The plant life of Tunisia, particularly that found in the coastal region, is similar to that of southern Europe. The fertile, well-watered regions of the north are characterized by flourishing vineyards and by dense forests of cork oak, pine, and juniper trees. Farther south, the semiarid conditions support a steppe vegetation dominated by wild grasses, notably esparto grass, and a wide variety of shrubs. In the arid regions of the extreme south, date palms flourish in oases. Among the wildlife found in the country are hyena, wild boar, jackal, gazelle, and hare. Several varieties of poisonous snakes, including cobras and horned vipers, are also present.
above the African average and continuing to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; Internet access available
domestic: trunk facilities consist of open-wire lines, coaxial cable, and microwave radio relay
international: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in Medarabtel; two international gateway digital switches
Tunisia's history as either a centre or vassal of Phoenician, Carthaginian, Roman, Berber, and Arabic power has left a rich heritage of architectural remains, particularly in the north. Modern Tunisians utilize both Arabic and French in literature but generally use French in the scientific disciplines.
Annual agricultural yields in Tunisia fluctuate because of the frequency of drought and the lack of extensive water resources for irrigation. The leading crops in the fertile plains of the north include cereal grains such as wheat and barley (1,012,000 metric tons in 2000); vegetables and melons (1.9 million metric tons); and fruits, most importantly grapes, dates from Saharan oases, and oranges from the Cape Bon Peninsula (898,205 metric tons). About half the productive land is used for grazing, and, because of drought, the livestock industry is also subject to fluctuations. In 2000 the country’s livestock included 6.6 million sheep, 1.4 million goats, 790,000 cattle, 231,000 camels, 56,200 horses, and 40 million poultry.
Tunisia has a road network of 23,100 km (14,354 mi) connecting important commercial centers. The country is also served by 3,640 km (2,262 mi) of railroad track. Tunisia has four major ports—Tunis, Bizerte, Susah, and Sfax. A fifth port, AsSukhayrah, specializes in petroleum bunkering. A modern port is also being constructed at Qabis. The country has five international airports, two of which serve Tunis.
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary forces, National Guard
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,739,566 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 1,561,484 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 105,146 (2001 est.)
None
The Tunisian economy is dominated by fossil fuel production, mining, manufacturing, and tourism. In 1998 the government’s budget showed $5.8 billion in revenue and $6.3 billion in spending. The gross domestic product (GDP), which is the total value of all goods and services produced in the country, was $20.9 billion in 1999. Tunisia has a mixed economy in which both the public and private sectors participate. Services, agriculture, light industries, and the production and export of petroleum and phosphates are the largest sectors of the economy. Unemployment and underemployment are widespread, and economic development has been heavily subsidized by Western countries and international organizations. The gross national product (GNP) is growing faster than the population; the GNP per capita is among the highest in Africa but is low for the Middle East and North Africa.
Private agriculture has traditionally been the mainstay of Tunisia's economy, though the manufacturing sector has assumed a larger place in the economy in recent decades. Agriculture accounts for less than one-fifth of the gross domestic product (GDP) and employs almost one-fourth of the work force. Tunisian agriculture remains plagued by the country's uncertain rainfall patterns, and the size of its harvests varies as a result. Dry farming predominates, though an ambitious water development program begun in the 1980s has greatly increased the country's irrigated acreage.
Tunisia has a diverse economy, with important agricultural, mining, energy, tourism, and manufacturing sectors. Governmental control of economic affairs while still heavy has gradually lessened over the past decade with increasing privatization, simplification of the tax structure, and a prudent approach to debt. Real growth averaged 5.5% in the past four years, and inflation is slowing. Growth in tourism and increased trade have been key elements in this steady growth. Tunisia's association agreement with the European Union entered into force on 1 March 1998, the first such accord between the EU and Mediterranean countries to be activated. Under the agreement Tunisia will gradually remove barriers to trade with the EU over the next decade. Broader privatization, further liberalization of the investment code to increase foreign investment, and improvements in government efficiency are among the challenges for the future.
Education in Tunisia is free, and virtually all eligible children attend primary school. Instruction is conducted mainly in Arabic, although French is also used, especially at the college and university levels. In the 1997-1998 school year primary schools had a total enrollment of 1.4 million pupils, and secondary, technical, and vocational schools, 882,700.
Tunisia is a republic with a strong presidential system dominated by a single political party. President Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali has been in office since 1987 when he deposed Habib Bourguiba, who had been President since Tunisia's independence from France in 1956. The ruling party, the Constitutional Democratic Assembly (RCD), was the sole legal party for 25 years--when it was known as the Socialist Destourian Party (PSD)--and still dominates political life. The President is elected to 5-year terms--with virtually no opposition--and appoints a Prime Minister and cabinet, who play a strong role in the execution of policy. Regional governors and local administrators also are appointed by the central government; largely consultative mayors and municipal councils are elected. There is a unicameral legislative body, the Chamber of Deputies, which has 182 seats, 20% of which are reserved for the opposition. It plays a growing role as an arena for debate on national policy but never originates legislation and virtually always passes bills presented by the executive with only minor changes. The judiciary is nominally independent but responds to executive direction especially in political cases. The military is professional and does not play a role in politics.
Tunisia's independence from France in 1956 ended a protectorate established in 1881. President Bourguiba, who had been the leader of the independence movement, declared Tunisia a republic in 1957, ending the nominal rule of the former Ottoman Beys. In June 1959 Tunisia adopted a Constitution modeled on the French system, which established the basic outline of the highly centralized presidential system that continues today. The military was given a defined defensive role, which excluded participation in politics. Starting from independence, President Bourguiba placed strong emphasis on economic and social development, especially education, the status of women, and the creation of jobs, policies continued under the Ben Ali administration. The results were strong social indicators--high literacy and school attendance rates, low population growth rates, and relatively low poverty rates--and generally steady economic growth rates. These pragmatic policies have contributed to social stability and political stability.
In the earliest known period of its history, the region now called Tunisia was part of the Carthaginian Empire (see Carthage). According to tradition, Phoenician traders founded the city of Carthage in 814 bc at a location slightly northeast of the site of modern Tunis. In subsequent centuries Carthage became the center of a mighty empire that dominated most of northern Africa and intermittently ruled the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula, Sardinia, and parts of Sicily. Beginning in 264 bc Carthage clashed with the expanding Roman Empire in a series of bloody struggles known as the Punic Wars. In the last of these, the Third Punic War (149-146 bc), Rome defeated the Carthaginians and completely destroyed their capital.
From the 12th century BC the Phoenicians had a series of trading posts and ports of call on the North African coast. Carthage was founded in the 8th century BC in the general vicinity of present-day Tunis, and by the 6th century the Carthaginian kingdom encompassed most of present-day Tunisia. Carthage became part of Rome's African province in 146 BC after the Punic Wars. Roman rule endured until the Muslim Arab invasions in the mid-7th century AD. Since then Tunisia has been fought over, won, and lost by the 'Abbasids; their vassals the Aghlabids; the Shi'ite Fatimids; the Almohads; the Hafsids; Spain; and finally the Ottoman Turks, who conquered the place in 1574 and held it until their own decline in the late 19th century.
The region was overrun by Arab adherents of Islam in the 7th century. The Arab conquerors ruled from the late 7th to the early 16th century. During that period they replaced the Roman-Christian culture with a Muslim way of life. During the Muslim era a succession of dynasties wielded power, notably the Aghlabites (800-909), the Fatimids (909-973), and the Zeirids (10th century). In the latter part of the 12th century the Normans, led by the Sicilian ruler Roger II, briefly occupied a number of important coastal points. The Arabs recovered the region later in the century, and the Arab Almohad (12th century) and Hafsite (1228-1574) dynasties succeeded to power.
Tunisia, republic in northern Africa, bordered on the north and east by the Mediterranean Sea, on the south by Libya, and on the west by Algeria. The total area is 164,418 sq km (63,482 sq mi). The capital city is Tunis.
Official Name- Republic of Tunisia
Capital City- Tunis
Languages- Arabic (official), French
Official Currency- Tunisian Dinar
Religions- Muslim
Population- 9,645,000
Land Area- 155,360 sq km (59,984 sq miles)
N/A
Arabic is the official language of Tunisia, but French is used widely, particularly by the educated. Islam is the state religion and is adhered to by 98 percent of the population; virtually all Muslims in Tunisia belong to the Sunni branch. There are small numbers of Roman Catholics, Jews, Greek Orthodox, and Protestants.
Throughout history, many peoples, including Romans, Vandals, black Africans, and Arabs, have invaded or settled in the region that is now Tunisia. Tunisians, however, are essentially of Berber stock, although fewer than 2 percent speak the Berber language. As a result of Arabization, Arabic has become the language of the Tunisian people, who have come to regard themselves as Arabs.
International organization Member
ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, BSEC (observer), CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OAU, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Tunisia has a population of 9,705,102 (2001 estimate), yielding an average population density of 59 persons per sq km (153 per sq mi). About three-quarters of the population lived in the coastal region. The arid central and southern parts make up 70 percent of the total land area, but contain less than 30 percent of the population.
Nearly two-fifths of Tunisia's population is under 15 years of age. The annual rate of population growth is high by world standards but is comparatively low for the Middle East and North Africa. Governmental efforts to promote family planning and a high rate of emigration have in part suppressed the rate of population growth. The country's population density is the highest in North Africa, with most people living near the coast and more than half living in urban areas. The entire southern half of Tunisia is only lightly populated.
Modern Tunisians are the descendents of indigenous Berbers and of people from numerous civilizations that have invaded, migrated to, and been assimilated into the population over the millenia. Recorded history in Tunisia begins with the arrival of Phoenicians, who founded Carthage and other North African settlements in the 8th century BC. Carthage became a major sea power, clashing with Rome for control of the Mediterranean until it was defeated and captured by the Romans in 146 B.C. The Romans ruled and settled in North Africa until the 5th century when the Roman Empire fell and Tunisia was invaded by European tribes, including the Vandals. The Muslim conquest in the 7th century transformed Tunisia's and the make-up of its population, with subsequent waves of migration from around the Arab and Ottoman world, including significant numbers of Spanish Moors and Jews at the end of the 15th century. Tunisia became a center of Arab culture and learning and was assimilated into the Turkish Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. It was a French protectorate from 1881 until independence in 1956, and retains close political, economic, and cultural ties with France.
Nearly all Tunisians (98% of the population) are Muslim. There has been a Jewish population on the southern island of Djerba for 2000 years, and there remains a small Jewish population in Tunis which is descended from those who fled Spain in the late 15th century. There is no indigenous Christian population. Small nomadic indigenous minorities have been mostly assimilated into the larger population.
Al-Tajdid Movement [Adel CHAOUCH]; Constitutional Democratic Rally Party (Rassemblement Constitutionnel Democratique) or RCD [President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI (official ruling party)]; Liberal Social Party or PSL [Mounir BEJI]; Movement of Democratic Socialists or MDS [Khamis CHAMMARI]; Popular Unity Party or PUP [Mohamed Belhaj AMOR]; Unionist Democratic Union or UDU [Abderrahmane TLILI]
23 governorates; Ariana (Aryanah), Beja (Bajah), Ben Arous (Bin 'Arus), Bizerte (Banzart), El Kef (Al Kaf), Gabes (Qabis), Gafsa (Qafsah), Jendouba (Jundubah), Kairouan (Al Qayrawan), Kasserine (Al Qasrayn), Kebili (Qibili), Mahdia (Al Mahdiyah), Medenine (Madanin), Monastir (Al Munastir), Nabeul (Nabul), Sfax (Safaqis), Sidi Bou Zid (Sidi Bu Zayd), Siliana (Silyanah), Sousse (Susah), Tataouine (Tatawin), Tozeur (Tawzar), Tunis, Zaghouan (Zaghwan)
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