Tunisia

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

agricultural land:

64.8%;

• arable land 18.3%;
• permanent crops 15.4%;
• permanent pasture 31.1%

forest:

6.6%

other:

28.6% (2011 est.)

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:

1.06 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.94 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.97 male(s)/female

total population:

0.99 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Tunisia

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

chief of state:

President Beji CAID ESSEBSI (since 31 December 2014)

head of government:

Prime Minister Habib ESSID (since 6 February 2015)

cabinet:

selected by the prime minister and approved by the Constituent Assembly

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 23 November and 21 December 2014 (next to be held in 2019);
• following legislative elections, the prime minister is selected by the majority party or major coalition and appointed by the president

election results:

Beji CAID ESSEBSI elected president; percent of vote in runoff - Beji CAID ESSEBSI (Tunisia's Call) 55.7%, Moncef MARZOUKI (CPR) 44.3%

description:

unicameral Chamber of the People's Deputies (217 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)

elections:

initial election held on 26 October 2014 (next to be held in 2019)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - Tunisia's Call 39.6%, al-Nahda 31.8%, UPL 7.4%, Popular Front 6.9%, Afek Tounes 3.7%, CPR 1.8%, other 8.8%;
• seats by party - Tunisia's Call 86, al-Nahda 69, UPL 16, Popular Front 15, Afek Tounes 8, CPR 4, other 17, independent 2

highest court(s):

Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation (organized into civil and criminal chambers and consists of NA judges)

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

• 18 October Group [collective leadership]
• Tunisian League for Human Rights or LTDH [Mokhtar TRIFI]
• Tunisian General Labor Union or UGTT [Hassine ABASSI]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Faycal GOUIA (since 18 May 2015)

chancery:

1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005

telephone:

[1] (202) 862-1850

FAX:

[1] (202) 862-1858

chief of mission:

Ambassador Jacob WALLES (since 24 July 2012)

embassy:

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

mailing address:

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

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:

14.8%

industry:

33.2%

services:

51.7% (2014 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 has also lead 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:

2,173 km (1,991 in use)

standard gauge:

471 km 1.435-m gauge

dual gauge:

8 km 1.435-1.000-m gauge

narrow gauge:

1,694 km 1.000-m gauge (65 km electrified) (2014)

country comparison to the world: 69

total:

19,418 km

paved:

14,756 km (includes 357 km of expressways)

unpaved:

4,662 km (2010)

country comparison to the world: 112

total:

9

by type:

bulk carrier 1, cargo 2, passenger/cargo 4, roll on/roll off 2 (2010)

country comparison to the world: 116

• 20-23 years of age for compulsory service, 1-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 have been forced into prostitution domestically and elsewhere in the region under false promises of legitimate work;
• East and West African women may be subjected to forced labor as domestic servants

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;
• prior commitments to enact draft anti-trafficking legislation have not been fulfilled, but a slightly increased number of trafficking offenders were prosecuted and convicted in 2013 under existing trafficking-related laws;
• the government instituted victim identification procedures and developed a victim referral mechanism, although it was not utilized during the reporting period;
• anti-trafficking awareness campaigns continued to be implemented, and the government worked with an international organization to produce a baseline study on human trafficking in Tunisia (2014)