Tunisia

Location

• Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya
• strategic location in central Mediterranean

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Tunis	693,210	Capital
Sfax	280,566
Sousse	221,715
Kairouan	139,070
Bizerte	138,430
Sukrah	129,693
Aryanah	114,486
Gabès	110,075
Sejoumi	109,672
El Mourouj	104,538

Size

• 63,170 square miles
• 163,610 square kilometers
• slightly larger than Georgia

History

Many empires have controlled Tunisia, including the Phoenicians (as early as the 12 century B.C.), Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, various Arab and Berber kingdoms, and Ottomans (16th to late-19th centuries). 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 after World War I finally convinced 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. In 1987, Zine el Abidine BEN ALI replaced BOURGUIBA in a bloodless coup. Street protests that began in Tunis in 2010 over high unemployment, corruption, widespread poverty, and high food prices escalated in 2011, culminating in rioting that led to hundreds of deaths and later became known as the start of the regional Arab Spring uprising. BEN ALI dismissed the government and fled the country, and a "national unity government" was formed. Elections for the new Constituent Assembly were held later that year, and human rights activist Moncef MARZOUKI was elected as interim president. The Assembly began drafting a new constitution in 2012 and, after several iterations and a months-long political crisis that stalled the transition, ratified the document in 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. After ESSEBSI’s death in office in 2019, Kais SAIED was elected. SAIED's term, as well as that of Tunisia's 217-member parliament, was set to expire in 2024. However, in 2021, SAIED used the exceptional powers allowed under Tunisia's constitution to dismiss the prime minister and suspend the legislature. Tunisians approved a new constitution through public referendum in 2022, expanding presidential powers and creating a new bicameral legislature. 

Climate

temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south

Terrain

mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the Sahara

Languages

Arabic (official, one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce), Tamazightmajor-language sample(s): كتاب حقائق العالم، أحسن كتاب تتعلم به المعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.note: despite having no official status, French plays a major role in the country and is spoken by about two thirds of the population

Religions

Muslim (official; Sunni) 99%, other (includes Christian, Jewish, Shia Muslim, and Baha'i) <1%

Government

parliamentary republic

• Constitution: history: several previous; latest draft published by the president 30 June 2022, approved by referendum 25 July 2022, and adopted 27 July 2022amendment process: proposed by the president of the republic or one third of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People membership; following Constitutional Court review, approval to proceed requires an absolute majority vote in the Assembly, and final passage requires a two-thirds Assembly majority vote; the president can opt to submit an amendment to a referendum, which requires an absolute majority of votes cast for passage
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 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
• Legal System: mixed system of civil law, based on the French civil code and Islamic (sharia) law; Supreme Court reviews some legislative acts in joint session
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Kais SAIED (since 23 October 2019)head of government: Prime Minister Sarra ZAAFRANI Zenzri (since 21 March 2025)cabinet: prime minister appointed by the president; cabinet members appointed by the president in consultation with the prime ministerelection/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term)most recent election date: 6 October 2024election results: 2024: Kais SAIED reelected president in first round - Kais SAIED (independent) 90.7%, Ayachi ZAMMEL (Long Live Tunisia) 7.3%, Zouhair MAGHZAOUI (People's Movement) 2%2019: Kais SAIED elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Kais SAIED (independent) 18.4%, Nabil KAROUI (Heart of Tunisia) 15.6%, Abdelfattah MOUROU (Nahda Movement) 12.9%, Abdelkrim ZBIDI (independent) 10.7%, Youssef CHAHED (Long Live Tunisia) 7.4%, Safi SAID (independent) 7.1%, Lotfi MRAIHI (Republican People's Union) 6.6%, other 21.3%; percent of vote in second round - Kais SAIED 72.7%, Nabil KAROUI 27.3%expected date of next election: 2029note: the president can dismiss any member of government on his own initiative or in consultation with the prime minister
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Court of Cassation (consists of the first president, chamber presidents, and magistrates; organized into 27 civil and 11 criminal chambers)judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges nominated by the Supreme Judicial Council, an independent 4-part body consisting mainly of elected judges and the remainder legal specialists; judge tenure based on terms of appointment; Constitutional Court (established in the 2014 and 2022 constitutions, but never implemented)subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; administrative courts; Court of Audit; Housing Court; courts of first instance; lower district courts; military courtsnote: the Tunisian constitution of January 2014 called for the establishment of a constitutional court by the end of 2015, but the court was never formed; the new constitution of July 2022 calls for the establishment of a constitutional court consisting of 9 members appointed by presidential decree; members to include former senior judges of other courts
• Legislative Branch: legislative structure: bicameralnote: in 2022, President SAIED issued a new electoral law that requires all legislative candidates to run as independents

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• lower middle-income North African economy; drafting reforms for foreign lenders; high unemployment, especially for youth and women; hit hard by COVID-19; high public sector wages; high public debt; protectionist austerity measures; key EU trade partner
• Budget: revenues: $10.866 billion (2019 est.)expenditures: $12.375 billion (2019 est.)
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt
• Industries: petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate, iron ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, agribusiness, beverages
• Agricultural Products: milk, tomatoes, olives, onions, chillies/peppers, watermelons, potatoes, wheat, dates, oranges (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 62.4% (2022 est.)arable land: 18.2% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 13.6% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 30.6% (2022 est.)forest: 4.5% (2022 est.)other: 33% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: refined petroleum, natural gas, plastic products, cars, plastics (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: Italy 13%, France 12%, China 10%, Russia 8%, Germany 7% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: garments, insulated wire, olive oil, refined petroleum, crude petroleum (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: France 22%, Italy 17%, Germany 13%, USA 4%, Libya 4% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports