Tunisia (continued)
Nationality: noun—Tunisian(s); adjective—Tunisian
Ethnic divisions: 98% Arab, 1% European, less than 1% Jewish
Religion: 98% Muslim, 1% Christian, less than 1% Jewish
Language: Arabic (official); Arabic and French (commerce)
Literacy: 62% (est.)
Labor force: 2,250,000; 32% agriculture; shortage of skilled labor
Organized labor: about 360,000 members claimed, roughly 20% of labor force; General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT), quasi-independent of Constitutional Democratic Party
Government
Long-form name: Republic of Tunisia;
note—may be changed to Tunisian
Republic
Type: republic
Capital: Tūnis
Administrative divisions: 23 governorates (wilāyat, singular—wilāyah); Al Kāf, Al Mahdīyah, Al Munastīr, Al Qaşrayn, Al Qayrawān, Aryānah, Bājah, Banzart, Bin ‘Arūs, Jundūbah, Madanīn, Nābul, Qābis, Qafşah, Qibilī, Şafāqis, Sīdī Bū Zayd, Silyānah, Sūsah, Taţāwīn, Tawzar, Tūnis, Zaghwān
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)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale)
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)
Political parties and leaders: Constitutional Democratic Rally Party (RCD), President Ben Ali (official ruling party); Movement of Democratic Socialists (MDS), Ahmed Mestiri; five other political parties are legal, including the Communist Party
Suffrage: universal at age 20
Elections: President—last held 2 April 1989 (next to be held April 1994); results—Gen. Zine el Abidine Ben Aliwas reelected without opposition;
National Assembly—last held 2 April 1989 (next to be held April 1994); results—RCD 80.7%, independents/Islamists 13.7%, MDS 3.2%, others 2.4% seats—(141 total) RCD 141
Communists: a small number of nominal Communists, mostly students
Member of: AfDB, Arab League, AIOEC, CCC, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council, NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Abdelaziz HAMZAOUI; Chancery at 1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20005; telephone (202) 862-1850; US—Ambassador Robert H. PELLETREAU, Jr.; Embassy at 144 Avenue de la Liberte, 1002 Tunis-Belvedere; telephone [216](1) 782-566
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
Economy
Overview: The economy depends primarily
on petroleum, phosphates, and tourism for
continued growth. Two successive
drought-induced crop failures have
strained the government's budget and
increased unemployment. The current
account fell from a $23 million surplus in
1988 to a $390 million deficit in 1989.
Despite its foreign payments problems,
Tunis appears committed to its
IMF-supported structural adjustment
program. Nonetheless, the government may
have to slow its implementation to head
off labor unrest. The increasing foreign
debt—$7.6 billion at yearend 1989—is
also a key problem. Tunis probably will
seek debt relief in 1990.
GDP: $8.7 billion, per capita $1,105; real growth rate 3.1% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 25% (1989)
Budget: revenues $2.9 billion; expenditures $3.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $0.8 billion (1989 est.)
Exports: $3.1 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities—hydrocarbons, agricultural products, phosphates and chemicals; partners—EC 73%, Middle East 9%, US 1%, Turkey, USSR
Imports: $4.4 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities—industrial goods and equipment 57%, hydrocarbons 13%, food 12%, consumer goods; partners—EC 68%, US 7%, Canada, Japan, USSR, China, Saudi Arabia, Algeria
External debt: $7.6 billion (December 1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 3.5% (1988)
Electricity: 1,493,000 kW capacity; 4,210 million kWh produced, 530 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), 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 (1986)
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $694 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $4.6 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $684 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $410 million
Currency: Tunisian dinar (plural—dinars); 1 Tunisian dinar (TD) = 1,000 millimes
Exchange rates: Tunisian dinars (TD) per US$1—0.9055 (January 1990), 0.9493 (1989), 0.8578 (1988), 0.8287 (1987), 0.7940 (1986), 0.8345 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Railroads: 2,154 km total; 465 km 1.435-meter
standard gauge; 1,689 km 1.000-meter
gauge
Highways: 17,700 km total; 9,100 km bituminous; 8,600 km improved and unimproved earth
Pipelines: 797 km crude oil; 86 km refined products; 742 km natural gas
Ports: Bizerte, Gabes, Sfax, Sousse, Tunis, La Goulette, Zarzis
Merchant marine: 21 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 160,172 GRT/218,970 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 4 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 6 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 5 bulk
Civil air: 13 major transport aircraft
Airports: 30 total, 28 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, multiconductor cable, and radio relay; key centers are Şafāqis, Sūsah, Bizerte, and Tūnis; 233,000 telephones; stations—18 AM, 4 FM, 14 TV;
