1988 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1988 (Internet Archive)
Geography
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
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
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
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
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
163,610 km2; land area: 155,360 km2
Total area
200km
Government
Administrative divisions
23 governorates
Branches
executive dominant; unicameral legislative (National Assembly) largely advisory; judicial, patterned on French and Koranic systems
Capital
Tunis
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, IDE— Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, International Lead and Zinc Study Group, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, ITU, IWC— International Wheat Council, NAM, OAPEC, OAU, QIC, 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
Economy
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.o.b., 1985); 40% hydrocarbons, 18% agricultural, 18% phosphates and chemicals
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)
Natural resources
oil, phosphates, iron, ore, lead, zinc