1987 Edition

Boundary disputes

none; maritime dispute with Libya

Climate

temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; hot, dry desert in south year round

Coastline

1,148 km

Comparative area

about the size of Missouri

Environment

deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Land boundaries

1,408 km total

Land use

20% arable land; 10% permanent crops; 19% meadows and pastures; 4% forest and woodland; 47% other; includes 1% irrigated

Special notes

strategic location in central Mediterranean; only 144 km from Italy across the Strait of Sicily; borders Libya on east

Terrain

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

Territorial sea

12 nm

Total area

200 km__ See See regional mop VII

163,610 km?; land area: 155,360 km?

Ethnic divisions

98% Arab, 1% European, less than 1% Jewish

Infant mortality rate

83/1,000 (1983)

Labor force

1.9 million, 32% agriculture; 15%-25% unemployed; shortage of skilled labor

Language

Arabic (official); Arabic and French (commerce)

Life expectancy

men 60, women 63

Literacy

about 62%

Nationality

noun—Tunisian(s); adjective—Tunisian

Organized labor

about 360,000 members claimed, roughly 20% of labor force; General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT), quasi-independent of Destourian Socialist Party

Population

7,561,641 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 2.33%

Religion

98% Muslim, 1% Christian, less than 1% Jewish

Administrative divisions

23 governorates

Branches

executive dominant; unicameral legislative (National Assembly) largely advisory; judicial, patterned on French and Koranic systems

Capital

Tanis

Communists

a small number of nominal Communists, mostly students

Elections

national election held every five years; last election held 2 November 1986 Political parties and leaders: Destourian Socialist Party is official ruling party; two small parties—Movement of Social Democrats and Movement of Popular Unity— legalized in 1983; Communist Party legalized in 1981

Government leaders

Habib BOURGUIBA, President (Prime Minister since 1956, President since 1957, President for Life since November 1974); Rachid SFAR, Prime Minister (since July 1986)

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

Member of

AfDB, Arab League, AIOEC, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB—islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, 1LO, International Lead and Zinc Study Group, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, 100C, ITU, 1WC—lInternational Wheat Council, NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OIC, Regional Cooperation for Development, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 June

Official name

Republic of Tunisia

Suffrage

universal over age 21

Type

republic

Voting strength

1986 election non-competitive; over 95% Destourian Socialist Party, 3.2% Social Democrats, under 1% Movement of Popular Unity, under 1% Communist Party

Agriculture

not food self-sufficient; main crops—cereals (barley and wheat), olives, grapes, citrus fruits, and vegetables

Budget

(1985 est.) total revenues, $3.04 billion; operating budget, $2.5 billion; capital budget, $1.2 billion

Electric power

1,502,000 kW capacity; 3,820 million kWh produced, 510 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$1.6 billion (f.0.b., 1985); 40% hydrocarbons, 18% agricultural, 18% phosphates and chemicals

Fiscal year

calendar year

GNP

$9.0 billion, $1,250 per capita (1985 est.); 63% private consumption, 16.5% government consumption, 30.5% gross fixed capital formation; real growth rate, 4.6% (1985)

Imports

$2.9 billion (c.i.f., 1985); 57% industrial goods, 13% hydrocarbons, 12% food, 18% other

Major sectors

agriculture, manufacturing, mining (phosphate), energy (petroleum, natural gas), services (transport, telecommunications, tourism, government)

Major trade partners

France, Italy, FRG, US Tourism and foreign worker remittances: $780 million (1985)

Monetary conversion rate

1.14 Tunisian dinars (TD)=US$1 (7 May 1986)

Natural resources

oil, phosphates, iron, ore, lead, zinc

Airfields

31 total, 29 usable; 13 with permanent-surface runways; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 8 with runways 1,220-2,489 m

Civil) air

15 major transport aircraft

Highways

17,700 km total; 9,100 km bituminous; 8,600 km improved and unimproved earth

Pipelines

797 km crude oil; 86 km refined products; 742 km natural gas

Ports

5 major, 14 minor; 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants terminal

Railroads

2,089 km total; 508 1.435-meter km standard gauge; 1,586 km 1.000-meter gauge, 18 km 1.000-meter gauge double track

Telecommunications

the system is above the African average; facilities consist of open-wire lines, multiconductor cable, and radio relay; key centers are Safaqis, Sisah, Bizerte, and Tinis; 233,000 telephones (3.1 per 100 popl.); 18 AM, 4 FM, 14 TV stations; 4 submarine cables; ARABSAT satellite back-up control station; coaxial cable to Algeria; radio-relay to Algeria, Libya, and Italy

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 31 December 1986, $308.5 million; 10.6% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 1,800,000; 1,036,000 fit for military service; 83,000 reach military age (20) annually