sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
maritime boundary dispute with Libya; land boundary dispute with
Algeria settled in 1993
Climate:
temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers;
desert in south
Terrain:
mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into
the Sahara
Natural resources:
petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt
Land use:
arable land:
20%
permanent crops:
10%
meadows and pastures:
19%
forest and woodland:
4%
other:
47%
Irrigated land:
2,750 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
toxic and hazardous waste disposal is ineffective and presents human
health risks; water pollution from untreated sewage; water scarcity;
deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
natural hazards:
NA
international agreements:
party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed,
but not ratified - Marine Life Conservation
Note:
strategic location in central Mediterranean

@Tunisia, People

Population:
8,726,562 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.76% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
23.4 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
4.95 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
34.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
72.89 years
male:
70.85 years
female:
75.03 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.88 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Tunisian(s)
adjective:
Tunisian
Ethnic divisions:
Arab-Berber 98%, European 1%, Jewish less than 1%
Religions:
Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish 1%
Languages:
Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French
(commerce)
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
65%
male:
74%
female:
56%
Labor force:
2.25 million
by occupation:
agriculture 32%
note:
shortage of skilled labor

@Tunisia, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Tunisia
conventional short form:
Tunisia
local long form:
Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah
local short form:
Tunis
Digraph:
TS
Type:
republic
Capital:
Tunis
Administrative divisions:
23 governorates;