Austria (2001) | Tunisia (2003) | |
Administrative divisions | 9 states (bundeslaender, singular - bundesland); Burgenland, Kaernten, Niederoesterreich, Oberoesterreich, Salzburg, Steiermark, Tirol, Vorarlberg, Wien | 24 governorates; Ariana (Aryanah), Beja (Bajah), Ben Arous (Bin 'Arus), Bizerte (Banzart), Gabes (Qabis), Gafsa (Qafsah), Jendouba (Jundubah), Kairouan (Al Qayrawan), Kasserine (Al Qasrayn), Kebili (Qibili), Kef (Al Kaf), Mahdia (Al Mahdiyah), Manouba (Manubah), 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) |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
16.57% (male 691,925; female 658,375) 15-64 years: 68.05% (male 2,802,019; female 2,744,536) 65 years and over: 15.38% (male 478,498; female 775,482) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 27% (male 1,388,839; female 1,297,313)
15-64 years: 66.6% (male 3,306,782; female 3,299,883) 65 years and over: 6.4% (male 309,103; female 322,822) (2003 est.) |
Agriculture - products | grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry; lumber | olives, olive oil, grain, dairy products, tomatoes, citrus fruit, beef, sugar beets, dates, almonds |
Airports | 55 (2000 est.) | 30 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
24 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 14 (2000 est.) |
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:
31 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 27 (2000 est.) |
total: 16
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 7 (2002) |
Area | total:
83,858 sq km land: 82,738 sq km water: 1,120 sq km |
total: 163,610 sq km
land: 155,360 sq km water: 8,250 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Maine | slightly larger than Georgia |
Background | Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies, Austria's 1955 State Treaty declared the country "permanently neutral" as a condition of Soviet military withdrawal. Neutrality, once ingrained as part of the Austrian cultural identity, has been called into question since the Soviet collapse of 1991 and Austria's increasingly prominent role in European affairs. A prosperous country, Austria joined the European Union in 1995 and the euro monetary system in 1999. | 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 defuse rising pressure for a more open political society. |
Birth rate | 9.74 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 16.53 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$56.3 billion expenditures: $60.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
revenues: $5.2 billion
expenditures: $5.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.6 billion (2002 est.) |
Capital | Vienna | Tunis |
Climate | temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain in lowlands and snow in mountains; cool summers with occasional showers | temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 1,148 km |
Constitution | 1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1 May 1945) | 1 June 1959; amended 12 July 1988 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Republic of Austria conventional short form: Austria local long form: Republik Oesterreich local short form: Oesterreich |
conventional long form: Tunisian Republic
conventional short form: Tunisia local long form: Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah local short form: Tunis |
Currency | Austrian schilling (ATS); euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in Austria at a fixed rate of 13.7603 Austrian shillings per euro and will replace the local currency for all transactions in 2002 |
Tunisian dinar (TND) |
Death rate | 9.8 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 5.02 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Debt - external | $16 billion (1999) | $13.6 billion (2003 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Kathryn Walt HALL embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1091, Vienna mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [43] (1) 313-39-2060 FAX: [43] (1) 313-39-2057 |
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 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Peter MOSER chancery: 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035 telephone: [1] (202) 895-6700 FAX: [1] (202) 895-6750 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York |
chief of mission: Ambassador Hatem ATALLAH
chancery: 1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 862-1850 FAX: [1] (202) 862-1858 |
Disputes - international | minor disputes with Czech Republic and Slovenia over nuclear power plants and post-World War II treatment of German-speaking minorities | none |
Economic aid - donor | ODA, $472 million (1999) | - |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $222.7 million (2000) |
Economy - overview | Austria with its well-developed market economy and high standard of living is closely tied to other EU economies, especially Germany's. Membership in the EU has drawn an influx of foreign investors attracted by Austria's access to the single European market and proximity to EU aspirant economies. In 2000, Austria moved to further cut government spending and raise taxes to meet EMU deficit targets after facing unexpected difficulties in reducing the public deficit. To meet increased competition from both EU and Central European countries, Austria will need to emphasize knowledge-based sectors of the economy and continue to deregulate the service sector. Growth is expected to remain at about 3% in 2001. | 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 1997-2001 but slowed to 1.9% in 2002 because of agricultural drought, slow investment, and lackluster tourism. Increased rainfall portends higher growth levels for 2003, but continued regional tension from the war in Iraq will most likely continue to suppress tourism earnings. Tunisia has agreed to gradually remove barriers to trade with the European Union over the next decade. Broader privatization, further liberalization of the investment code to increase foreign investment, improvements in government efficiency, and reduction of the trade deficit are among the challenges for the future. |
Electricity - consumption | 53.231 billion kWh (1999) | 9.748 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 13.507 billion kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 11.605 billion kWh (1999) | 1 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 59.283 billion kWh (1999) | 10.48 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
29.53% hydro: 67.65% nuclear: 0% other: 2.82% (1999) |
fossil fuel: 99.5%
hydro: 0.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Neusiedler See 115 m highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m |
lowest point: Shatt al Gharsah -17 m
highest point: Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m |
Environment - current issues | some forest degradation caused by air and soil pollution; soil pollution results from the use of agricultural chemicals; air pollution results from emissions by coal- and oil-fired power stations and industrial plants and from trucks transiting Austria between northern and southern Europe | 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:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
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 |
Ethnic groups | German 98%, Croatian, Slovene, other (includes Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, Roma) | Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1% |
Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Austrian schillings per US dollar - 11.86 (January 1999), 12.91 (1999), 12.379 (1998), 12.204 (1997), 10.587 (1996) | Tunisian dinars per US dollar - 1.42 (2002), 1.44 (2001), 1.37 (2000), 1.19 (1999), 1.14 (1998) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
President Thomas KLESTIL (since 8 July 1992) head of government: Chancellor Wolfgang SCHUESSEL (OeVP)(since 4 February 2000); Vice Chancellor Susanne RIESS-PASSER (FPOe) (since 4 February 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor elections: president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year term; presidential election last held 19 April 1998 (next to be held in the spring of 2004); chancellor traditionally chosen by the president from the plurality party in the National Council; in the case of the current coalition, the chancellor was chosen from another party after the plurality party failed to form a government; vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor election results: Thomas KLESTIL reelected president; percent of vote - Thomas KLESTIL 63%, Gertraud KNOLL 14%, Heide SCHMIDT 11%, Richard LUGNER 10%, Karl NOWAK 2% note: government coalition - OeVP and FPOe |
chief of state: President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI (since 7 November 1987)
head of government: Prime Minister Mohamed GHANNOUCHI (since 17 November 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 24 October 1999 (next to be held NA 2004); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI reelected for a third term without opposition; percent of vote - Zine El Abidine BEN ALI nearly 100% |
Exports | $63.2 billion (2000 est.) | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | machinery and equipment, paper and paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel; textiles, foodstuffs | textiles, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, agricultural products, hydrocarbons |
Exports - partners | EU 64.2% (Germany 35.7%, Italy 8.7%, France 4.5%), Switzerland 5.9%, US 4.5%, Hungary 3.9% (1999) | France 31.3%, Italy 21.6%, Germany 11.5%, Spain 4.8%, Libya 4.7%, Belgium 4.3% (2002) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red | 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 |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $203 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $67.13 billion (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
2.2% industry: 30.4% services: 67.4% (1999 est.) |
agriculture: 12%
industry: 32% services: 56% (2003 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $25,000 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $6,800 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 3.1% (2000 est.) | 4.8% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 47 20 N, 13 20 E | 34 00 N, 9 00 E |
Geography - note | landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere | strategic location in central Mediterranean; Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration |
Heliports | 1 (2000 est.) | - |
Highways | total:
133,361 km paved: 133,361 km (including 1,613 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1998) |
total: 18,997 km
paved: 12,310 km (including 142 km of expressways) unpaved: 6,687 km (2000) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: 2.3%
highest 10%: 31.8% (1995) |
Illicit drugs | transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for Western Europe | - |
Imports | $65.6 billion (2000 est.) | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, chemicals, metal goods, oil and oil products; foodstuffs | textiles, machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, food |
Imports - partners | EU 70.3% (Germany 42.5%, Italy 7.9%, France 5.3%), US 5.4%, Switzerland 3.0%, Hungary 2.8% (1999) | France 25.6%, Italy 19.5%, Germany 8.9%, Spain 5% (2002) |
Independence | 1156 (from Bavaria) | 20 March 1956 (from France) |
Industrial production growth rate | 4.2% (2000) | 3.5% (2002 est.) |
Industries | construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard, communications equipment, tourism | petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, agribusiness, beverages |
Infant mortality rate | 4.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 26.91 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 29.89 deaths/1,000 live births female: 23.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2% (2000 est.) | 2.5% (2002 est.) |
International organization participation | AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC | ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, BSEC (observer), ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OAU, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 37 (2000) | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 457 sq km (1995 est.) | 3,800 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof | Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation |
Labor force | 3.7 million (1999) | 2.69 million
note: shortage of skilled labor (2001 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | services 68%, industry and crafts 29%, agriculture and forestry 3% (1999 est.) | services 55%, industry 23%, agriculture 22% (1995 est.) |
Land boundaries | total:
2,562 km border countries: Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366 km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 35 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia 330 km, Switzerland 164 km |
total: 1,424 km
border countries: Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km |
Land use | arable land:
17% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 23% forests and woodland: 39% other: 20% (1996 est.) |
arable land: 18.67%
permanent crops: 12.87% other: 68.46% (1998 est.) |
Languages | German | Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce) |
Legal system | civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on French civil law system and Islamic law; some judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint session |
Legislative branch | bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (64 members; members represent each of the states on the basis of population, but with each state having at least three representatives; members serve a four- or six-year term) and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: National Council - last held 3 October 1999 (next to be held in the fall of 2003) election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe 33.2%, OeVP 26.9%, FPOe 26.9%, Greens 7.4%; seats by party - SPOe 65, OeVP 52, FPOe 52, Greens 14 |
unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Majlis al-Nuwaab (182 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 24 October 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - RCD 92%; seats by party - RCD 148, MDS 13, UDU 7, PUP 7, Al-Tajdid 5, PSL 2; note - reforms enabled opposition parties to win up to 20% of seats, increasing the number of seats they hold from 19 in the last election to 34 now |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
77.84 years male: 74.68 years female: 81.15 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 74.4 years
male: 72.77 years female: 76.15 years (2003 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: NA% female: NA% |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 74.2% male: 84% female: 64.4% (2003 est.) |
Location | Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia | Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya |
Map references | Europe | Africa |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | total:
23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 86,905 GRT/117,417 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 18, combination bulk 2, container 2 (2000 est.) |
total: 14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 139,990 GRT/148,394 DWT
ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 3, chemical tanker 3, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 1 (2002 est.) |
Military branches | Army (includes Flying Division) | Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary forces, National Guard |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $1.7 billion (FY98) | $356 million (FY99) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.2% (FY98) | 1.5% (FY99) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
2,091,263 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 2,866,984 (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
1,731,383 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 1,629,241 (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | 19 years of age | 20 years of age (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
50,580 (2001 est.) |
males: 106,513 (2003 est.) |
National holiday | National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the passage of the law on permanent neutrality | Independence Day, 20 March (1956) |
Nationality | noun:
Austrian(s) adjective: Austrian |
noun: Tunisian(s)
adjective: Tunisian |
Natural hazards | NA | NA |
Natural resources | iron ore, oil, timber, magnesite, lead, coal, lignite, copper, hydropower | petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt |
Net migration rate | 2.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -0.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Pipelines | crude oil 777 km; natural gas 840 km (1999) | gas 3,059 km; oil 1,203 km; refined products 345 km (2003) |
Political parties and leaders | Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Wolfgang SCHUESSEL]; Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Susanne RIESS-PASSER]; Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Alfred GUSENBAUER]; The Greens Alternative or GA [Alexander VAN DER BELLEN] | Al-Tajdid Movement [Adel CHAOUCH]; Constitutional Democratic Rally Party (Rassemblement Constitutionnel Democratique) or RCD [President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI (official ruling party)]; Liberal Social Party or PSL [Mounir BEJI]; Movement of Democratic Socialists or MDS [Khamis CHAMMARI]; Popular Unity Party or PUP [Mohamed Belhaj AMOR]; Unionist Democratic Union or UDU [Abderrahmane TLILI] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Austrian Trade Union Federation (primarily Socialist) or OeGB; Federal Economic Chamber; OeVP-oriented League of Austrian Industrialists or VOeI; Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic Action; three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or OeVP representing business, labor, and farmers | the Islamic fundamentalist party, Al Nahda (Renaissance), is outlawed |
Population | 8,150,835 (July 2001 est.) | 9,924,742 (July 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 6% (2000 est.) |
Population growth rate | 0.24% (2001 est.) | 1.09% (2003 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Linz, Vienna, Enns, Krems | Bizerte, Gabes, La Goulette, Sfax, Sousse, Tunis, Zarzis |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 61 (plus several hundred repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 7, FM 20, shortwave 2 (1998) |
Radios | 6.08 million (1997) | - |
Railways | total:
6,095.2 km (3,643.3 km electrified) standard gauge: 5,564.2 km 1.435-m gauge (3,521.2 km electrified) narrow gauge: 497.1 km (33.9 km 1.000-m gauge - 28.1 km electrified, 497.1 km 0.760-m gauge - 94 km electrified) (2001) |
total: 2,152 km
standard gauge: 468 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,674 km 1.000-m gauge (65 km electrified) dual gauge: 10 km 1.435-m and 1.000-m gauges (three rails) (2002) |
Religions | Roman Catholic 78%, Protestant 5%, Muslim and other 17% | Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1% |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
Suffrage | 19 years of age; universal; compulsory for presidential elections | 20 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
highly developed and efficient domestic: there are 48 main lines for every 100 persons and the system is nearly 100% digital; the fiber optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet services are available international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 2 Eutelsat (1999) |
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 |
Telephones - main lines in use | 4 million (3,600,000 analog main lines plus 400,000 ISDN or Integrated Services Digital Network connections) (1999) | 654,000 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 4.5 million (2000) | 50,000 (1998) |
Television broadcast stations | 45 (plus 960 repeaters) (1995) | 26 (plus 76 repeaters) (1995) |
Terrain | in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping | mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the Sahara |
Total fertility rate | 1.39 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 1.9 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 5.4% (2000 est.) | 15.4% (2002 est.) |
Waterways | 358 km (1999) | none |