Tunisia

Airbus opens factory in Tunisia

Airbus will soon build a components factory in Tunisia as part of a restructuring plan to save costs. This is the company's first outside the euro...

Routine abuses in the name of security in Tunisia

Hundreds, possibly thousands, of people, including children, suspected of terrorism-related offences, have been arrested in Tunisia since the...

Tunisia: human rights briefing for 20th anniversary of President Ben Ali’s rule

Next week, 7 November 2007 marks the 20 year anniversary of the accession to power of Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. President Ben...

History of FIFA U-20 World Cup

The FIFA U-20 World Cup is a football competition for male players under the age of 20, and it has ushered into the game of football the most...

National name: Al-Jumhuriyah at-Tunisiyah

Geography

Capital: Tunis
Major Towns: Tunis, Nabeul, Kasserine, Sfax, Zarzis
Location (geographical coordinates/latitude and longitude): Tunis: 36°50'N, 10°9'E
Time Zone: CET
Size (Land and Sea): 163,610 km², Water: 5%
Borders with Algeria, Libya, Mediterranean Sea
Elevation extremes: Lowest point : Shatt al Gharsah -17 m, highest point: Jabal ash Shanabi 1,544 m

Politics

Head of State: President: Zine El Abidine Ben Ali; Prime Minister: Mohamed Ghannouchi
Form of Government: Republic
Independancy (from France): March 20, 1956
Currency: Tunisian Dinar

Industry

Main Industries: petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, agribusiness, beverages.
Natural resources: petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt
Agriculture: olives, olive oil, grain, tomatoes, citrus fruit, sugar beets, dates, almonds; beef, dairy products

Population and People

Population: 10,276,158 (2007 est.); 10,102,000 (2005); 8,785,711 (1994)
Population density per sq mi: 171
Growth rate: 1.0% (2007 est.)
Birth rate: 15.5 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.73 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 22.9/1000
Religion: 98% Muslims; others mainly Christians and Jews
Languages: Arabic; Berber languages, French, Italian , and English
Ethnic groups / Tribes: Arab and Arabized Berbers (98%); Jewish
Age structure: 0-14 years: 24% (male 1,270,208/female 1,191,619); 15-64 years: 69.2% (male 3,571,228/female 3,538,458); 65 years and over: 6.9% (male 333,801/female 370,844) (2007 est.)
Life expectancy: 75.3
Literacy: Total population: 66.7%, male: 78.6%, female: 54.6% (1995 est.)

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