]! ^! Rivalry between French and Italian interests in Tunisia culminated in a French invasion in 1881 and the creation of a protectorate. Agitation for independence in the decades following World War I was finally successful in getting the French to recognize Tunisia as an independent state in 1956. The country's first 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. Tunisia has long taken a moderate, non-aligned stance in its foreign relations. Domestically, it has sought to defuse rising pressure for a more open political society. 
]" ^" Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya ^# 34 00 N, 9 00 E ^$ Africa ^% `! 163,610 sq km `" 155,360 sq km `# 8,250 sq km ^& slightly larger than Georgia ^' `! 1,424 km `Y Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km ^( 1,148 km ^) `$ 12 nm `M 24 nm ^* temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south ^+ mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the Sahara ^, `% Shatt al Gharsah -17 m `& Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m ^- petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt ^. `' 17.05% `( 13.08% `) 69.87% (2005) ^/ 3,940 sq km (2003) ^0 NA ^1 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 _P `P Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands `Q Marine Life Conservation ^2 strategic location in central Mediterranean; Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration 
]# ^3 10,276,158 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 24% (male 1,270,208/female 1,191,619) `, 69.2% (male 3,571,228/female 3,538,458) `- 6.9% (male 333,801/female 370,844) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 28.3 years `. 27.7 years `/ 28.8 years (2007 est.) ^6 0.989% (2007 est.) ^7 15.54 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 5.17 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 -0.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.07 male(s)/female `1 1.066 male(s)/female `, 1.009 male(s)/female `- 0.9 male(s)/female `2 1.015 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 22.94 deaths/1,000 live births `. 25.75 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 19.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 75.34 years `. 73.6 years `/ 77.21 years (2007 est.) ^= 1.73 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> less than 0.1% (2005 est.) ^? 1,000 (2003 est.) ^@ less than 200 (2003 est.) _` `h intermediate `i bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne diseases: may be a significant risk in some locations during the transmission season (typically April through November) (2007) ^A `3 Tunisian(s) `4 Tunisian ^B Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1% ^C Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1% ^D Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce) ^E `5 age 15 and over can read and write `2 74.3% `. 83.4% `/ 65.3% (2004 est.) 
]$ ^F `6 Tunisian Republic `7 Tunisia `Z Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah `[ Tunis ^H republic ^I `8 Tunis `9 36 48 N, 10 11 E `: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) `p +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October ^J 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) ^K 20 March 1956 (from France) ^L Independence Day, 20 March (1956) ^M 1 June 1959; amended 1988, 2002 ^N based on French civil law system and Islamic law; some judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint session ^O 20 years of age; universal except for active duty military ^P `; President Zine el Abidine BEN ALI (since 7 November 1987) `< Prime Minister Mohamed GHANNOUCHI (since 17 November 1999) `= Council of Ministers appointed by the president `> president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held on 24 October 2004 (next to be held in October 2009); prime minister appointed by the president `? President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI reelected for a fourth term; percent of vote - Zine El Abidine BEN ALI 94.5%, Mohamed BOUCHIHA 3.8%, Mohamed Ali HALOUANI 1% ^Q bicameral system consists of the Chamber of Deputies or Majlis al-Nuwaab (189 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Advisors (126 seats; 85 members elected by municipal counselors, deputies, mayors, and professional associations and trade unions; 41 members are presidential appointees; members serve six-year terms) `> Chamber of Deputies - last held on 24 October 2004 (next to be held in October 2009); Chamber of Advisors - last held on 3 July 2005 (next to be held in July 2011) `? Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RCD 152, MDS 14, PUP 11, UDU 7, Al-Tajdid 3, PSL 2; Chamber of Advisors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RCD 71 (14 trade union seats vacant (boycotted)) ^R Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation ^S Al-Tajdid Movement [Ali HALOUANI]; Constitutional Democratic Rally Party (Rassemblement Constitutionnel Democratique) or RCD (official ruling party) [President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI]; Green Party for Progress or PVP [Mongi KHAMASSI]; Liberal Social Party or PSL [Mounir BEJI]; Movement of Socialist Democrats or MDS [Ismail BOULAHYA]; Popular Unity Party or PUP [Mohamed BOUCHIHA]; Progressive Democratic Party [Nejib CHEBBI]; Unionist Democratic Union or UDU [Ahmed INOUBLI] ^T 18 October Group [collective leadership]; Democratic Forum for Labor and Liberties or FDTL [Mustapha Ben JAFAAR]; Tunisian League for Human Rights or LTDH [Mokhtar TRIFI]; note - the Islamic fundamentalist party, Al Nahda (Renaissance), is outlawed ^U ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BSEC (observer), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC (suspended), OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ^V `R Ambassador Nejib HACHANA `S 1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005 `T [1] (202) 862-1850 `U [1] (202) 862-1858 ^W `R Ambassador designate Robert F. GODEC `_ Zone Nord-Est des Berges du Lac Nord de Tunis 1053 `` use embassy street address `T [216] 71 107-000 `U [216] 71 107-090 ^X 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 
]% ^Y 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. Progressive social policies also have helped raise living conditions in Tunisia relative to the region. Real growth slowed to a 15-year low of 1.9% in 2002 because of agricultural drought and lackluster tourism. Increased rain helped to push GDP growth to an average rate of 5% in 2003-05. However, a recession in agriculture, weak expansion in the tourism and textile sectors, and increasing import costs due to rising world energy prices cut growth to 4% in 2006. Tunisia is gradually removing barriers to trade with the EU. 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 ahead. ^Z $87.88 billion (2006 est.) ^[ $32.95 billion (2006 est.) ^\ 4% (2006 est.) ^] $8,600 (2006 est.) ^^ `@ 12.8% `A 31% `B 56.2% (2006 est.) ^_ 3.502 million `* shortage of skilled labor (2006 est.) ^` `@ 55% `A 23% `B 22% (1995 est.) ^a 13.9% (2006 est.) _! 7.4% (2005 est.) _" `C 2.3% `D 31.8% (1995) _d 40 (2005 est.) _# 4.6% (2006 est.) _V 22.3% of GDP (2006 est.) _$ `E $7.728 billion `F $8.734 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.6 billion (2006 est.) _% 57.3% of GDP (2006 est.) _& olives, olive oil, grain, tomatoes, citrus fruit, sugar beets, dates, almonds; beef, dairy products _' petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, agribusiness, beverages _( 4.7% (2006 est.) _) 11.81 billion kWh (2004) _* 10.97 billion kWh (2004) _+ 15 million kWh (2004) _, 5 million kWh (2004) _- 81,530 bbl/day (2004 est.) _. 89,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) _/ NA bbl/day _0 NA bbl/day _W 1.7 billion bbl (2006 est.) _1 2.4 billion cu m (2004 est.) _2 3.7 billion cu m (2004 est.) _X 0 cu m (2004 est.) _Y 1.3 billion cu m (2004 est.) _Z 77.87 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.) _Q $-760 million (2006 est.) _3 $11.61 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _4 clothing, semi-finished goods and textiles, agricultural products, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, hydrocarbons _5 France 32.9%, Italy 24%, Germany 8.4%, Spain 5.5%, Libya 4.5% (2005) _6 $13.89 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _7 textiles, machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, foodstuffs _8 France 23.5%, Italy 20.9%, Germany 8.2%, Spain 5.1% (2005) _[ $6.646 billion (2006 est.) _9 $18.37 billion (30 June 2006 est.) _: $328 million (2004) _; Tunisian dinar (TND) _< Tunisian dinars per US dollar - 1.331 (2006), 1.2974 (2005), 1.2455 (2004), 1.2885 (2003), 1.4217 (2002) _= calendar year 
]& _> 1.258 million (2005) _? 5.681 million (2005) _@ `G above the African average and continuing to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; Internet access available `H trunk facilities consist of open-wire lines, coaxial cable, and microwave radio relay `I country code - 216; 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; 2 international gateway digital switches _A AM 7, FM 20, shortwave 2 (1998) _B 26 (plus 76 repeaters) (1995) _C .tn _D 428 (2006) _E 953,800 (2005) 
]' _F 30 (2006) _G `! 14 `a 3 `J 6 `b 2 `c 3 (2006) _R `! 16 `b 2 `c 7 `W 7 (2006) _^ gas 2,945 km; oil 1,227 km; refined products 351 km (2006) _e `! 2,153 km `m 471 km 1.435-m gauge `n 1,674 km 1.000-m gauge (65 km electrified) `t 8 km 1.435 m and 1.000-m gauges (three rails) (2005) _H `! 19,232 km `K 12,655 km (includes 262 km of expressways) `L 6,577 km (2004) _S `! 9 ships (1000 GRT or over) 146,759 GRT/115,118 DWT by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 1, chemical tanker 3, passenger/cargo 4 (2006) _I Bizerte, Gabes, La Goulette, Skhira 
]( _J Army, Navy, Republic of Tunisia Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriyah At'tunisia) (2006) _T 20 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2004) _K males age 20-49: 2,441,741 females age 20-49: 2,406,362 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 20-49: 2,035,431 females age 20-49: 2,000,757 (2005 est.) _L males age 18-49: 108,817 females age 20-49: 103,087 (2005 est.) _U 1.5% (2005 est.) 
]) _N none 