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Tunisia Country Guide
Explore Tunisia in Africa
The terrain features mountains in north with hot, dry central plain and semiarid south merges into the Sahara. The average density of population is approximately 63 per km². The notable climate conditions in Tunisia can be described as temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers with desert in south. Potential natural disasters are NA.
To reach someone in Tunisia dial +216 prior to a number. There are 1,279,000 installed telephones. And there are 9,754,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".tn". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 230V - 50Hz.
About the flag and history of Tunisia
Red with a white disk in the center bearing a red crescent nearly encircling a red five-pointed star; resembles the Ottoman flag (red banner with white crescent and star) and recalls Tunisia's history as part of the Ottoman Empire; red represents the blood shed by martyrs in the struggle against oppression, white stands for peace; the crescent and star are traditional symbols of Islam note: the flag is based on that of Turkey, itself a successor state to the Ottoman Empire.
Rivalry between French and Italian interests in Tunisia culminated in a French invasion in 1881 and the creation of a protectorate. Agitation for independence in the decades following World War I was finally successful in getting the French to recognize Tunisia as an independent state in 1956. The country's first president, Habib BOURGUIBA, established a strict one-party state. He dominated the country for 31 years, repressing Islamic fundamentalism and establishing rights for women unmatched by any other Arab nation. In November 1987, BOURGUIBA was removed from office and replaced by Zine el Abidine BEN ALI in a bloodless coup. Street protests that began in Tunis in December 2010 over high unemployment, corruption, widespread poverty, and high food prices escalated in January 2011, culminating in rioting that led to hundreds of deaths. On 14 January 2011, the same day BEN ALI dismissed the government, he fled the country, and by late January 2011, a "national unity government" was formed. Elections for the new Constituent Assembly were held in late October 2011, and in December, it elected human rights activist Moncef MARZOUKI as interim president. The Assembly began drafting a new constitution in February 2012, and released a second working draft in December 2012. The interim government has proposed presidential and parliamentary elections be held in 2013.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: Africa Neighbours: Algeria, Libya Capital: Tunis |
| Size | 163,610 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 63,170 square miles (mi² or sqmi) slightly larger than Georgia |
| Population | 10,378,000 |
| Currency | Name Dinar, Currency Code:TND |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .tn |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +216 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 9,754,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 1,279,000 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 163,610 (sq km) | 93 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 10,835,873 | 79 |
| Population growth rate | 0.95 (%) | 120 |
| Birth rate | 17.12 (births/1,000 population) | 112 |
| Death rate | 5.90 (deaths/1,000 population) | 169 |
| Net migration rate | -1.76 (migrant(s)/1,000 population) | 157 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 56.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 103 |
| Infant mortality rate | 24.07 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 79 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 75.46 (years) | 93 |
| Total fertility rate | 2.01 (children born/woman) | 127 |
| Health expenditures | 6.20 (% of GDP) | 102 |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 0.10 (%) | 162 |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 2,400 | 133 |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 100 | 117 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 22.30 (%) | 80 |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 3.30 (%) | 109 |
| Education expenditures | 6.20 (% of GDP) | 35 |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | 30.70 (%) | 21 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 107,100,000,000 | 70 |
| GDP - real growth rate | 3.60 (%) | 93 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 9,900 | 120 |
| Labor force | 4,014,000 | 91 |
| Unemployment rate | 18.80 (%) | 157 |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 40.00 | 61 |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 23.10 (% of GDP) | 64 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 23.30 (% of GDP) | 134 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | -8.30 (% of GDP) | 200 |
| Public debt | 52.30 (% of GDP) | 58 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 5.90 (%) | 156 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 6.76 (%) | 132 |
| Stock of narrow money | 13,830,000,000 | 71 |
| Stock of broad money | 31,060,000,000 | 75 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 37,010,000,000 | 69 |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 10,680,000,000 | 72 |
| Industrial production growth rate | -6.40 (%) | 165 |
| Current account balance | -3,570,000,000 | 152 |
| Exports | 17,870,000,000 | 77 |
| Imports | 23,490,000,000 | 72 |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 7,424,000,000 | 79 |
| Debt - external | 25,400,000,000 | 75 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | 33,660,000,000 | 59 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | 345,000,000 | 81 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 14,760,000,000 (kWh) | 85 |
| Electricity - consumption | 12,750,000,000 (kWh) | 82 |
| Electricity - exports | 81,000,000 (kWh) | 75 |
| Electricity - imports | 122,000,000 (kWh) | 91 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 3,648,000 (kW) | 82 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 96.90 (% of total installed capacity) | 64 |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 1.70 (% of total installed capacity) | 140 |
| Electricity - from other renewable sources | 1.40 (% of total installed capacity) | 68 |
| Crude oil - production | 70,480 (bbl/day) | 55 |
| Crude oil - exports | 65,960 (bbl/day) | 43 |
| Crude oil - imports | 24,580 (bbl/day) | 68 |
| Crude oil - proved reserves | 425,000,000 (bbl) | 54 |
| Refined petroleum products - production | 36,670 (bbl/day) | 90 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 88,380 (bbl/day) | 83 |
| Refined petroleum products - exports | 15,270 (bbl/day) | 80 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 74,600 (bbl/day) | 55 |
| Natural gas - production | 2,030,000,000 (cu m) | 57 |
| Natural gas - consumption | 3,280,000,000 (cu m) | 72 |
| Natural gas - imports | 1,250,000,000 (cu m) | 55 |
| Natural gas - proved reserves | 65,130,000,000 (cu m) | 63 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 18,720,000 (Mt) | 86 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 1,218,000 | 69 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 12,388,000 | 63 |
| Internet hosts | 576 | 180 |
| Internet users | 3,500,000 | 60 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 29 | 118 |
| Railways | 2,165 (km) | 68 |
| Roadways | 19,232 (km) | 110 |
| Merchant marine | 9 | 116 |
Military
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 1.50 (% of GDP) | 98 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases
List of current world heritage sites
| Name | Since |
|---|---|
| Amphitheatre of El Jem The impressive ruins of the largest colosseum in North Africa, a huge amphitheatre which could hold up to 35,000 spectators, are found in the small village of El Jem. This 3rd-century monument illustrates the grandeur and extent of Imperial Rome. ... | 1979 |
| Archaeological Site of Carthage Carthage was founded in the 9th century B.C. on the Gulf of Tunis. From the 6th century onwards, it developed into a great trading empire covering much of the Mediterranean and was home to a brilliant civilization. In the course of the long Punic war ... | 1979 |
| Dougga / Thugga Before the Roman annexation of Numidia, the town of Thugga, built on an elevated site overlooking a fertile plain, was the capital of an important Libyco-Punic state. It flourished under Roman and Byzantine rule, but declined in the Islamic period. T ... | 1997 |
| Ichkeul National Park The Ichkeul lake and wetland are a major stopover point for hundreds of thousands of migrating birds, such as ducks, geese, storks and pink flamingoes, who come to feed and nest there. Ichkeul is the last remaining lake in a chain that once extended ... | 1980 |
| Kairouan Founded in 670, Kairouan flourished under the Aghlabid dynasty in the 9th century. Despite the transfer of the political capital to Tunis in the 12th century, Kairouan remained the Maghreb's principal holy city. Its rich architectural heritage includ ... | 1988 |
| Medina of Sousse Sousse was an important commercial and military port during the Aghlabid period (800–909) and is a typical example of a town dating from the first centuries of Islam. With its kasbah, ramparts, medina (with the Great Mosque), Bu Ftata Mosque and typi ... | 1988 |
| Medina of Tunis Under the Almohads and the Hafsids, from the 12th to the 16th century, Tunis was considered one of the greatest and wealthiest cities in the Islamic world. Some 700 monuments, including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas and fountains, testify to ... | 1979 |
| Punic Town of Kerkuane and its Necropolis This Phoenician city was probably abandoned during the First Punic War (c. 250 B.C.) and as a result was not rebuilt by the Romans. The remains constitute the only example of a Phoenicio-Punic city to have survived. The houses were built to a standar ... | 1985 |