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Embassies

Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Tunisia
Ambassador: Ms. Li Beifen
Address: 22, Rue du Docteur-Burnet, Belvedere, Tunis, 1002, Tunisia
Tel: +216-71780064, 71792107, 98463848 (mobile phone)
Fax: +216-71792631, 71841651
Office Hours: 08:30-12:30, 15:00-18:00, Monday-Friday (except July & August)
08:30-12:30, Monday-Friday (July & August)
Email: chinaemb_tn@mfa.gov.cn
Website: http://tn.china-embassy.org/fra/ (French Vesion)


Embassy of the Tunisia Republic in Beijing
Ambassador: H.E. Mr. Mohamed Sahbi Basly
Address: No. 1, San Li Tun Dong Jie, Chaoyang District, Beijing
Postal Code: 100600
Tel: (+86)10 6532 2435, 6532 2436, 6532 7688, 6532 5688
Fax: (+86)10 6532 5818
(+86)10 6532 5044 (for Visa Office)
E-mail: at_beijing@netchina.com.cn



Geography

Tunisia is a country situated on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa, midway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Nile Valley. It is bordered by Algeria in the west and Libya in the south-east. An abrupt southern turn of its shoreline gives Tunisia two faces on the Mediterranean.
The Dorsal, an extension of the Atlas Mountains, traverses Tunisia in a northeasterly direction from the Algerian border in the west to the Cape Bon peninsula. North of the Dorsal is the Tell, a region characterized by low, rolling hills and plains, although in the northwestern corner of Tunisia, the land reaches elevations of 1,050 meters. The Sahil is a plain along Tunisia's eastern Mediterranean coast famous because of its olive monoculture. Inland from the Sahil, between the Dorsal and a range of hills south of Gafsa, are the Steppes. Much of the southern region is semi-arid and desert.
Tunisia's climate is temperate in the north, with mild rainy winters and hot, dry summers. The south of the country is desert. The terrain in the north is mountainous, which, moving south, gives way to a hot, dry central plain. The south is semiarid, and merges into the Sahara. A series of salt lakes, known as chotts or shatts, lie in an east-west line at the northern edge of the Sahara, extending from the Gulf of Gabes into Algeria. The lowest point is Shatt al Gharsah, at -17 m, and the highest is Jebel ech Chambi, at 1544 metres.




Government

Tunisia is a republican presidential system characterized by bicameral parliamentary system, including the Chamber of Representatives and the Chamber of Advisors
In Tunisia, the President is elected to 5-year terms. He appoints a Prime Minister and cabinet, who play a strong role in the execution of policy. Regional governors and local administrators also are appointed by the central government. Largely consultative mayors and municipal councils are elected. There is a bicameral legislative body, the Chamber of Deputies, which has 182 seats, 20% of which are reserved for the opposition parties and the Chamber of Advisors which is composed of representatives from political parties, from professional organisations and by personalities appointed by the president of the Republic. Both chambers are composed of more than 20% of women, making it one of the rare countries in the Arab world where women enjoy equal rights. Incidentally, it is also the only country in the Arab world where polygamy is forbidden by law.




Population

The population of Tunisia consists of 97% Berbers, Arab or a mixture of two. The Berbers are the indigenous population of North-Africa.[24] The Berbers primarily speak Berber languages, often called Shelha.
There is also long established Jewish community in the country, the history of the Jews in Tunisia going back some 2,000 years. The Jews, living today mainly in the capital Tunis and on Jerba, number some 1,500 and are much reduced in number since the establishment of Israel, independence from France, and the 1967 war in Israel. The Tunisian Jews are themselves Berber and Arab.
Religion in Tunisia is dominated by Islam, to which a majority of Tunisians (98%) adhere.
Population: 10,486,339 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77
Age structure: 0-14 years: 22.7% (male 1,227,238/female 1,149,796)
15-64 years: 70.1% (male 3,701,661/female 3,652,322)
65 years and over: 7.2% (male 352,003/female 403,319) (2009 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.98% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 127
Birth rate: 15.42 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 137
Death rate: 5.17 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 184
Urbanization 67% of total population (2008)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.78 years
country comparison to the world: 72
male: 73.98 years
female: 77.7 years (2009 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 135
HIV/AIDS - people living
with HIV/AIDS:		 3,700 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 128
HIV/AIDS - deaths: fewer than 200 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 116
Religions: Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1%
Education expenditures: 7.3% of GDP (2005)
country comparison to the world: 19




Economy

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, declined to 4.7% in 2008 and probably will decline further in 2009 because of economic contraction and slowing of import demand in Europe - Tunisia's largest export market. However, development of non-textile manufacturing, a recovery in agricultural production, and strong growth in the services sector somewhat mitigated the economic effect of slowing exports. 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.
GDP (purchasing power parity): $81.88 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73
$78.21 billion (2007)
$73.56 billion (2006)
GDP (official exchange rate): $41.77 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.7% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 95
6.3% (2007 est.)
5.4% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): $7,900 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 121
$7,600 (2007 est.)
$7,200 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 10.8%
industry: 28.3%
services: 61% (2008 est.)
Labor force: 3.676 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 90
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 55%
industry: 23%
services: 22% (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate: 14% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 147
14.1% (2007 est.)
Household income
or consumption by % share		 7.4% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty rate lowest 10%: 2.3%
highest 10%: 31.5% (2000)
Budget: revenues: $9.652 billion
expenditures: $11.03 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt: 53.1% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 31
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 89
3.1% (2007 est.)
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
Electricity - production: 12.65 billion kWh (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 84
Electricity - consumption: 10.75 billion kWh (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80
Telephones - main lines in use: 1.273 million (2007)
country comparison to the world: 70
Telephones - mobile cellular: 7.842 million (2007)
country comparison to the world: 62
Telephone system general assessment: above the African average and continuing to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; Internet access available
Internet hosts: 376 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 167
Internet users: 1.722 million (2007)
country comparison to the world: 66



- Imagine Media, 2009 -