Tunisia at a glance
Population: 9.2 million (1997 estimate).
Capital: Tunis.
Head of State: President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Major industries: Textiles, footwear, tourism, petroleum, mining (phosphate and iron ore), food and beverages.
Natural resources: Crude oil, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc and salt.
Main products: Olive oil, citrus fruit, dates, vegetables.
GDP: $22bn.
Top trading partners: Imports: EC countries (70%), US (5%), Middle East (2%), Japan (2%), Switzerland (1%),
Algeria (1%); Exports: EC countries (75%), Middle East (10%), Algeria (2%), India (2%), US (1%).
Railroads: 2,260km total.
Highways: 29,183km total, 17,510km of which are paved
Ports: Bizerte, Gabes, La Goulette, Sfax, Sousse, Tunis, Zarzis; merchant marine (19 ships total).
Airports: 31 total, seven with paved runways over 3,047 metres.
Per capita income (1997): 2,264 dinars ($2,224).
Currency: Tunisian Dinar (TD).
Exchange rate: US$1:TD1.11.
Adult literacy rate: 68%.
Languages: Arabic (official), French widely spoken, some English and Italian.
Religion: Muslim (98%), Christian (1%) and Jewish (1%).
Climate: temperate in the north with mild, rainy winters and hot dry summers; desert in the south.
Life expectancy: 71.3 years.
Geography: Tunisia covers an area of 162,155sq km and is bordered to the north and east by the Mediterranean,
to the southeast by Libya and to the west by Algeria. It is only 140km from Europe across the Strait of Sicily,
a two-hour flight from Paris and Geneva and a one-hour flight from Rome. This geographical location made Tunisia
a crossroads of civilisations in the past, and today accounts for its position as a hub for both production and
investment.
Climate: A Mediterranean climate with cold, wet winters in the north and semi-arid climate inland and in
the south. Average temperatures: 11.4ûC-29.3ûC (52.5ûF-84.7ûF).
Rainfall: Irregular, occurring mainly in the colder season (75% of the annual total). North: 800mm; south
50mm-150mm.
Climatic regions: Cereal-growing plains in the northwest, olive-rich Sahel in the eastern central part and
the Sahara in the south.
Coastline: 1,298km (not including islands).
Highest mountain: Chaambi (1,544m).
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