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Tunisia
Area: 163,610 sq km
Population: 9,924,742 (2003)
Capital City: Tunis
People: Arab (98%), European (1%), Other 1%
Languages: Arabic and French
Religion(s): Muslim (98%), Christian (1%) and Other (1%)
Currency: 1 Tunisian dinar (TND) = 1000 millimes
Major political parties: Rassemblement Constitutionnel Democratique (RCD)
Government: Republic
Head of State: President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali
Prime Minister/Premier: Mr Mohamed Ghannouchi
Foreign Minister: Mr Abdel Whahhab Abdullah
Membership of international groups/organisations: Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (ABEDA), Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation (ACCT), African Development Bank (AfDB), Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), Arab League (AL), Arab Monetary Fund (AMF), Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), African Union (AU), Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC - observer), Customs Cooperation Council (CCC), Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Group of 77 at the United Nations (G-77), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), International Criminal Court (ICC), International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRM), International Development Association (IDA), Islamic Development Bank (IDB), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), International Finance Corporation (IFC), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS), International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO), International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Maritime Organisation (IMO), International Maritime Satellite Organisation (Inmarsat), International Telecommunications Satellite Organisation (Intelsat), International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol), Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), International Organisation for Migration (IOM), International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), International Telecommunications Union (ITU), UN Civilian Police Mission in Haiti (MIPONUH), UN Organisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), Non Aligned Movement (NAM), Organisation of American States and the Community of Andean Nations (OAS - observer), Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Organisation for Co-operation and Security in Europe (OSCE - partner), United Nations (UN), UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Universal Postal Union (UPU), World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), World Health Organisation (WHO), World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), World Tourism Organisation (WtoO), World Trade Organisation (WtrO)
GEOGRAPHY
(34 00 N 9 00 E)
The Republic of Tunisia lies in North Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Algeria to the west, and Libya to the south east.
HISTORY
The country was a French protectorate from 1881 to 1956. Granted independence as a constitutional monarchy, it became a republic in 1957. Habib Bourguiba, who led the independence movement, became the first President. He was replaced in November 1987 by the then Prime Minister, Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, who is still in power.
POLITICS
The Head of State is a president, directly elected by universal adult suffrage. The president’s term of office is five years. On 26 May 2002, Tunisia held its first ever referendum on draft constitutional amendments. The figures released by the Tunisian authorities showed a 99.95% turnout and a 'yes' vote of 99.52%. These reforms, among other things, changed Presidential term limits, allowing President Ben Ali to stand again for the Presidency.
In the presidential elections of 24 October 2004, President Ben Ali was re-elected with 94.48% of the vote. There were three rival candidates. In legislative elections on the same day, the RCD, Tunisia’s ruling party, won 152 of the 189 seats in the sole parliamentary chamber, the Chamber of Deputies. Some opposition parties boycotted the elections.
The EU issued a declaration on the elections stating that 'while recognising that the Election Law safeguards female representation in parliament as well as minority views…the overall process leading to the elections on 24 October did not provide a level playing field for contenders'.
ECONOMY
Basic Economic Facts
GDP: US\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\$28.2 billion (2004)*
GDP per head: US\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\$7,100 (2004)*
Annual Growth: 5.8% (2004)*
Inflation: 4.1% (2004)
Major Industries: Agriculture, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, food, beverages
UK Exports to Tunisia: £133.2m (2005) UK Imports from Tunisia: £177m (2005) Major trading partners: Germany, France, Italy and Belgium
Exchange rate: £1= 2.42 dinars (December 2005), \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\$1= 1.38 dinars (July 2005)
*Source: World Development Indicators database, August 2005
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Tunisia has followed a moderate, non-aligned course in its international relations, playing an active role in supporting the Middle East Peace Process. Tunisian peacekeepers have participated in UN operations in Cambodia, Namibia, Rwanda and Burundi. Contingents are currently serving in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea and Kosovo.
Tunisia signed an Association Agreement with the EU in 1995, which entered into force in 1998. This was the first such accord between an EU and a Mediterranean partner. Under the agreement, Tunisia will gradually remove barriers to trade with the EU over the next decade.
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