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Compare Tunisia (2003) - Southern Ocean (2004)

Compare Tunisia (2003) z Southern Ocean (2004)

 Tunisia (2003)Southern Ocean (2004)
 TunisiaSouthern Ocean
Administrative divisions 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: 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.)
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Agriculture - products olives, olive oil, grain, dairy products, tomatoes, citrus fruit, beef, sugar beets, dates, almonds -
Airports 30 (2002) -
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)
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Airports - with unpaved runways total: 16


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 7


under 914 m: 7 (2002)
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Area total: 163,610 sq km


land: 155,360 sq km


water: 8,250 sq km
total: 20.327 million sq km


note: includes Amundsen Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, part of the Drake Passage, Ross Sea, a small part of the Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies
Area - comparative slightly larger than Georgia slightly more than twice the size of the US
Background 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. A decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 delimited a fifth world ocean - the Southern Ocean - from the southern portions of the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean. The Southern Ocean extends from the coast of Antarctica north to 60 degrees south latitude, which coincides with the Antarctic Treaty Limit. The Southern Ocean is now the fourth largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean, but larger than the Arctic Ocean).
Birth rate 16.53 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) -
Budget revenues: $5.2 billion


expenditures: $5.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.6 billion (2002 est.)
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Capital Tunis -
Climate temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius; at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter
Coastline 1,148 km 17,968 km
Constitution 1 June 1959; amended 12 July 1988 -
Country name conventional long form: Tunisian Republic


conventional short form: Tunisia


local long form: Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah


local short form: Tunis
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Currency Tunisian dinar (TND) -
Death rate 5.02 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) -
Debt - external $13.6 billion (2003 est.) -
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
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Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Hatem ATALLAH


chancery: 1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005


telephone: [1] (202) 862-1850


FAX: [1] (202) 862-1858
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Disputes - international none Antarctic Treaty defers claims (see Antarctica entry), but Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and UK assert claims (some overlapping), including the continental shelf in the Southern Ocean; several states have expressed an interest in extending those continental shelf claims under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to include undersea ridges; the US and most other states do not recognize the land or maritime claims of other states and have made no claims themselves (the US and Russia have reserved the right to do so); no formal claims have been made in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west
Economic aid - recipient $222.7 million (2000) -
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 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. Fisheries in 2000-01 (1 July to 30 June) landed 112,934 metric tons, of which 87% was krill and 11% Patagonian toothfish. International agreements were adopted in late 1999 to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, which in the 2000-01 season landed, by one estimate, 8,376 metric tons of Patagonian and antarctic toothfish. In the 2000-01 antarctic summer 12,248 tourists, most of them seaborne, visited the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, compared to 14,762 the previous year.
Electricity - consumption 9.748 billion kWh (2001) -
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) -
Electricity - imports 1 million kWh (2001) -
Electricity - production 10.48 billion kWh (2001) -
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 99.5%


hydro: 0.5%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
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Elevation extremes lowest point: Shatt al Gharsah -17 m


highest point: Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m
lowest point: -7,235 m at the southern end of the South Sandwich Trench


highest point: sea level 0 m
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 increased solar ultraviolet radiation resulting from the Antarctic ozone hole in recent years, reducing marine primary productivity (phytoplankton) by as much as 15% and damaging the DNA of some fish; illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in recent years, especially the landing of an estimated five to six times more Patagonian toothfish than the regulated fishery, which is likely to affect the sustainability of the stock; large amount of incidental mortality of seabirds resulting from long-line fishing for toothfish


note: the now-protected fur seal population is making a strong comeback after severe overexploitation in the 18th and 19th centuries
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
the Southern Ocean is subject to all international agreements regarding the world's oceans; in addition, it is subject to these agreements specific to the Antarctic region: International Whaling Commission (prohibits commercial whaling south of 40 degrees south [south of 60 degrees south between 50 degrees and 130 degrees west]); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (limits sealing); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (regulates fishing)


note: many nations (including the US) prohibit mineral resource exploration and exploitation south of the fluctuating Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) which is in the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and serves as the dividing line between the very cold polar surface waters to the south and the warmer waters to the north
Ethnic groups Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1% -
Exchange rates 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 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%
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Exports NA (2001) -
Exports - commodities textiles, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, agricultural products, hydrocarbons -
Exports - partners France 31.3%, Italy 21.6%, Germany 11.5%, Spain 4.8%, Libya 4.7%, Belgium 4.3% (2002) -
Fiscal year calendar year -
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 -
GDP purchasing power parity - $67.13 billion (2002 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 12%


industry: 32%


services: 56% (2003 est.)
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GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $6,800 (2002 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 4.8% (2002 est.) -
Geographic coordinates 34 00 N, 9 00 E 65 00 S, 0 00 E (nominally), but the Southern Ocean has the unique distinction of being a large circumpolar body of water totally encircling the continent of Antarctica; this ring of water lies between 60 degrees south latitude and the coast of Antarctica and encompasses 360 degrees of longitude
Geography - note strategic location in central Mediterranean; Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration the major chokepoint is the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica; the Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) is the best natural definition of the northern extent of the Southern Ocean; it is a distinct region at the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that separates the very cold polar surface waters to the south from the warmer waters to the north; the Front and the Current extend entirely around Antarctica, reaching south of 60 degrees south near New Zealand and near 48 degrees south in the far South Atlantic coinciding with the path of the maximum westerly winds
Highways total: 18,997 km


paved: 12,310 km (including 142 km of expressways)


unpaved: 6,687 km (2000)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.3%


highest 10%: 31.8% (1995)
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Imports NA (2001) -
Imports - commodities textiles, machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, food -
Imports - partners France 25.6%, Italy 19.5%, Germany 8.9%, Spain 5% (2002) -
Independence 20 March 1956 (from France) -
Industrial production growth rate 3.5% (2002 est.) -
Industries petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, agribusiness, beverages -
Infant mortality rate 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.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.5% (2002 est.) -
International organization participation 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) 1 (2000) -
Irrigated land 3,800 sq km (1998 est.) -
Judicial branch Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation -
Labor force 2.69 million


note: shortage of skilled labor (2001 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation services 55%, industry 23%, agriculture 22% (1995 est.) -
Land boundaries total: 1,424 km


border countries: Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km
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Land use arable land: 18.67%


permanent crops: 12.87%


other: 68.46% (1998 est.)
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Languages Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce) -
Legal system based on French civil law system and Islamic law; some judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint session -
Legislative branch 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
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Life expectancy at birth total population: 74.4 years


male: 72.77 years


female: 76.15 years (2003 est.)
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Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 74.2%


male: 84%


female: 64.4% (2003 est.)
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Location Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya body of water between 60 degrees south latitude and Antarctica
Map references Africa Antarctic Region
Maritime claims contiguous zone: 24 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
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Merchant marine 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.)
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Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary forces, National Guard -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $356 million (FY99) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.5% (FY99) -
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 2,866,984 (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 1,629,241 (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - military age 20 years of age (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 106,513 (2003 est.) -
National holiday Independence Day, 20 March (1956) -
Nationality noun: Tunisian(s)


adjective: Tunisian
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Natural hazards NA huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters; smaller bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 meter thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with large annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf floored by glacial deposits varying widely over short distances; high winds and large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially May-October; most of region is remote from sources of search and rescue
Natural resources petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt probable large and possible giant oil and gas fields on the continental margin, manganese nodules, possible placer deposits, sand and gravel, fresh water as icebergs; squid, whales, and seals - none exploited; krill, fishes
Net migration rate -0.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) -
Pipelines gas 3,059 km; oil 1,203 km; refined products 345 km (2003) -
Political parties and leaders 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 the Islamic fundamentalist party, Al Nahda (Renaissance), is outlawed -
Population 9,924,742 (July 2003 est.) -
Population below poverty line 6% (2000 est.) -
Population growth rate 1.09% (2003 est.) -
Ports and harbors Bizerte, Gabes, La Goulette, Sfax, Sousse, Tunis, Zarzis McMurdo, Palmer, and offshore anchorages in Antarctica


note: few ports or harbors exist on the southern side of the Southern Ocean; ice conditions limit use of most of them to short periods in midsummer; even then some cannot be entered without icebreaker escort; most antarctic ports are operated by government research stations and, except in an emergency, are not open to commercial or private vessels; vessels in any port south of 60 degrees south are subject to inspection by Antarctic Treaty observers (see Article 7)
Radio broadcast stations AM 7, FM 20, shortwave 2 (1998) -
Railways 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)
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Religions Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1% -
Sex ratio 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.)
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Suffrage 20 years of age; universal -
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
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Telephones - main lines in use 654,000 (1997) -
Telephones - mobile cellular 50,000 (1998) -
Television broadcast stations 26 (plus 76 repeaters) (1995) -
Terrain mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the Sahara the Southern Ocean is deep, 4,000 to 5,000 meters over most of its extent with only limited areas of shallow water; the Antarctic continental shelf is generally narrow and unusually deep, its edge lying at depths of 400 to 800 meters (the global mean is 133 meters); the Antarctic icepack grows from an average minimum of 2.6 million square kilometers in March to about 18.8 million square kilometers in September, better than a sixfold increase in area; the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (21,000 km in length) moves perpetually eastward; it is the world's largest ocean current, transporting 130 million cubic meters of water per second - 100 times the flow of all the world's rivers
Total fertility rate 1.9 children born/woman (2003 est.) -
Transportation - note - Drake Passage offers alternative to transit through the Panama Canal
Unemployment rate 15.4% (2002 est.) -
Waterways none -
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