AECID - Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo

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Name: Tunisia.

Area: 163,610 Km2.

Mediterranean coastline: 1,150 Km.

Population (World Bank data): 9.6 million.

Annual population growth (World Bank data): 1.7%.

Population distribution (World Bank data): 66% urban, 44% rural.

Human Development Index (UNDP Report, 2001): 89 of 162.

Distribution by productive sectors (World Bank data): primary 12.3% of GDP, secondary 28.8% and tertiary 58.9%.

Access to drinking water (UNDP Report, 2001): not available.

Annual per capita energy consumption (IUCN system): 824 Kw/hours

Geographical description: Tunisia can be divided into four topographical regions, north-to-south. In the north, the spurs of the maritime Atlas mountains cross the country from southwest to northeast. Peaks range from 610 to 1,520 m, and fertile valleys and plains extend between the mountains. The country’s main river, the Majardah, crosses the region from east to west, and flows into the Gulf of Tunis. To the south, the mountains give way to the plateau, whose average altitude is 610 m. Further south, the plateau drops gradually to the string of salt lakes extending from the east to the west of the country, some of them below sea level. The Sahara lies to the south of these lakes, accounting for 40% of Tunisia’s area.

Climate: In the north, the climate is gently Mediterranean, becoming hotter and drier further south. Northern average temperatures are 26ºC in July and 9ºC in January, with a rainy period extending from October to May. Average annual rainfall is 610 mm, but this can vary from one year to another. In the south, in the Sahara, this average drops to 200 mm.

Natural resources: Oil is Tunisia’s chief natural resource, with reserves both off- and on-shore, particularly in the south and in new deposits discovered at the beginning of the eighties. Other minerals can be found, such as natural gas, phosphates, iron, lead and zinc.

Main environmental problems: Water is scarce in Tunisia and drought is common. Agriculture is the major user of water, although demand is also rising for drinking water, and for industry and tourism, making rational and efficient management of this resource increasingly necessary.

Population growth has been accompanied by a rising demand for cultivable land, and agricultural output has increased, at the expense of new land use and overgrazing, which have led to soil erosion. Occupation of land, and its improper exploitation are speeding this degradation up and increasing deforestation. Just 3.6% (1995) of the territory is forested, and this figure is dropping because of an annual deforestation rate of 0.5%. The construction of dikes, ports and hotels in some places has also led to coastal erosion.

Tunisia makes a greater effort than neighbouring countries in the treatment of waste water, although urban liquid waste continues to be a problem, polluting water sources and leading to the eutrophication of Mediterranean waters. In rural zones, only 52% of the population (1990-1998) has access to adequate drainage. Moreover industrial waste is not managed properly and represents a health threat. Pesticide use is completely uncontrolled, and air pollution caused by motor vehicles and industry continues to be unmonitored.

Only 0.3% (1997) of Tunisian territory is protected. Ichkeul National Park in the north contains a lake and its wetlands, providing a rest area for hundreds of migratory birds such as ducks, geese and pink flamingos.

The Tunisian government has ratified international accords on biodiversity, climate change, desertification, endangered species, hazardous waste, marine dumping, protection of the ozone layer, pollution at sea, and wetlands.