Access to THE WORLD FACTBOOK 1994 provided courtesy of
the libraries of the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
======================================================
National Trade Data Bank
ITEM ID     : CI WOFACT WO0240
DATE        : Oct 28, 1994
 
AGENCY      : CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
PROGRAM     : WORLD FACTBOOK
TITLE       : World Factbook: Tunisia
 
Source key      : CI 
Program key     : CI WOFACT 
Update sched.   : Annually         
Data type       : TEXT 
End year        : 1994
Date of record  : 19941020
Keywords 3      :  
Keywords 3      : | Tunisia 
 
 
                                  Tunisia
 
 
                                 Geography
 
Location:
     Northern Africa, 144 km from Italy across the Strait of Sicily,
     between Algeria and Libya
Map references:
     Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
     163,610 sq km
land area:
     155,360 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly larger than Georgia
Land boundaries:
     total 1,424 km, Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km
Coastline:
     1,148 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea:
     12 nm
International disputes:
     maritime boundary dispute with Libya; land boundary dispute with
     Algeria settled in 1993
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
Land use:
arable land:
     20%
permanent crops:
     10%
meadows and pastures:
     19%
forest and woodland:
     4%
other:
     47%
Irrigated land:
     2,750 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
     toxic and hazardous waste disposal is ineffective and presents human
     health risks; water pollution from untreated sewage; water scarcity;
     deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
natural hazards:
     NA
 
 
international agreements:
     party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species,
     Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear
     Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed,
     but not ratified - Marine Life Conservation
Note:
     strategic location in central Mediterranean
 
                                  People
 
Population:
     8,726,562 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     1.76% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     23.4 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     4.95 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     -0.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     34.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     72.89 years
male:
     70.85 years
female:
     75.03 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     2.88 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Tunisian(s)
adjective:
     Tunisian
Ethnic divisions:
     Arab-Berber 98%, European 1%, Jewish less than 1%
Religions:
     Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish 1%
Languages:
     Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French
     (commerce)
Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
     65%
male:
     74%
female:
     56%
Labor force:
     2.25 million
by occupation:
     agriculture 32%
 
 
note:
     shortage of skilled labor
 
                                Government
 
Names:
conventional long form:
     Republic of Tunisia
conventional short form:
local long form:
     Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah
local short form:
     Tunis
Digraph:
     TS
Type:
     republic
Capital:
     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
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 Gen. Zine el Abidine BEN ALI (since 7 November 1987);
     election last held 20 March 1994 (next to be held NA); results - Gen.
     Zine el Abidine BEN ALI was reelected without opposition
head of government:
     Prime Minister Hamed KAROUI (since 26 September 1989)
cabinet:
     Council of Ministers; appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
     unicameral
Chamber of Deputies (Majlis al-Nuwaab):
     elections last held 2 April 1989 (next to be held NA March 1994);
     results - RCD 80.7%, independents/Islamists 13.7%, MDS 3.2%, other
     2.4%; seats - (141 total) RCD 141
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),
     Mohammed MOUAADA; five other political parties are legal, including
     the Communist Party
Other political or pressure groups:
     the Islamic fundamentalist party, An Nahda (Rebirth), is outlawed
Member of:
     ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT,
     IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
     INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, NAM,
     OAPEC (withdrew from active membership in 1986), OAS (observer), OAU,
     OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UPU,
     WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Ismail KHALIL
chancery:
     1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone:
     (202) 862-1850
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador John T. McCARTHY
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:
     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. The economy grew rapidly in
     the mid-1980s, GDP growth averaging 5.4% in 1983-85. Following a
     foreign exchange crisis caused by a sharp drop in agricultural output
     and tourism, combined with the oil price collapse in 1986, Tunisia
     inaugurated an IMF-sponsored economic rehabilitation scheme.
     Subsequent government structural reforms have helped liberalize and
     open the economy, and GDP growth has been positive since the start of
     the program. A sharp rebound in tourism from the downturn caused by
     the Gulf war and strong agricultural performance boosted real GDP
     growth to more than 8% in 1992; growth fell back to 2.6% in 1993.
     Further privatization and further improvements in government
     administrative efficiency are among the challenges for the future.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $34.3 billion (1993 est.)
 
 
National product real growth rate:
     2.6% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
     $4,000 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     4.5% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
     16.2% (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
     $4.3 billion
expenditures:
     $5.5 billion, including capital expenditures to $NA (1993 est.)
Exports:
     $4.1 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
     hydrocarbons, agricultural products, phosphates and chemicals
partners:
     EC countries 75%, Middle East 10%, Algeria 2%, India 2%, US 1%
Imports:
     $6.4 billion (c.i.f., 1993)
commodities:
     industrial goods and equipment 57%, hydrocarbons 13%, food 12%,
     consumer goods
partners:
     EC countries 70%, US 5%, Middle East 2%, Japan 2%, Switzerland 1%,
     Algeria 1%
External debt:
     $7.7 billion (1993 est.)
Industrial production:
     growth rate 5% (1989); accounts for about 25% of GDP, including
     petroleum
Electricity:
capacity:
     1,545,000 kW
production:
     5,096 kWh
consumption per capita:
     600 kWh (1992)
Industries:
     petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism,
     textiles, footwear, food, beverages
Agriculture:
     accounts for 16% of GDP and one-third of labor force; output subject
     to severe fluctuations because of frequent droughts; export crops -
     olives, dates, oranges, almonds; other products - grain, sugar beets,
     wine grapes, poultry, beef, dairy; not self-sufficient in food
Economic aid:
recipient:
     US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $730 million; Western
     (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89) $52
     million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $684 million; Communist
     countries (1970-89),  $410 million
Currency:
     1 Tunisian dinar (TD) = 1,000 millimes
 
 
Exchange rates:
     Tunisian dinars (TD) per US$1 - 1.0514 (January 1994), 1.0037 (1993),
     0.8844 (1992), 0.9246 (1991), 0.8783 (1990), 0.9493 (1989)
Fiscal year:
     calendar year
 
                              Communications
 
Railroads:
     2,115 km total; 465 km 1.435-meter (standard) gauge; 1,650 km
     1.000-meter gauge
Highways:
total:
     17,700 km
paved:
     bituminous 9,100 km
unpaved:
     improved, unimproved earth 8,600 km
Pipelines:
     crude oil 797 km; petroleum products 86 km; natural gas 742 km
Ports:
     Bizerte, Gabes, Sfax, Sousse, Tunis, La Goulette, Zarzis
Merchant marine:
     23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 152,683 GRT/199,273 DWT, bulk 6,
     cargo 6, chemical tanker 6, liquefied gas 1, oil tanker 1,
     roll-on/roll-off cargo 2, short-sea passenger 1
Airports:
total:
     31
usable:
     27
with permanent-surface runways:
     14
with runways over 3,659 m:
     0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     9
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     5
note:
     a new airport opened 6 May 1993, length and type of surface NA
Telecommunications:
     the system is above the African average; facilities consist of
     open-wire lines, coaxial cable, and microwave radio relay; key centers
     are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; 233,000 telephones (28
     telephones per 1,000 persons); broadcast stations - 7 AM, 8 FM, 19 TV;
     5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean
     INTELSAT and 1 ARABSAT with back-up control station; coaxial cable and
     microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya
 
                              Defense Forces
 
Branches:
     Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary forces, National Guard
 
 
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 2,229,362; fit for military service 1,281,015; reach
     military age (20) annually 91,941 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
     exchange rate conversion - $618 million, 3.7% of GDP (1993 est.)
 
 
 
===========================================================================
This section of THE WORLD FACTBOOK 1994 produced by the United States
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was derived from the US Dept. of Commerce
Economics and Statistics Division's NATIONAL TRADE DATA BANK (NTDB) CD-ROM,
November, 1994, SuDoc No. C 1.88:994/11/v.1-2 / Presented by Raleigh Muns,
(srcmuns@umslvma.umsl.edu) University of Missouri-St. Louis Libraries.