Tunisia

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

total:

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

per capita:

295.8 cu m/yr (2001)

• 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

0-14 years:

1.07 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.95 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.96 male(s)/female

total population:

0.99 male(s)/female (2013 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)

• 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

highest court(s):

Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation (organized into civil and criminal chambers and consists of NA judges); note - drafting of a new constitution was begun in February 2012

judge selection and term of office:

• judges nominated by the Higher Magistracy Council (also called the Superior Council of the Judiciary), a 7-member body of judges and prosecutors;
• judges appointed by presidential decree;
• judge tenure NA

subordinate courts:

• Administrative Court;
• Courts of Appeal;
• Housing Court;
• courts of first instance;
• lower district courts;
• military courts

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Kais DARRAGI

chancery:

1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005

telephone:

[1] (202) 862-1850

FAX:

[1] (202) 862-1858

chief of mission:

Ambassador Jake WALLES (since 24 July 2012)

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

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 began 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 has reached about 125 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 (2011)

• broadcast media is mainly government-controlled;
• the state-run Tunisian Radio and Television Establishment (ERTT) operates 2 national TV 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 (1,991 in use)

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) (2011)

total:

19,418 km

country comparison to the world: 112

paved:

14,756 km (includes 357 km of expressways)

unpaved:

4,662 km (2010)

• 20-23 years of age for compulsory service, one year service obligation;
• 18-23 years of age for voluntary service;
• Tunisian nationality required (2012)

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;
• Tunisia's increased number of street children, children working to support their families, and migrants who have fled unrest in neighboring countries are vulnerable to human trafficking;
• Tunisian women recruited into Lebanon's entertainment industry are forced into prostitution on arrival and other Tunisian women are forced into prostitution in Jordan;
• some Tunisian girls employed in domestic work are held in conditions of forced labor

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List - Tunisia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• however, it is making significant efforts to do so;
• the government continues to maintain that human trafficking is not a widespread problem in Tunisia, which undermines awareness campaigns and does not differentiate human trafficking from migrant smuggling;
• prior commitments to enact draft anti-trafficking legislation were not fulfilled, and the government has not developed or implemented procedures to identify proactively trafficking victims;
• the government has assisted an unidentified number of trafficking victims in its shelters for vulnerable groups (2013)