1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south
Coastline
1,148 km
Comparative area
slightly larger than Georgia
Disputes
maritime boundary dispute with Libya
Environment
deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Land boundaries
1,424 km total; Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km
Land use
arable land 20%; permanent crops 10%; meadows and pastures 19%; forest and woodland 4%; other 47%; includes irrigated 1%
Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
crude oil, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt
Note
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 the Sahara
Total area
163,610 km2; land area: 155,360 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
26 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish less than 1%
Infant mortality rate
38 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
2,250,000; agriculture 32%; shortage of skilled labor
Language
Arabic (official); Arabic and French (commerce)
Life expectancy at birth
70 years male, 74 years female (1991)
Literacy
65% (male 74%, female 56%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun--Tunisian(s); adjective--Tunisian
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
about 360,000 members claimed, roughly 20% of labor force; General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT), quasi-independent of Constitutional Democratic Party
Population
8,276,096 (July 1991), growth rate 2.1% (1991)
Religion
Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish less than 1%
Total fertility rate
3.3 children born/woman (1991)
Government
Administrative divisions
23 governorates (wilayat, singular--wilayah); Al Kaf, Al Mahdiyah, Al Munastir, Al Qasrayn, Al Qayrawan, Aryanah, Bajah, Banzart, Bin Arus, Jundubah, Madanin, Nabul, Qabis, Qafsah, Qibili, Safaqis, Sidi Bu Zayd, Silyanah, Susah, Tatawin, Tawzar, Tunis, Zaghwan
Capital
Tunis
Communists
a small number of nominal Communists, mostly students
Constitution
1 June 1959
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador-designate Habib LAZREG; Chancery at 1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20005; telephone (202) 862-1850; US--Ambassador Robert H. PELLETREAU, Jr.; Embassy at 144 Avenue de la Liberte, 1002 Tunis-Belvedere; telephone [216] (1) 782-566
Elections
President--last held 2 April 1989 (next to be held April 1994); results--Gen. Zine el Abidine BEN ALI was reelected without opposition; Chamber of Deputies--last held 2 April 1989 (next to be held April 1994); results--RCD 80.7%, independents/Islamists 13.7%, MDS 3.2%, other 2.4%; seats--(141 total) RCD 141
Executive branch
president, prime minister, Cabinet
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
Independence
20 March 1956 (from France)
Judicial branch
Court of Cassation (Cour de Cassation)
Leaders
Chief of State--President Gen. Zine el Abidine BEN ALI (since 7 November 1987); Head of Government--Prime Minister Hamed KAROUI (since 26 September 1989)
Legal system
based on French civil law system and Islamic law; some judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint session
Legislative branch
unicameral Chamber of Deputies (Majlis al-Nuwaab)
Long-form name
Republic of Tunisia; note--may be changed to Tunisian Republic
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, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
National Day, 20 March (1956)
Political parties and leaders
Constitutional Democratic Rally Party (RCD), President BEN ALI (official ruling party); Movement of Democratic Socialists (MDS), Ahmed Mestiri; five other political parties are legal, including the Communist Party
Suffrage
universal at age 20
Type
republic
Economy
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; fish catch of 99,200 metric tons (1987)
Budget
revenues $3.8 billion; expenditures $4.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $970 million (1991 est.)
Currency
Tunisian dinar (plural--dinars); 1 Tunisian dinar (TD) = 1,000 millimes
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $730 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $4.9 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $684 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $410 million
Electricity
1,493,000 kW capacity; 4,210 million kWh produced, 530 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Tunisian dinars (TD) per US$1--0.8408 (January 1991), 0.8783 (1990), 0.9493 (1989), 0.8578 (1988), 0.8287 (1987), 0.7940 (1986), 0.8345 (1985)
Exports
$3.3 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--hydrocarbons, agricultural products, phosphates and chemicals; partners--EC 73%, Middle East 9%, US 1%, Turkey, USSR
External debt
$7.4 billion (December 1990 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$10 billion, per capita $1,235; real growth rate 6.5% (1990 est.)
Imports
$4.8 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--industrial goods and equipment 57%, hydrocarbons 13%, food 12%, consumer goods; partners--EC 68%, US 7%, Canada, Japan, USSR, China, Saudi Arabia, Algeria
Industrial production
growth rate 5% (1989); accounts for 38% of GDP, including petroleum
Industries
petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), textiles, footwear, food, beverages
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
7.4% (1989)
Overview
The economy depends primarily on petroleum, phosphates, tourism, and exports of light manufactures for continued growth. Following two years of drought-induced economic decline, the economy made a strong recovery in 1990 as a result of a bountiful harvest, continued export growth, and higher domestic investment. Continued high inflation and unemployment have eroded popular support for the government, however, and forced Tunis to slow the pace of economic reform. Nonetheless, the government appears committed to implementing its IMF-supported structural adjustment program and to servicing its foreign debt.
Unemployment rate
15.4% (1989)
Communications
Airports
29 total, 28 usable; 14 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 7 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 7 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
13 major transport aircraft
Highways
17,700 km total; 9,100 km bituminous; 8,600 km improved and unimproved earth
Merchant marine
21 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 160,172 GRT/218,970 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 4 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 6 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 5 bulk
Pipelines
797 km crude oil; 86 km refined products; 742 km natural gas
Ports
Bizerte, Gabes, Sfax, Sousse, Tunis, La Goulette, Zarzis
Railroads
2,154 km total; 465 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; 1,689 km 1.000-meter gauge
Telecommunications
the system is above the African average; facilities consist of open-wire lines, multiconductor cable, and radio relay; key centers are Safaqis, Susah, Bizerte, and Tunis; 233,000 telephones; stations--18 AM, 4 FM, 14 TV; 4 submarine cables; earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 ARABSAT with back-up control station; coaxial cable to Algeria; radio relay to Algeria, Libya, and Italy
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary forces
Defense expenditures
$315 million, 2.6% of GDP (1990 est.) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 2,052,191; 1,180,614 fit for military service; 90,218 reach military age (20) annually