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Background: Following independence from France in 1956, 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 recent years, Tunisia has taken a moderate, non-aligned stance in its foreign relations. Domestically, it has sought to diffuse rising pressure for a more open political society.
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Common Name: Tunisia
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Local Official Name: Tunis
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Abbreviated Name: Republic of Tunisia
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Official Name: Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah
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Official Script Name: Tunisia
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Local Common Name: Tunisia
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Former Name: Tunisia
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Territory of: NA
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Head of State: President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI
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Government Type: republic
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Independence: 1956 March 20 (from France)
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Constitution: 1959 June 1 (amended 1998 July 12)
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National Holiday: Independence Day, 20 March
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International Organization Participation: ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, BSEC (observer), CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OAU, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
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Administrative Divisions: 23 governorates; Ariana (Aryanah), Beja (Bajah), Ben Arous (Bin 'Arus), Bizerte (Banzart), El Kef (Al Kaf), Gabes (Qabis), Gafsa (Qafsah), Jendouba (Jundubah), Kairouan (Al Qayrawan), Kasserine (Al Qasrayn), Kebili (Qibili), Mahdia (Al Mahdiyah), Medenine (Madanin), Monastir (Al Munastir), Nabeul (Nabul), Sfax (Safaqis), Sidi Bou Zid (Sidi Bu Zayd), Siliana (Silyanah), Sousse (Susah), Tataouine (Tatawin), Tozeur (Tawzar), Tunis, Zaghouan (Zaghwan)
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Dependent Areas: NA
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Legal System: based on French civil law system and Islamic law; some judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint session
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Suffrage: 20 years of age years
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Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches: Executive Branch:
chief of state: President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI (since 7 November 1987)
head of government: Prime Minister Mohamed GHANNOUCHI (since 17 November 1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 24 October 1999 (next to be held NA 2004); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI reelected for a third term without opposition; percent of vote - Zine El Abidine BEN ALI nearly 100%
Legislative Branch:
unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Majlis al-Nuwaab (182 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 24 October 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - RCD 92%; seats by party - RCD 148, MDS 13, UDU 7, PUP 7, Al-Tajdid 5, PSL 2; note - reforms enabled opposition parties to win up to 20% of seats, increasing the number of seats they hold from 19 in the last election to 34 now
Judicial Branch:
Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation
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Party Leaders: Al-Tajdid Movement [Adel CHAOUCH]; Constitutional Democratic Rally Party (Rassemblement Constitutionnel Democratique) or RCD [President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI (official ruling party)]; Liberal Social Party or PSL [Mounir BEJI]; Movement of Democratic Socialists or MDS [Khamis CHAMMARI]; Popular Unity Party or PUP [Mohamed Belhaj AMOR]; Unionist Democratic Union or UDU [Abderrahmane TLILI]
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International Disputes: NA
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Illicit Drugs: NA
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Location of Tunisia: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya
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Continent: Africa
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Land Area Total: 163,610 sq km
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Region: Northern African |
Land Area Land: 155,360 sq km
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Capitol City: Tunis
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Land Area Water: 8,250 sq km
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Current:
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Latitude: 034 00 N
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Border Boundary Land: 1,424 km
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Longitude: 009 00 E
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Border Boundary Coastline: 1,148 km
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Arable Land: 19.00 %
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Pastures: 0.00 %
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Crops: 13.00 %
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Woodlands and Forests: 0.00
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Highest Elevation: 1,544 m
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Location: Jebel ech Chambi
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Lowest Elevation: -17 m
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Location: Shatt al Gharsah
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Largest City in Tunisia: Tunis
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Tunis Largest City Population: 1,860,000
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Threatened Species: 24
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Environmental Issues: toxic and hazardous waste disposal is ineffective and poses health risks; water pollution from raw sewage; limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
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Environmental Agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
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Irrigated Land: 3,800
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Bordering Countries: Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km
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Natural Resources: petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt
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Geographical Terrain: mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the Sahara
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Comparative Area of Tunisia: slightly larger than Georgia
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Tunisia's Geography: strategic location in central Mediterranean; Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration
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Click Here for detailed information about the weather conditions in Tunisia.
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General Climate: temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south
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Natural Hazards: NA
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Economic Overview: Tunisia has a diverse economy, with important agricultural, mining, energy, tourism, and manufacturing sectors. Governmental control of economic affairs while still heavy has gradually lessened over the past decade with increasing privatization, simplification of the tax structure, and a prudent approach to debt. Real growth averaged 5.4% in the past five years, and inflation is slowing. Growth in tourism and increased trade have been key elements in this steady growth, although tourism revenues have slowed since 11 September 2001 and may take a year or more to fully recover. Tunisia's association agreement with the European Union entered into force on 1 March 1998, the first such accord between the EU and a Mediterranean country. Under the agreement Tunisia will gradually remove barriers to trade with the EU over the next decade. Broader privatization, further liberalization of the investment code to increase foreign investment, and improvements in government efficiency are among the challenges for the future.
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GDP: $64,500,000,000 USD
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Currency: Tunisian dinar
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GDP per Capita: $6,600 USD
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Currency Code: TND
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GDP Growth Rate: 4.80 %
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One $USD Equals: %fincurrencyequals% TND
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Currency Exchange Rate History: Tunisian dinars per US dollar - 1.44 (January 2002), 1.3753 (2001), 1.3707 (2000), 1.1862 (1999), 1.1387 (1998), 1.1059 (1997)
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GDP of Agriculture: 13.00 %
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GDP of Industry: 33.00 %
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GDP of Services: 54.00 % |
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Inflation Rate: 2.70 % |
Population in Poverty: 6.00 %
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Unemployment Rate: 15.60 %
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Tourism: 4,832,000.00 visitors each year
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Consumption by lowest 10%: 2.30 %
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Budget Revenue in USD: $5,700,000,000 USD
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Consumption by upper 10%: 31.80 %
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Budget Expenditures in USD: $6,300,000,000 USD
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Electricity Production: 10,300,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Exports: 19,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Consumption: 9,562,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Imports: 2,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Production by Source:
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Fossil Fuel Electricity Production: 99.03%
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Nuclear Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Hydro Electricity Production: 0.97%
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Other Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Oil Production: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Production: 0 cu m
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Oil Consumption: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Consumption: 0 cu m
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Oil Exports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Exports: 0 cu m
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Oil Imports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Imports: 0 cu m
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Proven Oil Reserves: 0 barrels
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Proven Natural Gas Reserves: 0 cu m
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External Debt: $11,500,000,000 USD |
Received in economic aid: $933,200,000 USD
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Donated in economic aid: $0 USD
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Agricultural Products: olives, olive oil, grain, dairy products, tomatoes, citrus fruit, beef, sugar beets, dates, almonds
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Primary Industries: petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, agribusiness, beverages
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Industrial Growth Rate: 5.20 %
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Import Amount in USD: $8,900,000,000 USD - machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, food
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Import Partners: France 30%, Italy 21%, Germany 11%, Spain 4%, Belgium
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Export Amount in USD: $6,600,000,000 USD - textiles, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, agricultural products, hydrocarbons
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Export Partners: France 28%, Italy 21%, Germany 14%, Belgium 6%, Libya
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GINI Index: 41.70%
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Labor Force Number of People: 2,690,000
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Labor Force by Occupations: services 55%, industry 23%, agriculture 22%
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Radio Broadcast Stations: 29 |
Number of People with Radios: 2,060,000 |
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Television Broadcast Stations: 26 |
Number of People with Televisions: 920,000 |
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Number of People with Mainline Telephones: 654,000 |
Number of People with Mobile Phones: 50,000 |
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Internet Service Providers: 1 |
Internet Users: 280,000 |
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Internet Country Code: .tn |
Newspapers: 31 |
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Two Letter Country Code: TN |
Weights and Measures: |
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Phone Country Code: +216 |
Electricity Voltage: Volts |
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Telephone Systems: general assessment: above the African average and continuing to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; Internet access available
domestic: trunk facilities consist of open-wire lines, coaxial cable, and microwave radio relay
international: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in Medarabtel; two international gateway digital switches
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Highways: 18,226 km |
Railways: 2,168 km
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Gas And Oil Pipelines: 1,625 km |
Waterways: 0 km
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Airports: 14 |
Heliports: 0
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Motor Vehicles: 77 per 1,000 people |
CO2 Emissions: 16,638,000 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Per capita CO2 emissions: 1.80 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Merchant Marines: total: 16 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 150,710 GRT/162,616 DWT
ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 4, chemical tanker 4, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 1
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Ports and Harbors: Bizerte, Gabes, La Goulette, Sfax, Sousse, Tunis, Zarzis
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Population: 9,815,644 people type - nationality |
Birth Rate: 16.83 births per 1,000 people |
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Population Density: 58.00 people per sq km |
Death Rate: 5.00 deaths per 1,000 people |
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Population Growth: 1.12% per year |
Fertility Rate per Women: 1.94 babies born per woman |
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Population Male 0-14: 1,412,625 |
Population Female 0-14: 1,320,729 |
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Population Male 15-64: 3,234,770 |
Population Female 15-64: 3,233,149 |
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Population Male 65+: 303,093 |
Population Female 65+: 311,278 |
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Population 0-14: 27.80% |
Literacy Rate: 66.70% |
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Population 15-64: 65.90% |
Literacy rate of Males: 78.60% |
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Population 65+: 6.30% |
Literacy rate of Females: 54.60% |
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Population that is Male: 51.00
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Population that is Female: 49.00% |
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Life expectancy at birth in years: 74.16 years |
Infant mortality rate - baby deaths per 1000 births: 27.97 Babies die per 1,000 births |
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Life expectancy at birth for Males: 72.56 years |
Life expectancy at birth for Females: 75.89 years |
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Rate of AIDS/HIV infection: 0.04%
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Number of people living with AIDS or HIV: 0
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Number of people who died of AIDS: 0 |
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Disease Risk:
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Diseases:
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Net Migration Rate per 1,000 people: -0.63
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Nationality: TUNISIAN
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Ethnic Groups: Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1%
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Primary Language: Arabic
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Other Languages: Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce)
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Primary Religion: Muslim
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Other Religions: Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1%
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Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary forces, National Guard
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 20 years of age years
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Manpower Available: 2,806,881 People
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 1,597,565 People
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Amount of Manpower Available each Year: 105,146 People per year
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Expenditures: $356,000,000 USD per year
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Expenditures as a Percentage of GDP: 1.50
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Note: Phrasebase uses a variety of sources when compiling the facts and information presented above. This information is continually updated throughout the year.
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Tunisia Spa and Resort Directory
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Tunisia Home Exchanges and Home Swaps
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Tunisia Vacation Rentals And Holiday Villas
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Tunisia City Information Game Earn Real Money
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