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Tunisian Republic
National name: Al-Jumhuriyah at-Tunisiyah
President: Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali (1987)
Prime Minister: Mohamed Ghannouchi (1999)
Land area: 59,985 sq mi (155,361 sq km); total area: 63,170 sq mi (163,610 sq
km)
Population (2006 est.): 10,175,014 (growth rate: 1.0%); birth rate: 15.5/1000;
infant mortality rate: 23.8/1000; life expectancy: 75.1; density per sq mi: 170
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Tunis, 1,660,300 (metro. area), 699,700
(city proper)
Monetary unit: Tunisian dinar
Languages: Arabic (official, commerce), French (commerce)
Ethnicity/race: Arab-Berber 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1%
Religions: Islam (Sunni) 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1%
Literacy rate: 74% (2003 est.)
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $76.99 billion; per capita $7,600. Real
growth rate: 4.8%. Inflation: 3.2%. Unemployment: 13.5%. Arable land: 17%.
Agriculture: olives, olive oil, grain, tomatoes, citrus fruit, sugar beets,
dates, almonds; beef, dairy products. Labor force: 3.41 million; note: shortage
of skilled labor; services 55%, industry 23%, agriculture 22% (1995 est.).
Industries: petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism,
textiles, footwear, agribusiness, beverages. Natural resources: petroleum,
phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt. Exports: $10.3 billion f.o.b. (2005
est.): textiles, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, agricultural
products, hydrocarbons. Imports: $12.86 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): textiles,
machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, food. Major trading partners:
France, Italy, Germany, Spain (2004).
Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 654,000 (1997); mobile cellular:
50,000 (1998). 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 Service Providers
(ISPs): 1 (2000). Internet users: 400,000 (2002).
Transportation: Railways: total: 2,152 km (2002). Highways: total: 18,997 km;
paved: 12,310 km; unpaved: 6,687 km (2000). Ports and harbors: Bizerte, Gabes,
La Goulette, Sfax, Sousse, Tunis, Zarzis. Airports: 30 (2002).
International disputes: none.
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