Tunisia

• mountains in north;
• hot, dry central plain;
• semiarid south merges into the Sahara

total:

2.64 cu km/yr (14%/4%/82%)

per capita:

261 cu m/yr (2000)

• toxic and hazardous waste disposal is ineffective and poses health risks;
• water pollution from raw sewage;
• limited natural freshwater resources;
• deforestation;
• overgrazing;
• soil erosion;
• desertification

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Marine Life Conservation

• strategic location in central Mediterranean;
• Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration

noun:

Tunisian(s)

adjective:

Tunisian

at birth:

1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.07 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.86 male(s)/female

total population:

1.01 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

conventional long form:

Tunisian Republic

conventional short form:

Tunisia

local long form:

Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah

local short form:

Tunis

name:

Tunis

geographic coordinates:

36 48 N, 10 11 E

time difference:

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

• 1 June 1959;
• amended 1988, 2002;
• note - the newly formed Constituent Assembly is charged with writing a new constitution

• mixed legal system of civil law, based on the French civil code, and Islamic law;
• some judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint session

chief of state:

President Moncef MARZOUKI (since 13 December 2011)

head of government:

Prime Minister Hamadi JEBALI (since 14 December 2011)

cabinet:

Prime Minister JEBALI was asked to form a new government on 14 December 2011; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• president elected by Constituent Assembly;
• election last held on 12 December 2011(next to be held NA);
• prime minister appointed by the president

election results:

President MARZOUKI elected by Constituent Assembly with 153 of 156 votes

elections:

note - following the 2010-2011 political revolution in Tunisia, a 217-member "Constituent Assembly" was elected on 23 October 2011

election results:

percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - al-Nahda 89, CPR 29, Popular Petition 26, FDTL 20, PDP 16, PDM 5, The Initiative 5, Afek Tounes 4, PCOT 3, other minor parties each with fewer than three seats 20

• Afek Tounes [Emna MINF];
• al-Nahda (The Renaissance) [Rachid GHANNOUCHI];
• Congress Party for the Republic or CPR [Moncef MARZOUKI];
• Democratic Forum for Labor and Liberties or FDTL (Ettakatol) [Mustapha Ben JAAFAR];
• Democratic Modernist Pole or PDM (a coalition);
• Democratic Socialist Movement or MDS;
• Et-Tajdid Movement [Ahmed IBRAHIM];
• Green Party for Progress or PVP [Mongi KHAMASSI];
• Liberal Social Party or PSL [Mondher THABET];
• Movement of Socialist Democrats or MDS [Ismail BOULAHYA];
• Popular Petition (Aridha Chaabia) [Hachemi HAMDI];
• Popular Unity Party or PUP [Mohamed BOUCHIHA];
• Progressive Democratic Party or PDP [Maya JERIBI];
• The Initiative [Kamel MORJANE] (formerly the Constitutional Democratic Rally or RCD);
• Tunisian Workers' Communist Party or PCOT [Hamma HAMMAMI];
• Unionist Democratic Union or UDU [Ahmed INOUBLI]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Mohamed Salah TEKAYA

chancery:

1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005

telephone:

[1] (202) 862-1850

FAX:

[1] (202) 862-1858

chief of mission:

Ambassador Gordon GRAY

embassy:

Zone Nord-Est des Berges du Lac Nord de Tunis 1053

mailing address:

use embassy street address

telephone:

[216] 71 107-000

FAX:

[216] 71 963-263

• red with a white disk in the center bearing a red crescent nearly encircling a red five-pointed star;
• resembles the Ottoman flag (red banner with white crescent and star) and recalls Tunisia's history as part of the Ottoman Empire;
• red represents the blood shed by martyrs in the struggle against oppression, white stands for peace;
• the crescent and star are traditional symbols of Islam

note: the flag is based on that of Turkey, itself a successor state to the Ottoman Empire

name:

"Humat Al Hima" (Defenders of the Homeland)

lyrics/music:

Mustafa Sadik AL-RAFII and Aboul-Qacem ECHEBBI/Mohamad Abdel WAHAB

note: adopted 1957, replaced 1958, restored 1987; Mohamad Abdel WAHAB also composed the music for the anthem of the United Arab Emirates

agriculture:

18.3%

industry:

31.9%

services:

49.8% (2009 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.3%

highest 10%:

31.5% (2000)

general assessment:

• above the African average and continuing to be upgraded;
• key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis;
• telephone network is completely digitized;
• Internet access available throughout the country

domestic:

• in an effort to jumpstart expansion of the fixed-line network, the government has awarded a concession to build and operate a VSAT network with international connectivity;
• rural areas are served by wireless local loops;
• competition between the two mobile-cellular service providers has resulted in lower activation and usage charges and a strong surge in subscribership;
• a third mobile, fixed, and ISP operator was licensed in 2009 and will begin offering services in 2010;
• expansion of mobile-cellular services to include multimedia messaging and e-mail and Internet to mobile phone services also leading to a surge in subscribership;
• overall fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 100 telephones per 100 persons

international:

• country code - 216;
• a landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable system that provides links to Europe, Middle East, and Asia;
• satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat;
• coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya;
• participant in Medarabtel;
• 2 international gateway digital switches

• broadcast media is mainly government-controlled;
• the state-run Tunisian Radio and Television Establishment (ERTT) operates 2 national television networks, several national radio networks, and a number of regional radio stations;
• 1 TV and 3 radio stations are privately-owned and report domestic news stories directly from the official Tunisian news agency;
• the state retains control of broadcast facilities and transmitters through L'Office National de la Telediffusion;
• Tunisians also have access to Egyptian, pan-Arab, and European satellite TV channels (2007)

total:

2,165 km

country comparison to the world: 68

standard gauge:

471 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge:

1,694 km 1.000-m gauge (65 km electrified) (2010)

total:

19,232 km

country comparison to the world: 111

paved:

12,655 km (includes 262 km of expressways)

unpaved:

6,577 km (2008)

males age 16-49:

2,846,572

females age 16-49:

2,952,180 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

2,397,716

females age 16-49:

2,484,097 (2010 est.)

male:

90,436

female:

87,346 (2010 est.)

current situation:

• Tunisia is a source, destination, and possible transit country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking;
• young girls are forced into domestic servitude, some of whom are subsequently sexually and physically abused

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List - the government did not show evidence of progress in prosecuting and convicting trafficking offenders, proactively identifying or protecting trafficking victims, or raising public awareness of human trafficking;
• the current government has established a National Commission to Combat Trafficking in Persons and is drafting comprehensive counter-trafficking legislation (2011)