TUNISIA is a country located in North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and Libya to the southeast. It is the northernmost country on the African continent, and the smallest of the nations situated along the Atlas mountain range. 

Around forty percent of the country is composed of the Sahara desert, with much of the remainder consisting of particularly fertile soil and a 1300 km coastline. Both played a prominent role in ancient times, first with the famous Phoenician city of Carthage, and later as the Africa Province, which became known as the bread basket of the Roman Empire. 

BASIC FACTS

Official name

Tunisian Republic

Capital

Tunis

Area

164,418 sq km
63,482 sq mi

Largest cities (population)

Tunis 1,996,000 (2003 estimate)
Sfax 248,800 (1998 estimate)
Aryanah 152,700 (1994)
Sūsah 125,000 (1994)
Al Qayrawān 110,280 (1998 estimate)
Bizerte 105,520 (1998 estimate)
Gabes 104,950 (1998 estimate)
Bārdaw 72,700 (1994)
Gafsa 71,100 (1994)

Population 

10,378,140 (2008 estimate)

Population growth rate 

0.99 per cent (2008 estimate)

Population density 

67 persons per sq km (2008 estimate)
173 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)

Urbanisation

Per cent urban 64 per cent (2005 estimate)
Per cent rural 36 per cent (2005 estimate)

Life expectancy

Total 75.6 years (2008 estimate)
Female 77.5 years (2008 estimate)
Male 73.8 years (2008 estimate)

Infant mortality rate

22 deaths per 1,000 live births (2008 estimate)

Literacy rate

Total 76.2 per cent (2005 estimate)
Female 66.7 per cent (2005 estimate)
Male 85.7 per cent (2005 estimate)

Ethnic divisions

Arab-Berber 98 per cent
Other 2 per cent

Languages

Standard Arabic (official), Tunisian Spoken Arabic, Shilha (Berber language), French, Italian

Religions

Muslim, Christian, Jewish

Type of government

Republic

Independence 

March 20, 1956 (from France)

Constitution 

June 1, 1959; amended July 12, 1988

Voting rights 

Universal at age 20

Economy

Gross domestic product (GDP) (US$)30,298 million (2006)
GDP per capita (US$) 2,991.50 (2006)
GDP by economic sector
GDP, agriculture 11.3 per cent (2006)
GDP, industry 28.4 per cent (2006)
GDP, services 60.3 per cent (2006)

National budget (US$)

Total revenue 9,116 million (2006)
Total expenditure 8,919 million (2006)

Monetary unit

1 Tunisian dinar (TD), consisting of 1,000 millimes

Exports

Petroleum and related products, agricultural products, phosphates, chemicals, clothing, machinery, electrical products

Imports

Industrial goods and equipment, petroleum, food, consumer goods, machinery, textiles

Major trading partners for exports

France, Italy, Germany, United States, Belgium, Spain, Netherlands, Algeria

Major trading partners for imports

France, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain

Industries

Petroleum, mining, tourism, textiles, footwear, food, beverages

Agriculture

Major crops: olives, dates, oranges, almonds; other products: grains, sugar beet, wine; grapes; poultry, beef, dairy

Natural resources

Petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt

Croatia - Montenegro - Albania - Greece - Turkey - Cyprus - Israel
Egypt - Libya - Algeria - Tunisia - Morocco - Spain - France - Italy - Malta