Chapter 171
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 Tunisia
Economy - overview:
Tunisia has a diverse economy, with important agricultural, mining, 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. Progressive social policies also have helped raise living conditions in Tunisia relative to the region. Real growth, which averaged almost 5% over the past decade, reached 6.3% in 2007 because of development in non-textile manufacturing, a recovery in agricultural production, and strong growth in the services sector. However, Tunisia will need to reach even higher growth levels to create sufficient employment opportunities for an already large number of unemployed as well as the growing population of university graduates. Broader privatization, further liberalization of the investment code to increase foreign investment, improvements in government efficiency, and reduction of the trade deficit are among the challenges ahead.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$76.07 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$35.01 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6.3% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$7,400 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 11.6% industry: 25.7% services: 62.8% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
3.593 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 55% industry: 23% services: 22% (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate:
14.1% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
7.4% (2005 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 31.5% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
40 (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
23.6% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $8.466 billion expenditures: $9.475 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
55.4% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.1% (2007 est.)
Stock of money:
$9.491 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$13.56 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$25.23 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
olives, olive oil, grain, tomatoes, citrus fruit, sugar beets, dates, almonds; beef, dairy products
Industries:
petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, agribusiness, beverages
Industrial production growth rate:
7.2% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
12.65 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
10.75 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
135 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 99.5% hydro: 0.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
86,210 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
91,110 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
73,790 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
89,130 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
400 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
2.55 billion cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
3.85 billion cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2005)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
65.13 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
-$905 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$15.15 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
clothing, semi-finished goods and textiles, agricultural products, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, hydrocarbons, electrical equipment
Exports - partners:
France 31.3%, Italy 21%, Germany 8.5%, Spain 5.5%, Libya 5.5% (2007)
Imports:
$18.02 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
textiles, machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
France 23.8%, Italy 21.9%, Germany 9.7%, Spain 5%, Libya 4.4% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$376.5 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$7.854 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$19.27 billion (December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$26.22 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$118 million (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$4.446 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
Tunisian dinar (TND)
Currency code:
TND
Exchange rates:
Tunisian dinars (TND) per US dollar - 1.2776 (2007), 1.331 (2006), 1.2974 (2005), 1.2455 (2004), 1.2885 (2003)
Communications Tunisia
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.273 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
7.842 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: above the African average and continuing to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; Internet access available domestic: in an effort jumpstart expansion of the fixed-line network, the government has awarded a concession to build and operate a VSAT network with international connectivity; competition between the two mobile-cellular service providers has resulted in lower activation and usage charges and a strong surge in subscribership; expansion of mobile-cellular services to include multimedia messaging and e-mail and Internet to mobile phone services also leading to a surge in subscribership; overall fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 90 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 216; a landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable system that provides links to Europe, Middle East, and Asia; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in Medarabtel; 2 international gateway digital switches
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 7, FM 38, shortwave 2 (2007)
Radios:
2.06 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
26 (plus 76 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions:
920,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.tn
Internet hosts:
376 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
1.722 million (2007)
Transportation Tunisia
Airports:
30 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 14 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 7 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 2,665 km; oil 1,235 km; refined products 353 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 2,153 km standard gauge: 471 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,674 km 1.000-m gauge (65 km electrified) dual gauge: 8 km 1.435 m and 1.000-m gauges (three rails) (2006)
Roadways:
total: 19,232 km paved: 12,655 km (includes 262 km of expressways) unpaved: 6,577 km (2004)
Merchant marine:
total: 7 by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 1, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 4 registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Bizerte, Gabes, La Goulette, Rades, Sfax, Skhira
Military Tunisia
Military branches:
Army, Navy, Republic of Tunisia Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriyah At'tunisia) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
20 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,992,249 females age 16-49: 2,912,819 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,539,962 females age 16-49: 2,465,295 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 101,794 female: 95,198 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.4% of GDP (2006)
Transnational Issues Tunisia
Disputes - international:
none
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
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@Turkey
Introduction Turkey
Background:
Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants of the defeated Ottoman Empire by national hero Mustafa KEMAL, who was later honored with the title Ataturk or "Father of the Turks." Under his authoritarian leadership, the country adopted wide-ranging social, legal, and political reforms. After a period of one-party rule, an experiment with multi-party politics led to the 1950 election victory of the opposition Democratic Party and the peaceful transfer of power. Since then, Turkish political parties have multiplied, but democracy has been fractured by periods of instability and intermittent military coups (1960, 1971, 1980), which in each case eventually resulted in a return of political power to civilians. In 1997, the military again helped engineer the ouster - popularly dubbed a "post-modern coup" - of the then Islamic-oriented government. Turkey intervened militarily on Cyprus in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island and has since acted as patron state to the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," which only Turkey recognizes. A separatist insurgency begun in 1984 by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - now known as the People's Congress of Kurdistan or Kongra-Gel (KGK) - has dominated the Turkish military's attention and claimed more than 30,000 lives. After the capture of the group's leader in 1999, the insurgents largely withdrew from Turkey mainly to northern Iraq. In 2004, KGK announced an end to its ceasefire and attacks attributed to the KGK increased. Turkey joined the UN in 1945 and in 1952 it became a member of NATO. In 1964, Turkey became an associate member of the European Community; over the past decade, it has undertaken many reforms to strengthen its democracy and economy enabling it to begin accession membership talks with the European Union.
Geography Turkey
Location:
Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey west of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe), bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria
Geographic coordinates:
39 00 N, 35 00 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 780,580 sq km land: 770,760 sq km water: 9,820 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 2,648 km border countries: Armenia 268 km, Azerbaijan 9 km, Bulgaria 240 km, Georgia 252 km, Greece 206 km, Iran 499 km, Iraq 352 km, Syria 822 km
Coastline:
7,200 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 6 nm in the Aegean Sea; 12 nm in Black Sea and in Mediterranean Sea exclusive economic zone: in Black Sea only: to the maritime boundary agreed upon with the former USSR
Climate:
temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior
Terrain:
high central plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain; several mountain ranges
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Ararat 5,166 m
Natural resources:
coal, iron ore, copper, chromium, antimony, mercury, gold, barite, borate, celestite (strontium), emery, feldspar, limestone, magnesite, marble, perlite, pumice, pyrites (sulfur), clay, arable land, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 29.81% permanent crops: 3.39% other: 66.8% (2005)
Irrigated land:
52,150 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
234 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 39.78 cu km/yr (15%/11%/74%) per capita: 544 cu m/yr (2001)
Natural hazards:
severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van
Environment - current issues:
water pollution from dumping of chemicals and detergents; air pollution, particularly in urban areas; deforestation; concern for oil spills from increasing Bosporus ship traffic
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Geography - note:
strategic location controlling the Turkish Straits (Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles) that link Black and Aegean Seas; Mount Ararat, the legendary landing place of Noah's ark, is in the far eastern portion of the country
People Turkey
Population:
71,892,808 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 24.4% (male 8,937,515/female 8,608,375) 15-64 years: 68.6% (male 25,030,793/female 24,253,312) 65 years and over: 7% (male 2,307,236/female 2,755,576) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 29 years male: 28.8 years female: 29.2 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.013% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
16.15 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
6.02 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 36.98 deaths/1,000 live births male: 40.44 deaths/1,000 live births female: 33.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.14 years male: 70.67 years female: 75.73 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.87 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1%; note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Turk(s) adjective: Turkish
Ethnic groups:
Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20% (estimated)
Religions:
Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)
Languages:
Turkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli (or Zaza), Azeri, Kabardian note: there is also a substantial Gagauz population in the European part of Turkey
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87.4% male: 95.3% female: 79.6% (2004 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 11 years male: 12 years female: 11 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
4% of GDP (2004)
Government Turkey
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Turkey conventional short form: Turkey local long form: Turkiye Cumhuriyeti local short form: Turkiye
Government type:
republican parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Ankara geographic coordinates: 39 56 N, 32 52 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
81 provinces (iller, singular - ili); Adana, Adiyaman, Afyonkarahisar, Agri, Aksaray, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya, Ardahan, Artvin, Aydin, Balikesir, Bartin, Batman, Bayburt, Bilecik, Bingol, Bitlis, Bolu, Burdur, Bursa, Canakkale, Cankiri, Corum, Denizli, Diyarbakir, Duzce, Edirne, Elazig, Erzincan, Erzurum, Eskisehir, Gaziantep, Giresun, Gumushane, Hakkari, Hatay, Icel (Mersin), Igdir, Isparta, Istanbul, Izmir (Smyrna), Kahramanmaras, Karabuk, Karaman, Kars, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kilis, Kirikkale, Kirklareli, Kirsehir, Kocaeli, Konya, Kutahya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mugla, Mus, Nevsehir, Nigde, Ordu, Osmaniye, Rize, Sakarya, Samsun, Sanliurfa, Siirt, Sinop, Sirnak, Sivas, Tekirdag, Tokat, Trabzon (Trebizond), Tunceli, Usak, Van, Yalova, Yozgat, Zonguldak
Independence:
29 October 1923 (successor state to the Ottoman Empire)
National holiday:
Republic Day, 29 October (1923)
Constitution:
7 November 1982
Legal system:
civil law system derived from various European continental legal systems; note - member of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), although Turkey claims limited derogations on the ratified European Convention on Human Rights; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Abdullah GUL (since 28 August 2007) head of government: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (since 14 March 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Cemil CICEK (since 29 August 2007); Deputy Prime Minister Hayati YAZICI (since 29 August 2007); Deputy Prime Minister Nazim EKREN (since 29 August 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the prime minister elections: president elected by the National Assembly for one seven-year terms; prime minister appointed by the president from among members of parliament election results: Abdullah GUL received 339 votes in the third round of voting on 28 August 2007, after failing to garner the two thirds vote required by law in the first two rounds note: president-elect must have a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly on the first two ballots and a simple majority on the third ballot
Legislative branch:
unicameral Grand National Assembly of Turkey or Turkiye Buyuk Millet Meclisi (550 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 22 July 2007 (next to be held on November 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - AKP 46.7%, CHP 20.8%, MHP 14.3%, independents 5.2%, and other 13.0%; seats by party - AKP 341, CHP 112, MHP 71, independents 26; note - seats by party as of 17 December 2007 - AKP 340, CHP 87, MHP 70, DTP 20, DSP 13, independents 6, other 12, vacant 2 (DTP entered parliament as independents; DSP entered parliament on CHP's party list); only parties surpassing the 10% threshold are entitled to parliamentary seats
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; High Court of Appeals (Yargitay); Council of State (Danistay); Court of Accounts (Sayistay); Military High Court of Appeals; Military High Administrative Court
Political parties and leaders:
Anavatan Partisi (Motherland Party) or Anavatan [Erkan MUMCU]; Democratic Left Party or DSP [Mehmet Zeki SEZER]; Democratic Society Party or DTP [Nurettin DEMIRTAS]; Felicity Party or SP [Recai KUTAN] (sometimes translated as Contentment Party); Justice and Development Party or AKP [Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN]; Nationalist Action Party or MHP [Devlet BAHCELI] (sometimes translated as Nationalist Movement Party); People's Rise Party (Halkin Yukselisi Partisi) or HYP [Yasar Nuri OZTURK]; Republican People's Party or CHP [Deniz BAYKAL]; Social Democratic People's Party or SHP [Murat KARAYALCIN]; True Path Party or DYP [Mehmet AGAR] (sometimes translated as Correct Way Party); Young Party or GP [Cem Cengiz UZAN] note: the parties listed above are some of the more significant of the 49 parties that Turkey had on 1 December 2004
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Confederation of Public Sector Unions or KESK [Ismail Hakki TOMBUL]; Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Unions or DISK [Suleyman CELEBI]; Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or MUSIAD [Omer BOLAT]; Moral Rights Workers Union or Hak-Is [Salim USLU]; Turkish Confederation of Employers' Unions or TISK [Tugurl KUDATGOBILIK]; Turkish Confederation of Labor or Turk-Is [Salih KILIC]; Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen and Craftsmen or TESK [Dervis GUNDAY]; Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or TUSIAD [Omer SABANCI]; Turkish Union of Chambers of Commerce and Commodity Exchanges or TOBB [M. Rifat HISARCIKLIOGLU]
International organization participation:
ADB (nonregional members), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN (observer), EAPC, EBRD, ECO, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Nabi SENSOY chancery: 2525 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 612-6700 FAX: [1] (202) 612-6744 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ross WILSON embassy: 110 Ataturk Boulevard, Kavaklidere, 06100 Ankara mailing address: PSC 93, Box 5000, APO AE 09823 telephone: [90] (312) 455-5555 FAX: [90] (312) 467-0019 consulate(s) general: Istanbul consulate(s): Adana; note - there is a Consular Agent in Izmir
Flag description:
red with a vertical white crescent (the closed portion is toward the hoist side) and white five-pointed star centered just outside the crescent opening
Economy Turkey
Economy - overview:
Turkey's dynamic economy is a complex mix of modern industry and commerce along with a traditional agriculture sector that still accounts for more than 35% of employment. It has a strong and rapidly growing private sector, yet the state still plays a major role in basic industry, banking, transport, and communication. The largest industrial sector is textiles and clothing, which accounts for one-third of industrial employment; it faces stiff competition in international markets with the end of the global quota system. However, other sectors, notably the automotive and electronics industries, are rising in importance within Turkey's export mix. Real GNP growth has exceeded 6% in many years, but this strong expansion has been interrupted by sharp declines in output in 1994, 1999, and 2001. The economy is turning around with the implementation of economic reforms, and 2004 GDP growth reached 9%, followed by roughly 5% annual growth from 2005-07. Inflation fell to 7.7% in 2005 - a 30-year low - but climbed back to 8.5% in 2007. Despite the strong economic gains from 2002-07, which were largely due to renewed investor interest in emerging markets, IMF backing, and tighter fiscal policy, the economy is still burdened by a high current account deficit and high external debt. Further economic and judicial reforms and prospective EU membership are expected to boost foreign direct investment. The stock value of FDI currently stands at about $85 billion. Privatization sales are currently approaching $21 billion. Oil began to flow through the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan pipeline in May 2006, marking a major milestone that will bring up to 1 million barrels per day from the Caspian to market. In 2007, Turkish financial markets weathered significant domestic political turmoil, including turbulence sparked by controversy over the selection of former Foreign Minister Abdullah GUL as Turkey's 11th president. Economic fundamentals are sound, marked by strong economic growth and foreign direct investment. Turkey's high current account deficit leaves the economy vulnerable to destabilizing shifts in investor confidence, however.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$853.9 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$663.4 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4.5% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$12,000 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 8.9% industry: 28.3% services: 62.8% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
23.53 million note: about 1.2 million Turks work abroad (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 35.9% industry: 22.8% services: 41.2% (3rd quarter, 2004)
Unemployment rate:
9.9% plus underemployment of 4% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
20% (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 34.1% (2003)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
43.6 (2003)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.5% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $145.5 billion expenditures: $156.1 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
38.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.7% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
25% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$64.43 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$254.3 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$358.1 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products: