ion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 81 million kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: olives, dates, oranges, almonds, grain,
sugar beets, grapes; poultry, beef, dairy products

Exports: $5.4 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.)

Exports--commodities: hydrocarbons, textiles, agricultural
products, phosphates and chemicals

Exports--partners: EU 80%, North African countries 6%, Asia 4%, US
1% (1996)

Imports: $7.9 billion (c.i.f., 1997 est.)

Imports--commodities: industrial goods and equipment 57%,
hydrocarbons 13%, food 12%, consumer goods

Imports--partners: EU countries 80%, North African countries 5.5%,
Asia 5.5%, US 5% (1996)

Debt--external: $12.1 billion (1998 est.)

Economic aid--recipient: $933.2 million (1995); note?ODA, $90
million (1998 est.)

Currency: 1 Tunisian dinar (TD) = 1,000 millimes

Exchange rates: Tunisian dinars (TD) per US$1--1.1027 (December
1998), 1.1393 (1998), 1.1059 (1997), 0.9734 (1996), 0.9458 (1995),
1.0116 (1994)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 560,000 (1996 est.); 3,185 cellular telephone
subscribers (1998 est.)

Telephone system: the system is above the African average and is
continuing to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte,
and Tunis; Internet access is available through two private service
providers licensed by the government
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 with back-up control
station; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and
Libya; participant in Medarabtel

Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 8, shortwave 1 (1998 est.)

Radios: 1.7 million (1998 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 19 (these are network stations;
there are some additional stations of low power) (1997)

Televisions: 650,000 (1998 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 2,260 km
standard gauge: 492 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,758 km 1.000-m gauge
dual gauge: 10 km 1.000-m and 1.435-m gauges (three rails) (1993
est.)

Highways:
total: 23,100 km
paved: 18,226 km
unpaved: 4,874 km (1996 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 797 km; petroleum products 86 km; natural
gas 742 km

Ports and harbors: Bizerte, Gabes, La Goulette, Sfax, Sousse,
Tunis, Zarzis

Merchant m