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Tunisia
INTRODUCTION
1. Political situation
2. Economy
3. Health
4. Education
a. Universities
5. Demographics
6. Religions
7. Peoples
8. Languages
9. History
10. Cities and Towns






















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Modern states /
Tunisia
The Tunisian Republic
Arabic: (OFFICIAL:) 'al-jumhūriyyatu t-tūnisiyya
Arabic: (SHORT:) tūnis


Tunisia's national flag

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Major cities & towns
Tunis1,200,000
Sfax280,000
Sousse160,000
Kairouan120,000
Bizerte120,000
Gabes120,000


Status
Independent republic, divided into 23 governorates.
Days of independence: March 20, 1956 (from France).

Government
Head of state: President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali.
Prime minister: Muhammad Ghannouchi.
The government consists of 25 ministries.

Geography
Inhabitants: 10.5 million (2009 estimate).
Census April 20 1994: 8.79 million.
Population growth rate: 1.1%
Total area: 163,610 kmē
Water: 8,250 km²
Density: 64 per kmē
Border: 1,424 km (Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km).
Coastline: 1,148 km
Highest point: Chambi Mountain 1,544 m
Arable land: 18.7%
Capital: Tunis

Human Development Index
World rank (of 182): 98
Index (1.0 max): 0.769

Explanation

Demography
Languages: Arabic (official), Berber, French
Religions: Sunni Islam


Economy
Currency: Dinar=1,000 millim (TND)
1 dinars=US$0.81. US$1=1.24 dinar (September 2008)

Climate and Geography
Large parts of Tunisia is dry, but the north is green and fertile, with many forests but little agriculture and few inhabitants. The coastal area south of Tunis is fertile and producing almost all of Tunisia's agriculture products. This is also the region with the largest part of the population.
The interior is stony desert, while sand desert is found in the very south. There are some mountains in the north-west, but not reaching higher than 1544 meters. There are some winter lakes, chott, dry and salty through summer, giving the country a special character, with the Chott el-Jerid dominating the middle of Tunisia.




By Tore Kjeilen