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 defuse rising pressure for a more open political society.

Geographic coordinates: 34 00 N 9 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 163,610 km²
Water: 8,250 km²
Land: 155,360 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Georgia

Land boundaries
Total: 1,424 km
Border countries: (2) Algeria 965 km; , Libya 459 km

Coastline: 1148 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
Extremes 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 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: NA

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

Population: 9,924,742 (July 2003 est.)
Growth rate: 1.09% (2003 est.)
Below poverty line: 6% (2000 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Tunisian
Adjective: Tunisian

Ethnic groups: Arab 98% European 1% Jewish and other 1%

Languages: Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce) French (commerce)

Religions: Muslim 98% Christian 1% Jewish and other 1%

Age structure
0-14 years: 27% (male 1,388,839; female 1,297,313)
15-64 years: 66.6% (male 3,306,782; female 3,299,883)
65 years and over: 6.4% (male 309,103; female 322,822) (2003 est.)

Median age
Total: 26.2 years
Male: 25.7 years
Female: 26.7 years (2002)

Population growth rate: 1.09% (2003 est.)

Birth rate: 16.53 births/1000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate: 5.02 deaths/1000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.6 migrant(s)/1000 population (2003 est.)

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
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.08 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.07 male/female
15-64 years: 1 male/female
65 years and over: 0.96 male/female
Total population: 1.02 male/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 26.91 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 23.71 deaths/1000 live births (2003 est.)
Male: 29.89 deaths/1000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.4 years
Male: 72.77 years
Female: 76.15 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.9 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.04% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 74.2%
Male: 84%
Female: 64.4% (2003 est.)

Country name
Conventional long form: Tunisian Republic
Conventional short form: Tunisia
Local short form: Tunis
Local long form: Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah

Government type: republic

Capital: Tunis

Administrative divisions: 24 governorates; Ariana (Aryanah) Beja (Bajah) Ben Arous (Bin 'Arus) Bizerte (Banzart) Gabes (Qabis) Gafsa (Qafsah) Jendouba (Jundubah) Kairouan (Al Qayrawan) Kasserine (Al Qasrayn) Kebili (Qibili) Kef (Al Kaf) Mahdia (Al Mahdiyah) Manouba (Manubah) 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
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]

International organization participation: ABEDA ACCT AfDB AFESD AL AMF AMU BSEC (observer) 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 OAPEC OAS (observer) OAU OIC OPCW OSCE (partner) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNMEE UNMIBH UNMIK UPU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Hatem ATALLAH
In the us fax: [1] (202) 862-1858
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 862-1850
In the us chancery: 1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,005
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Rust M. DEMING
From the us embassy: Zone Nord-Est des Berges du Lac Nord de Tunis, 2,045 La Goulette, Tunisia
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [216] 71 782-566
From the us fax: [216] 71 789-719

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 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 1997-2001 but slowed to 1.9% in 2002 because of agricultural drought slow investment and lackluster tourism. Increased rainfall portends higher growth levels for 2003 but continued regional tension from the war in Iraq will most likely continue to suppress tourism earnings. Tunisia has agreed to gradually remove barriers to trade with the European Union over the next decade. Broader privatization further liberalization of the investment code to increase foreign investment improvements in government efficiency and reduction of the trade deficit are among the challenges for the future.

Real gdp growth rate: 4.8% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,800 (2002 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 12%
Industry: 32%
Services: 56% (2003 est.)

Agriculture products: olives olive oil grain dairy products tomatoes citrus fruit beef sugar beets dates almonds

Industries: petroleum mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore) tourism textiles footwear agribusiness beverages

Industrial production growth rate: 3.5% (2002 est.)

Labor force
Note: shortage of skilled labor (2001 est.)
By occupation services: 55%
By occupation industry: 23%
By occupation agriculture: 22% (1995 est.)

Unemployment rate: 15.4% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line: 6% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.3%
Highest 10: 31.8% (1995)

Distribution of family income gini index: 41.7 (1995)

Budget
Revenues: $5.2 billion
Expenditures: $5.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.6 billion (2002 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.5% (2002 est.)

Exports: $6.8 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Commodities: textiles mechanical goods phosphates and chemicals agricultural products hydrocarbons
Partners: France 31.3% Italy 21.6% Germany 11.5% Spain 4.8% Libya 4.7% Belgium 4.3% (2002)

Imports: $8.7 billion f.o.b. (2002)
Commodities: textiles machinery and equipment hydrocarbons chemicals food
Partners: France 25.6% Italy 19.5% Germany 8.9% Spain 5% (2002)

Debt external: $13.6 billion (2003 est.)

Exchange rates: Tunisian dinars per US dollar - 1.42 (2002) 1.44 (2001) 1.37 (2000) 1.19 (1999) 1.14 (1998)

Electricity
Production: 10.48 billion kWh (2001)
Production by source fossil fuel: 99.5%
Production by source hydro: 0.5%
Production by source other: 0% (2001)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 9.748 billion kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 1 million kWh (2001)

Natural gas
Production: 2.25 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Consumption: 3.83 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Imports: 1.58 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Proven reserves: 77.16 billion m³ (37,257)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 654,000 (1997)
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

Internet
Country code: .tn
Service providers isps: 1 (2000)
Users: 400,000 (2002)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $356 million (FY99)
Percent of gdp: 1.5% (FY99)

Airports: 30 (2002)
With paved runways total: 14
With paved runways over 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 6
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3 (2002)
With unpaved runways total: 16
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 7
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 7 (2002)

Pipelines: gas 3,059 km; oil 1203 km; refined products 345 km (2003)

Railways
Total: 2,152 km
Standard gauge: 468 km 1.435-m gauge
Dual gauge: 10 km 1.435-m and 1.000-m gauges (three rails) (2002)
Narrow gauge: 1,674 km 1.000-m gauge (65 km electrified)

Waterways: none

Merchant marine
Total: 14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 139,990 GRT/148,394 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 3, chemical tanker 3, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 1 (2002 est.)

Disputes international: none