*Tunisia, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Tunisia
conventional short form:
Tunisia
local long form:
Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah
local short form:
Tunis
Digraph:
TS
Type:
republic
Capital:
Tunis
Administrative divisions:
23 governorates; Beja, Ben Arous, Bizerte, Gabes, Gafsa, Jendouba, Kairouan,
Kasserine, Kebili, L'Ariana, Le Kef, Mahdia, Medenine, Monastir, Nabeul,
Sfax, Sidi Bou Zid, Siliana, Sousse, Tataouine, Tozeur, Tunis, Zaghouan
Independence:
20 March 1956 (from France)
Constitution:
1 June 1959
Legal system:
based on French civil law system and Islamic law; some judicial review of
legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint session
National holiday:
National Day, 20 March (1956)
Political parties and leaders:
Constitutional Democratic Rally Party (RCD), President BEN ALI (official
ruling party); Movement of Democratic Socialists (MDS), Mohammed MOUAADA;
five other political parties are legal, including the Communist Party
Other political or pressure groups:
the Islamic fundamentalist party, An Nahda (Rebirth), is outlawed
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal
Elections:
President:
last held 2 April 1989 (next to be held NA March 1994); results - Gen. Zine
el Abidine BEN ALI was reelected without opposition
Chamber of Deputies:
last held 2 April 1989 (next to be held NA April 1994); results - RCD 80.7%,
independents/Islamists 13.7%, MDS 3.2%, other 2.4%; seats - (141 total) RCD
141
Executive branch:
president, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
unicameral Chamber of Deputies (Majlis al-Nuwaab)
Judicial branch:
Court of Cassation (Cour de Cassation)
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Gen. Zine el Abidine BEN ALI (since 7 November 1987)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Hamed KAROUI (since 26 September 1989)

*Tunisia, Government

Member of:
ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, NAM, OAPEC (withdrew from
active membership in 1986), OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Ismail KHELIL
chancery:
1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone:
(202) 862-1850
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador John T. McCARTHY
embassy:
144 Avenue de la Liberte, 1002 Tunis-Belvedere
mailing address:
use embassy street address
telephone:
[216] (1) 782-566
FAX:
[216] (1) 789-719
Flag:
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

*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 came back strongly in 1990-92 as a result of good
harvests, continued export growth, and higher domestic investment. High
unemployment has 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.
National product:
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $13.6 billion (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate:
8% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
$1,650 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate:
15.7% (1992)
Budget:
revenues $4.3 billion; expenditures $5.5 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1993 est.)
Exports:
$3.7 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
hydrocarbons, agricultural products, phosphates and chemicals
partners:
EC countries 74%, Middle East 11%, US 2%, Turkey, former USSR republics
Imports:
$6.1 billion (c.i.f., 1992)
commodities:
industrial goods and equipment 57%, hydrocarbons 13%, food 12%, consumer
goods
partners:
EC countries 67%, US 6%, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, Turkey, Algeria
External debt:
$7.7 billion (1992 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 5% (1989); accounts for about 25% of GDP, including petroleum
Electricity:
1,545,000 kW capacity; 5,096 million kWh produced, 600 kWh per capita (1992)
Industries:
petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism, textiles,
footwear, food, beverages
Agriculture:
accounts for 15% 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:
1 Tunisian dinar (TD) = 1,000 millimes

*Tunisia, Economy

Exchange rates:
Tunisian dinars (TD) per US$1 - 0.9931 (February 1993), 0.8844 (1992),
0.9246 (1991), 0.8783 (1990), 0.9493 (1989), 0.8578 (1988)
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:
22 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 161,661 GRT/221,959 DWT; includes 1
short-sea passenger, 4 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 oil tanker, 6
chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 6 bulk
Airports:
total:
29
usable:
26
with permanent-surface runways:
13
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
7
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
7
note:
a new airport opened 6 May 1993, length and type of surface NA
Telecommunications:
the system is above the African average; facilities consist of open-wire
lines, coaxial cable, and microwave radio relay; key centers are Sfax,
Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; 233,000 telephones (28 telephones per 1,000
persons); 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 and microwave radio relay to Algeria
and Libya