  • percent of vote by party-RCD 97.7%, MDS 1.0%, others 1.3%;
  • seats by party-RCD 144, MDS 10, others 9;
  • note-the government changed the electoral code to guarantee that the opposition won seats

Judicial branch

Court of Cassation (Cour de Cassation)

Political parties and leaders

  • Constitutional Democratic Rally Party (RCD), President BEN ALI (official ruling party);
  • Movement of Democratic Socialists (MDS);
  • five other political parties are legal, including the Communist Party

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 (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MIPONUH, NAM, OAS (observer), OAU, OIC, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Noureddine MEJDOUB
chancery:
1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone:
[1] (202) 862-1850

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Robin L. RAPHEL
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

29 fields
GDP, purchasing power parity
-$56.5billion
purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)
GDP per capita, PPP
-$6,100
purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)
Real growth rate
5.6%
(1997 est.)industrial production growth: 3.5% (1995)

GDP-composition by sector(1996 est.)

agriculture 14%industry 28%services 58% (1996 est.)

Budget

Revenues
$6.3 billionExpenditures
$6.8 billion (1997 est.)
expenditures including capital expenditures to $1.5 billion
Fixed lines
560,000
(1996 est.)

Economy-overview

Tunisia has a diverse economy, with important agricultural, mining, energy, tourism, and manufacturing sectors. Governmental control of economic affairs has gradually lessened over the past decade with increasing privatization of trade and commerce, simplification of the tax structure, and a prudent approach to debt.

Real growth averaged 4.6% in 1992-96 and reached 5.6% in 1997, down from 6.9% in 1996, which benefited from a record cereal crop. Inflation has been moderate. Growth in tourism and increased trade have been key elements in this solid record. 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. Further privatization, the attraction of increased foreign investment, and improvements in government efficiency are among the challenges for the future.

Labor force

total:
2.917 million (1993 est.)
by occupation:
services 55%, industry 23%, agriculture 22% (1995 est.)

note: shortage of skilled labor

Unemployment rate

15% (1997 est.)

Industries

petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, food, beverages

Electricity-capacity

1.414 million kW (1995)

Electricity-production

6.165 billion kWh (1995)

Agriculture-products

olives, dates, oranges, almonds, grain, sugar beets, grapes; poultry, beef, dairy products

Exports

total value:
$5.6 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.)
commodities:
hydrocarbons, textiles, agricultural products, phosphates and chemicals
partners:
EU 80%, North African countries 6%, Asia 4%, US 1% (1996)

Imports

total value:
$7.4 billion (c.i.f., 1997 est.)
commodities:
industrial goods and equipment 57%, hydrocarbons 13%, food 12%, consumer goods
partners:
EU countries 80%, North African countries 5.5%, Asia 5.5%, US 5% (1996)

Debt-external

$10.6 billion (1997 est.)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $221 million (1993)

Currency

1 Tunisian dinar (TD) = 1,000 millimes

Exchange rates

Tunisian dinars (TD) per US$1-1.1612 (January 1998), 1.1059 (1997), 0.9734 (1996), 0.9458 (1995), 1.0116 (1994), 1.0037 (1993)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

Telephone system

the system is above the African average; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis

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 with back-up control station;
  • coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya;
  • participant in Medarabtel

Radio broadcast stations

AM 7, FM 8, shortwave 0

Radios

1,693,527 (1991 est.)

Televisions

1.4 million

Communications-note

Internet access is available through two private service providers licensed by the government

Transportation

8 fields

Merchant marine, 20 ships by typeone square, one ship · (1997 est.)

bulk 5cargo 5chemical tanker 2liquefied gas tanker 1oil tanker 1roll-on/roll-off cargo 2short-sea passenger 3specialized tanker 1

Airports by runway lengthunpaved only

under 914 m
7
total: 17 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 8

Networkskm

Highways
23,100Railways
2,260
Highways: paved: 18,226 km · unpaved: 4,874 km (1996 est.) · Railways: standard gauge: 492 km 1.435-m gauge · narrow gauge: 1,758 km 1.000-m gauge · dual gauge: 10 km 1.000-m and 1.435-m gauges (1993 est.)

Railways

total:
2,260 km
standard gauge:
492 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge:
1,758 km 1.000-m gauge
dual gauge:
10 km 1.000-m and 1.435-m gauges (1993 est.)

Highways

total:
23,100 km
paved:
18,226 km
unpaved:
4,874 km (1996 est.)

Pipelines

  • crude oil 797 km;
  • petroleum products 86 km;
  • natural gas 742 km

Ports and harbors

Bizerte, Gabes, La Goulette, Sfax, Sousse, Tunis, Zarzis

Airports

32 (1997 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 (1997 est.)

Military

Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary forces

7 fields

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary forces

Military manpower-availability

males age 15-49: 2,534,929 (1998 est.)

Military manpower-fit for military service

males: 1,450,442 (1998 est.)

Transnational Issues

1 field

Disputes-international

maritime boundary dispute with Libya; Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration TURKEY

Central Intelligence Agency. “Tunisia.” The World Factbook 1998. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/tunisia/1998.

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