1982 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1982 (Wikisource)
Geography
Area
164,206 km2; 28% arable land and tree crops, 23% range and esparto grass, 6% forest, 43% desert, waste, or urban
Coastline
1,143 km (includes offshore islands)
Land boundaries
1,408 km WATER
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
12 nm (fishing 12 nm exclusive fisheries zone follows the 50-meter isobath for part of the coast, maximum 65 nm)
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
98% Arab, 1% European, less than 1% Jewish
Labor force
4 million, 40% agriculture; 15%-25% unemployed; shortage of skilled labor
Language
Arabic (official), Arabic and French (commerce)
Literacy
about 50%
Nationality
noun—Tunisian(s); adjective—Tunisian
Organized labor
25% of labor force; General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT), quasi-independent of Destourian Socialist Party
Population
6,842,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.7%
Religion
98% Muslim, 1% Christian, 1% Jewish
Government
Branches
executive dominant; unicameral legislative largely advisory; judicial, patterned on French and Koranic systems
Capital
Tunis
Communists
a small number of nominal Communists, mostly students; Tunisian Communist Party legalized in July 1981
Elections
national elections held every five years; last elections 1 November 1981 Political party and leader: Destourian Socialist Party, led by Habib Bourguiba, is official ruling party Voting strength (1981 election): over 95% Destourian Socialist Party; 3.23% Social Democrats, under 1% Popular United Movement, under 1% Communist Party
Government leaders
President Habib BOURGUIBA; Prime Minister Mohamed MZALI
Legal system
based on French civil law system and Islamic law; constitution patterned on Turkish and US constitutions adopted 1959; some judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint session; legal education at Institute of Higher Studies and Superior School of Law of the University of Tunis
Member of
AFDB, Arab League, AIOEC, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, International Lead and Zinc Study Group, IMCO, IMF, IOOC, ISCON, ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Independence Day, 1 June
Official name
Republic of Tunisia
Political subdivisions
17 governorates (provinces)
Suffrage
universal over age 21
Type
republic
Economy
Agriculture
main crops—cereals (barley and wheat), olives, grapes, citrus fruits, and vegetables
Budget
(1980 prelim.) total revenue and grants $2.4 billion; current expenditures $1.7 billion; development expenditures, including capital transfers and net lending, $881 million
Electric power
814,900 kW capacity (1980); 2.428 billion kWh produced (1980), 371 kWh per capita
Exports
$2.2 billion (f.o.b., 1980); 51% crude petroleum, 14% phosphates, 8% textiles
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$8.5 billion (1980 prelim.), $980 per capita; 60% private consumption, 15.3% government consumption, 27.6% investment; average annual growth (1975-80), 7.1%
Imports
$1.1 billion (c.i.f., 1980) Major trade partners: exports—France, Italy, West Germany, Greece Tourism and foreign worker remittances: $622 million (1980)
Major sectors
agriculture; industry—mining (phosphate), energy (petroleum, natural gas), manufacturing (food processing and textiles), services (transport, telecommunications, tourism, government)
Monetary conversion rate
0.51 Tunisian dinar (TD)=US$1
Communications
Airfields
29 total, 26 usable; 12 with permanent-surface runways; 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 10 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
15 major transport aircraft, including 3 leased in
Highways
17,140 km total; 7,940 km bituminous, 660 km gravel; 2,000 km improved earth; 6,540 km unimproved earth
Pipelines
797 km crude oil; 10 km refined products; 372 km natural gas
Ports
4 major, 8 minor
Railroads
2,089 km total; 503 km standard gauge (1.435 m), 1,586 km meter gauge (1.000 m)
Telecommunications
the system is above the African average; facilities consist of open-wire lines, multiconductor cable, or radio relay; key centers are Safaqis, Susah, Bizerte, and Tunis; 145,000 telephones (2.3 per 100 popl.); 4 AM, 3 FM, and 11 TV stations; 3 submarine cables
Military and Security
Military budget
for fiscal year ending 31 December 1981, $261 million; 9% of central government budget
Military manpower
males 15-49, 1,590,000; 887,000 fit for military service; about 77,000 reach military age (20) annually