Tunisia Tourism - Travel to Tunisia
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| Quick Facts | |
| Capital | Tunis |
| Government | republic |
| Currency | Tunisian dinar (TND) |
| Area | total: 163,610 sq km water: 8,250 sq km land: 155,360 sq km |
| Population | 9,815,644 (July 2002 est.) |
| Language | Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce) |
| Religion | Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1% |
Tunisia is a country in Northern Africa that has a Mediterranean Sea coastline in the middle of Mediterranean Africa that lies to the south of Italy and Malta. It has Libya to the east and Algeria to the west.
| Table of contents |
Regions in Tunisia
Map of Tunisia
- Administrative divisions
- 23 governorates; Ariana (Aryanah), Beja (Bajah), Ben Arous (Bin 'Arus), Bizerte (Banzart), El Kef (Al Kaf), Gabes (Qabis), Gafsa (Qafsah), Jendouba (Jundubah), Kairouan (Al Qayrawan), Kasserine (Al Qasrayn), Kebili (Qibili), Mahdia (Al Mahdiyah), Medenine (Madanin), Monastir (Al Munastir), Nabeul (Nabul), Sfax (Safaqis), Sidi Bou Zid (Sidi Bu Zayd), Siliana (Silyanah), Sousse (Susah), Tataouine (Tatawin), Tozeur (Tawzar), Tunis, Zaghouan (Zaghwan)
Cities in Tunisia
Other destinations - Travel to Tunisia
Understand Tunisia Tourism
Climate in Tunisia
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 desert.
- Elevation extremes
- lowest point: Shatt al Gharsah -17 m
highest point: Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m
History of Tunisia
- Independence
- 20 March 1956 (from France)
- National holiday
- Independence Day, 20 March (1956)
Following independence from France in 1956, 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 recent years, Tunisia has taken a moderate, non-aligned stance in its foreign relations. Domestically, it has sought to diffuse rising pressure for a more open political society.
Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration.
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Get around in Tunisia
Tunisia Talk
- Languages
- Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce)
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Geography in Tunisia
- Geographic coordinates
- 34 00 N, 9 00 E
- Area
- total: 163,610 sq km
water: 8,250 sq km
land: 155,360 sq km - Area - comparative
- slightly larger than Georgia
- Coastline
- 1,148 km
- Maritime claims
- contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM - Natural resources
- petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt
- Land use
- arable land: 18.67%
permanent crops: 12.87%
other: 68.46% (1998 est.) - Irrigated land
- 3,800 sq km (1998 est.)
- Environment - current issues
- toxic and hazardous waste disposal is ineffective and poses health risks; water pollution from raw sewage; limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
- Environment - international agreements
- party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
People in Tunisia
- Nationality
- noun: Tunisian(s)
adjective: Tunisian - Ethnic groups
- Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1%
- Religions
- Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1%
Government in Tunisia
- Country name
- conventional long form: Tunisian Republic
conventional short form: Tunisia
local short form: Tunis
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah - Government type
- republic
- Constitution
- 1 June 1959; amended 12 July 1988
- Legal system
- based on French civil law system and Islamic law; some judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint session
- Judicial branch
- Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation
- Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission: Ambassador Hatem ATALLAH
FAX: [1] (202) 862-1858
telephone: [1] (202) 862-1850
chancery: 1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005
- Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission: Ambassador Rust M. DEMING
embassy: Zone Nord-Est des Berges du Lac Nord de Tunis, 2045 La Goulette, Tunisia
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [216] 71 782-566
FAX: [216] 71 789-719
- Flag description
- red with a white disk in the center bearing a red crescent nearly encircling a red five-pointed star; the crescent and star are traditional symbols of Islam
Economy in Tunisia
- Economy - overview
- Tunisia has a diverse economy, with important agricultural, mining, energy, tourism, and manufacturing sectors. Governmental control of economic affairs while still heavy has gradually lessened over the past decade with increasing privatization, simplification of the tax structure, and a prudent approach to debt. Real growth averaged 5.4% in the past five years, and inflation is slowing. Growth in tourism and increased trade have been key elements in this steady growth, although tourism revenues have slowed since 11 September 2001 and may take a year or more to fully recover. Tunisia's association agreement with the European Union entered into force on 1 March 1998, the first such accord between the EU and a Mediterranean country. Under the agreement Tunisia will gradually remove barriers to trade with the EU over the next decade. Broader privatization, further liberalization of the investment code to increase foreign investment, and improvements in government efficiency are among the challenges for the future.
- Industries
- petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, agribusiness, beverages
- Agriculture - products
- olives, olive oil, grain, dairy products, tomatoes, citrus fruit, beef, sugar beets, dates, almonds
- Exports - commodities
- textiles, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, agricultural products, hydrocarbons
- Imports - commodities
- machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, food
- Currency
- Tunisian dinar (TND)
- Currency code
- TND
- Exchange rates
- Tunisian dinars per US dollar - 1.44 (January 2002), 1.3753 (2001), 1.3707 (2000), 1.1862 (1999), 1.1387 (1998), 1.1059 (1997)
Communications
- Telephones - main lines in use
- 654,000 (1997)
- Telephones - mobile cellular
- 50,000 (1998)
- Telephone system
- general assessment: above the African average and continuing to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; Internet access available
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; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in Medarabtel; two international gateway digital switches - Radio broadcast stations
- AM 7, FM 20, shortwave 2 (1998)
- Radios
- 2.06 million (1997)
- Television broadcast stations
- 26 (plus 76 repeaters) (1995)
- Televisions
- 920,000 (1997)
- Internet country code
- .tn
- Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
- 1 (2000)
- Internet users
- 400,000 (2002)
Transportation in Tunisia
- Railways
- total: 2,168 km
standard gauge: 471 km 1.435-m gauge
dual gauge: 10 km 1.000-m and 1.435-m gauges (three rails) (2001)
narrow gauge: 1,687 km 1.000-m gauge - Highways
- total: 23,100 km
paved: 18,226 km
unpaved: 4,874 km (1996) - Airports
- 30 (2001)
- Airports - with paved runways
- total: 14
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2002) - Airports - with unpaved runways
- total: 16
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 7 (2002)
Military
- Military branches
- Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary forces, National Guard
