General
Information
|
Total Land Area: |
162,150 km2 |
|
Land boundaries: |
1,424 km |
|
Coastline: |
1,148 km |
|
Capital: |
Tunis |
|
Other Large
Cities: |
Sfax, Sousse,
Gabes |
|
Official
Language: |
Arabic |
|
National
Currency Unit: |
Tunisian Dinar
(TND) |
|
National Day: |
March 20 |
Location and
Geography
Tunisia lies at the
Northernmost tip of
Africa. It is
bordered by Algeria
in the West and
Libya in the
South-east. Northern
Tunisia, which is
the most heavily
populated part of
the country, is a
mountainous area
relatively more
fertile. The major
river of Tunisia,
the Majardah, is
also located in the
North. The central
section of the
country is a
semiarid highland.
More in the South,
the landscape
becomes arid and
barren, except for
occasional oases, as
it merges with the
Sahara. The humid
coastal plain in the
East runs between
the Gulfs of
Hammamet and Gabes.
Meadows and pastures
take up about one
fifth of the land
while there are a
few forests and
woodlands. Tunisia’s
climate is temperate
with mild winters
and hot summers.
Demography
|
Population:
|
9.78 million
(2002) |
|
Crude Birth
Rate:
|
18 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Crude Death
Rate:
|
6 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Infant Mortality
Rate:
|
21 per thousand
(2002) |
|
Life Expectancy:
|
Male: 71 years,
Female: 75 years
(2002) |
|
Urban
Population:
|
67.0 percent
(2002) |
|
Adult Literacy:
|
72.10 percent
(2001) |
Economy
Tunisia has a
diversified economy
with agriculture,
mining, energy,
tourism, and
manufacturing as the
important economic
activities.
Petroleum plays an
important role in
the Tunisian
economy. Natural gas
fields are
developing and
promising to produce
substantial
quantities in the
near future. Some of
the natural
resources of the
country are crude
oil, phosphates,
calcium, iron ore,
lead, zinc and salt.
Industrial plants
such as textiles,
paper pulp
manufacture from
esparto grass, steel
milling, oil
refining, automotive
and production of
enriched phosphate
fertilisers have
been established in
the country.
Although a quarter
of the working
population is
employed in
agriculture,
agricultural
production is
limited. Some of the
main crops raised
are wheat, barley,
maize, sorghum,
olives and dates.
Tourism constitutes
the largest source
of foreign exchange
earnings.
|
GDP at Current
Market Prices:
|
21348 million
US$ (2002) |
|
Per Capita GDP:
|
2183 US$ (2002) |
|
Share of Sectors
in GDP:
|
10.0%
Agriculture,
29.0% Industry,
61.0% Services,
(2002) |
|
Total Exports:
|
6799 million US$
(2002) |
|
Total Imports:
|
9528 million US$
(2002) |
|
Major Exports
Items: |
Hydrocarbons,
iron ore, lead,
textiles,
agricultural
products,
phosphate and
chemicals |
|
Major Imports
Items: |
Industrial goods
and equipment,
hydrocarbons,
foodstuffs and
consumer goods |
|
Major Trading
Partners: |
France, Italy,
Germany, Spain
and Libya
|
|
