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 convincing 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. In November 1987, BOURGUIBA was removed from office and replaced by Zine el Abidine BEN ALI in a bloodless coup. Street protests that began in Tunis in December 2010 over high unemployment, corruption, widespread poverty, and high food prices escalated in January 2011, culminating in rioting that led to hundreds of deaths. On 14 January 2011, the same day BEN ALI dismissed the government, he fled the country, and by late January 2011, a "national unity government" was formed. Elections for the new Constituent Assembly were held in late October 2011, and in December, it elected human rights activist Moncef MARZOUKI as interim president. The Assembly began drafting a new constitution in February 2012 and, after several iterations and a months-long political crisis that stalled the transition, ratified the document in January 2014. Parliamentary and presidential elections for a permanent government were held at the end of 2014. Beji CAID ESSEBSI was elected as the first president under the country's new constitution. In 2016, the new unity government continued to seek to balance political cohesion with economic and social pressures.

Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya

34 00 N, 9 00 E

Africa

slightly larger than Georgia

1,148 km

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

highest point: Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m

petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt

arable land 18.3%; permanent crops 15.4%; permanent pasture 31.1%

4,590 sq km (2012)

the overwhelming majority of the population is located in the northern half of the country; the south remains largely underpopulated

NA

toxic and hazardous waste disposal is ineffective and poses health risks; water pollution from raw sewage; limited natural freshwater resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

strategic location in central Mediterranean; Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration

11,134,588 (July 2016 est.)

Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1%

Arabic (official, one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce), Berber (Tamazight)

Muslim (official; Sunni) 99.1%, other (includes Christian, Jewish, Shia Muslim, and Baha'i) 1%

The Tunisian Government took steps in the 1960s to decrease population growth and gender inequality in order to improve socioeconomic development. Through its introduction of a national family planning program (the first in Africa) and by raising the legal age of marriage, Tunisia rapidly reduced its total fertility rate from about 7 children per woman in 1960 to 2 today. Unlike many of its North African and Middle Eastern neighbors, Tunisia will soon be shifting from being a youth-bulge country to having a transitional age structure, characterized by lower fertility and mortality rates, a slower population growth rate, a rising median age, and a longer average life expectancy.

Currently, the sizable young working-age population is straining Tunisia’s labor market and education and health care systems. Persistent high unemployment among Tunisia’s growing workforce, particularly its increasing number of university graduates and women, was a key factor in the uprisings that led to the overthrow of the BEN ALI regime in 2011. In the near term, Tunisia’s large number of jobless young, working-age adults; deficiencies in primary and secondary education; and the ongoing lack of job creation and skills mismatches could contribute to future unrest. In the longer term, a sustained low fertility rate will shrink future youth cohorts and alleviate demographic pressure on Tunisia’s labor market, but employment and education hurdles will still need to be addressed.

Tunisia has a history of labor emigration. In the 1960s, workers migrated to European countries to escape poor economic conditions and to fill Europe’s need for low-skilled labor in construction and manufacturing. The Tunisian Government signed bilateral labor agreements with France, Germany, Belgium, Hungary, and the Netherlands, with the expectation that Tunisian workers would eventually return home. At the same time, growing numbers of Tunisians headed to Libya, often illegally, to work in the expanding oil industry. In the mid-1970s, with European countries beginning to restrict immigration and Tunisian-Libyan tensions brewing, Tunisian economic migrants turned toward the Gulf countries. After mass expulsions from Libya in 1983, Tunisian migrants increasingly sought family reunification in Europe or moved illegally to southern Europe, while Tunisia itself developed into a transit point for sub-Saharan migrants heading to Europe.

Following the ousting of BEN ALI in 2011, the illegal migration of unemployed Tunisian youths to Italy and onward to France soared into the tens of thousands. Thousands more Tunisian and foreign workers escaping civil war in Libya flooded into Tunisia and joined the exodus. A readmission agreement signed by Italy and Tunisia in April 2011 helped stem the outflow, leaving Tunisia and international organizations to repatriate, resettle, or accommodate some 1 million Libyans and third-country nationals.

0.86% (2016 est.)

16.4 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)

6 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)

-1.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)

the overwhelming majority of the population is located in the northern half of the country; the south remains largely underpopulated

TUNIS (capital) 1.993 million (2015)

62 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

1.98 children born/woman (2016 est.)

62.5% (2011/12)

7% of GDP (2014)

1.22 physicians/1,000 population (2010)

2.1 beds/1,000 population (2012)

urban: 100% of population

rural: 93.2% of population

total: 97.7% of population

urban: 0% of population

rural: 6.8% of population

total: 2.3% of population (2015 est.)

urban: 97.4% of population

rural: 79.8% of population

total: 91.6% of population

urban: 2.6% of population

rural: 20.2% of population

total: 8.4% of population (2015 est.)

0.04% (2015 est.)

2,600 (2015 est.)

100 (2015 est.)

27.1% (2014)

2.3% (2012)

6.2% of GDP (2012)

parliamentary republic

24 governorates (wilayat, singular - wilayah); 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), L'Ariana (Aryanah), Mahdia (Al Mahdiyah), Manouba (Manubah), Medenine (Madanin), Monastir (Al Munastir), Nabeul (Nabul), Sfax (Safaqis), Sidi Bouzid (Sidi Bu Zayd), Siliana (Silyanah), Sousse (Susah), Tataouine (Tatawin), Tozeur (Tawzar), Tunis, Zaghouan (Zaghwan)

20 March 1956 (from France)

Independence Day, 20 March (1956); Revolution and Youth Day, 14 January (2011)

several previous; latest approved by Constituent Assembly 26 January 2014, signed by president on 27 January 2014 (2016)

mixed legal system of civil law, based on the French civil code, and Islamic law; some judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint session

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal except for active government security forces (including the police and the military), people with mental disabilities, people who have served more than three months in prison (criminal cases only), and people given a suspended sentence of more than six months

Afek Tounes [Yassine BRAHIM]

Congress for the Republic or CPR [Imed DAIMI]

Current of Love [Mohamed HAMDI] (formerly the Popular Petition party)

Democratic Alliance Party [Mohamed HAMDI]

Democratic Current [Mohamed ABBOU]

Democratic Patriots' Unified Party

Ennahda Movement (The Renaissance) [Rachid GHANNOUCHI]

Free Patriotic Union or UPL (Union patriotique libre) [Slim RIAHI]

Green Tunisia Party [Abdelkader ZITOUNI]

Movement of Socialist Democrats or MDS [Ahmed KHASKHOUSSI]

National Destourian Initiative or El Moubadra [Kamel MORJANE]

Party of the Democratic Arab Vanguard

People's Movement [Zouheir MAGHZAOUI]

Popular Front (a coalition of 9 parties including Democractic Patriots' Unified Party, Workers' Party, Green Tunisia, Tunisian Ba'ath Movement, and Party of the Democractic Arab Vanguard)

Popular Petition (Aridha Chaabia) [Hachemi HAMDI]

Republican Party [Maya JRIBI]

The Initiative [Kamel MORJANE] (formerly the Constitutional Democratic Rally or RCD)

Tunisian Ba'ath Movement [Omar Othman BEKHADJ, secretary general]

Tunisia's Call (Nidaa Tounes) [Mohamed ENNACEUR]

Workers' Party [Hamma HAMMAMI]

18 October Group [collective leadership]

Tunisian League for Human Rights or LTDH [Mokhtar TRIFI]

Tunisian General Labor Union or UGTT [Hassine ABASSI]

ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BSEC (observer), CAEU, CD, EBRD, FAO, G-11, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAS, MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

red with a white disk in the center bearing a red crescent nearly encircling a red five-pointed star; resembles the Ottoman flag (red banner with white crescent and star) and recalls Tunisia's history as part of the Ottoman Empire; red represents the blood shed by martyrs in the struggle against oppression, white stands for peace; the crescent and star are traditional symbols of Islam

encircled red star and crescent; national colors: red, white

Tunisia's diverse, market-oriented economy has long been cited as a success story in Africa and the Middle East, but it faces an array of challenges following the 2011 Arab Spring revolution. Following an ill-fated experiment with socialist economic policies in the 1960s, Tunisia embarked on a successful strategy focused on bolstering exports, foreign investment, and tourism, all of which have become central to the country's economy. Key exports now include textiles and apparel, food products, petroleum products, chemicals, and phosphates, with about 80% of exports bound for Tunisia's main economic partner, the EU.

Tunisia's liberal strategy, coupled with investments in education and infrastructure, fueled decades of 4-5% annual GDP growth and improving living standards. Former President Zine el Abidine BEN ALI (1987-2011) continued these policies, but as his reign wore on cronyism and corruption stymied economic performance, and unemployment rose among the country's growing ranks of university graduates. These grievances contributed to the January 2011 overthrow of BEN ALI, sending Tunisia's economy into a tailspin as tourism and investment declined sharply.

Since its establishment in late 2014, Tunisia’s new government has faced challenges reassuring businesses and investors, bringing budget and current account deficits under control, shoring up the country's financial system, lowering high unemployment, and reducing economic disparities between the more developed coastal region and the impoverished interior. In 2015, successive terrorist attacks against the tourism sector and worker strikes in the phosphate sector, which combined account for nearly 15% of GDP, slowed growth to less than 1% of GDP.

$127 billion (2015 est.)

$126 billion (2014 est.)

$123.2 billion (2013 est.)

$43.58 billion (2015 est.)

0.8% (2015 est.)

2.3% (2014 est.)

2.4% (2013 est.)

$11,400 (2015 est.)

$11,500 (2014 est.)

$11,300 (2013 est.)

21.2% of GDP (2015 est.)

24.1% of GDP (2014 est.)

24.2% of GDP (2013 est.)

olives, olive oil, grain, tomatoes, citrus fruit, sugar beets, dates, almonds; beef, dairy products

petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate, iron ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, agribusiness, beverages

-1.5% (2015 est.)

4.014 million (2015 est.)

15.2% (2015 est.)

15% (2014 est.)

15.5% (2010 est.)

40 (2005 est.)

41.7 (1995 est.)

23.6% of GDP (2015 est.)

-4.4% of GDP (2015 est.)

54.6% of GDP (2015 est.)

50.8% of GDP (2014 est.)

calendar year

4.9% (2015 est.)

4.9% (2014 est.)

5.75% (31 December 2010)

7.31% (31 December 2014 est.)

6.76% (31 December 2013 est.)

$12.61 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$12.68 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$31.32 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$30.9 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

$35.73 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$35.82 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$8.887 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$9.662 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$10.68 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

-$3.875 billion (2015 est.)

-$4.341 billion (2014 est.)

$14.07 billion (2015 est.)

$16.84 billion (2014 est.)

clothing, semi-finished goods and textiles, agricultural products, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, hydrocarbons, electrical equipment

France 28.5%, Italy 17.2%, Germany 10.9%, Libya 6.1%, Spain 4.2% (2015)

$19.1 billion (2015 est.)

$23.4 billion (2014 est.)

textiles, machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, foodstuffs

France 19.4%, Italy 16.4%, Algeria 8.2%, Germany 7.4%, China 6% (2015)

$7.059 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$7.395 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$25.45 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$26.4 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$36.39 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$35.46 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$285 million (31 December 2015 est.)

$285 million (31 December 2014 est.)

Tunisian dinars (TND) per US dollar -

1.9617 (2015 est.)

1.6976 (2014 est.)

1.6976 (2013 est.)

1.56 (2012 est.)

1.4078 (2011 est.)

18 billion kWh (2014 est.)

15 billion kWh (2014 est.)

600 million kWh (2014 est.)

500 million kWh (2014 est.)

4.6 million kW (2014 est.)

95.9% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

1.6% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

2.6% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

47,100 bbl/day (2015 est.)

48,530 bbl/day (2013 est.)

22,920 bbl/day (2013 est.)

400 million bbl (1 January 2016 es)

35,530 bbl/day (2013 est.)

89,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)

17,650 bbl/day (2013 est.)

64,620 bbl/day (2013 est.)

1.661 billion cu m (2014 est.)

4.52 billion cu m (2014 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

2.86 billion cu m (2014 est.)

65.13 billion cu m (1 January 2016 es)

21 million Mt (2013 est.)

broadcast media is mainly government-controlled; the state-run Tunisian Radio and Television Establishment (ERTT) operates 2 national TV networks, several national radio networks, and a number of regional radio stations; 1 TV and 3 radio stations are privately owned and report domestic news stories directly from the official Tunisian news agency; the state retains control of broadcast facilities and transmitters through L'Office National de la Telediffusion; Tunisians also have access to Egyptian, pan-Arab, and European satellite TV channels (2007)

.tn

TS (2016)

29 (2013)

condensate 68 km; gas 3,111 km; oil 1,381 km; refined products 453 km (2013)

Tunisian Armed Forces (Forces Armees Tunisiens, FAT): Tunisian Army (includes Tunisian Air Defense Force), Tunisian Navy, Republic of Tunisia Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriyah At'Tunisia) (2012)

20-23 years of age for compulsory service, 1-year service obligation; 18-23 years of age for voluntary service; Tunisian nationality required (2012)

1.55% of GDP (2012)

1.34% of GDP (2011)

1.55% of GDP (2010)

none