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Tunisia
The Tunisian Republic
Arabic:
(OFFICIAL:) 'al-jumhūriyyatu t-tūnisiyya
Arabic: (SHORT:) tūnis
INTRODUCTION
1. Political situation
2. Economy
3. Health & Education
4. Religions & Peoples
5. History
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MAJOR CITIES
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Tunis (1.2 million)
Sfax (280,000)
Sousse (160,000)
Kairouan (120,000)
Bizerte (120,000)
Gabes (120,000)
Gafsa (90,000)
Kasserine (75,000)
Nabeul (70,000)
Monastir (70,000)
Le Kef (60,000)
Hammamet (50,000)
Beja (50,000)
Mahdia (40,000)
Tozeur (40,000)
Nefta (30,000)
Tabarka (30,000)
Zaghouan (30,000)
2005 estimates.
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STATUS
| Independent republic, divided into 23 governorates.
Days of independence: March 20, 1956 (from France).
| GOVERNMENT
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Head of state: President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali.
Prime minister: Muhammad Ghannouchi.
The government consists of 25 ministries.
| GEOGRAPHY
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Inhabitants: 10.1 million (2005 estimate).
Census April 20 1994: 8.79 million.
Population growth rate: 1.1%
Total area: 163,610 kmē
Water: 8,250 km²
Density: 61 per kmē
Border: 1,424 km (Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km).
Coastline: 1,148 km
Highest point: Chambi Mountain 1,544 m
Arable land: 18.7%
Capital: Tunis
| HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX
| World rank (of 177): 87
Index (1.0 max): 0.760
Explanation
| DEMOGRAPHY
| Languages: Arabic (official), Berber, French
Religions: Sunni Islam
| ECONOMY
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Currency: Dinar=1,000 millim
1 dinars=US$0.79. US$1=1.27 dinar (June, 2003)
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CLIMATE AND GEOGRAPHY
Large parts of Tunisia is dry, but the north is green and fertile, with many forests but little agriculture and few inhabitants. The coastal area south of Tunis is fertile and producing almost all of Tunisia's agriculture products. This is also the region with the largest part of the population.
The interior is stony desert, while sand desert is found in the very south. There are some mountains in the north-west, but not reaching higher than 1544 meters. There are some winter lakes, chott, dry and salty through summer, giving the country a special character, with the Chott El Jerid dominating the middle of Tunisia.
© Copyright 1996-2008 LookLex Ltd. All rights reserved
By: Tore Kjeilen
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