:Tunisia Economy
Overview:
The economy depends primarily on petroleum, phosphates, tourism, and exports
of light manufactures. Following two years of drought-induced economic
decline, the economy made a strong recovery in 1990 as a result of a
bountiful harvest, continued export growth, and higher domestic investment.
Continued high inflation and unemployment have eroded popular support for
the government, however, and forced Tunis to slow the pace of economic
reform. Nonetheless, the government appears committed to implementing its
IMF-supported structural adjustment program and to servicing its foreign
debt.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $10.9 billion, per capita $1,320; real growth
rate 3.5% (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.2% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
15% (1991)
Budget:
revenues $3.8 billion; expenditures $5.4 billion, including capital
expenditures of $970 million (1992 est.)
Exports:
$3.7 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
commodities:
hydrocarbons, agricultural products, phosphates and chemicals
partners:
EC 74%, Middle East 11%, US 2%, Turkey, USSR
Imports:
$4.9 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
commodities:
industrial goods and equipment 57%, hydrocarbons 13%, food 12%, consumer
goods
partners:
EC 67%, US 6%, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, Turkey, Algeria
External debt:
$8.6 billion (1991)
Industrial production:
growth rate 5% (1989); accounts for about 25% of GDP, including petroleum
Electricity:
1,493,000 kW capacity; 4,210 million kWh produced, 530 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries:
petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism, textiles,
footwear, food, beverages
Agriculture:
accounts for 16% of GDP and one-third of labor force; output subject to
severe fluctuations because of frequent droughts; export crops - olives,
dates, oranges, almonds; other products - grain, sugar beets, wine grapes,
poultry, beef, dairy; not self-sufficient in food; fish catch of 99,200
metric tons (1987)
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $730 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $5.2 billion; OPEC
bilateral aid (1979-89), $684 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $410
million
Currency:
Tunisian dinar (plural - dinars); 1 Tunisian dinar (TD) = 1,000 millimes
Exchange rates:
Tunisian dinars (TD) per US$1 - 0.9272 (March 1992), 0.9246 (1991), 0.8783
(1990), 0.9493 (1989), 0.8578 (1988), 0.8287 (1987)
:Tunisia Economy
Fiscal year: calendar year
:Tunisia Communications
Railroads:
2,115 km total; 465 km 1.435-meter (standard) gauge; 1,650 km 1.000-meter
gauge
Highways:
17,700 km total; 9,100 km bituminous; 8,600 km improved and unimproved earth
Pipelines:
crude oil 797 km, petroleum products 86 km, natural gas 742 km
Ports:
Bizerte, Gabes, Sfax, Sousse, Tunis, La Goulette, Zarzis
Merchant marine:
21 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 160,069 GRT/218,791 DWT; includes 1
short-sea passenger, 4 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 petroleum tanker,
6 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 5 bulk
Civil air:
19 major transport aircraft
Airports:
29 total, 26 usable; 13 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways
over 3,659 m; 7 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 7 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
the system is above the African average; facilities consist of open-wire
lines, coaxial cable, and radio relay; key centers are Sfax, Sousse,
Bizerte, and Tunis; 233,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 7 AM, 8 FM, 19
TV; 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
and 1 ARABSAT with back-up control station; coaxial cable to Algeria and
Libya; radio relay to Algeria, and Libya
:Tunisia Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary forces, National Guard
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 2,117,864; 1,217,819 fit for military service; 88,619 reach
military age (20) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $520 million, 5% of GDP (1992 budget)
:Turkey Geography
Total area:
780,580 km2
Land area:
770,760 km2
Comparative area:
slightly larger than Texas
Land boundaries:
2,627 km total; Armenia 268 km, Azerbaijan 9 km, Bulgaria 240 km, Georgia
252 km, Greece 206 km, Iran 499 km, Iraq 331 km, Syria 822 km
Coastline:
7,200 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone:
in Black Sea only - to the maritime boundary agreed upon with the former
USSR
Territorial sea:
6 nm in the Aegean Sea, 12 nm in Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea
Disputes:
complex maritime and air (but not territorial) disputes with Greece in
Aegean Sea; Cyprus question; Hatay question with Syria; ongoing dispute with
downstream riparians (Syria and Iraq) over water development plans for the
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Climate:
temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior
Terrain:
mostly mountains; narrow coastal plain; high central plateau (Anatolia)
Natural resources:
antimony, coal, chromium, mercury, copper, borate, sulphur, iron ore
Land use:
arable land 30%; permanent crops 4%; meadows and pastures 12%; forest and
woodland 26%; other 28%; includes irrigated 3%
Environment:
subject to severe earthquakes, especially along major river valleys in west;
air pollution; desertification
Note:
strategic location controlling the Turkish straits (Bosporus, Sea of
Marmara, Dardanelles) that link Black and Aegean Seas