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COUNTRY PROFILES A-Z 390 Africa A-Z: Continental and Country Profiles | Africa Institute of South Africa Tunisia Orientation Located on the western side of the great Gulf of Sirte in the Mediterranean Sea, Tunisia is the smallest independent country in Northern Africa. However, its proportion of arable land is among the largest in Africa. The northern fifth of the country is an extension of the Algerian Tell zone that enjoys a temperate Mediterranean cimate with winter rainfall. In Tunisia the three Atlas ranges, extending from the west, taper off to the coast, indented by the gulfs of Tunis and Hammaset. The Gulf of Gabes lies further south, on the fringe of the Sahara Desert. The country’s only perennial river is the Medjerda, forming a large valley in the Atlas Mountains that opens up to the wide coastal plains around the city of Tunis to the northeast. This river valley and the plains, together with the Cape Bon Peninsula near Tunis, constitute Tunisia’s prime agricultural area. In the distant past this area was known as the granary of imperial Rome. South of the Atlas ranges the climate becomes more arid but rainfall is enough to sustain livestock rearing and, in the coastlands, extensive olive and almond groves. The Sahara Desert, covering the southern third of the country, starts south of a series of salt lakes (shotts), an area dotted by oases that cater for tourists eager to experience the desert environment. People Except for the Libyans, the approximately 10 million Tunisians represent the smallest national population in Northern Africa. They are the descendants of various peoples who have, since ancient times, made this area – a crossroads on the Mediterranean – their home. Today, their culture is predominantly Arab and Arabic is the official language, though French is widely spoken in the cities. Small Berber communities, descendants of the original inhabitants, are present in the urban areas or live at desert oases. Most Tunisians profess Islam, the state religion, but there is a Christian minority, mainly Roman Catholic. The Great Mosque in the ancient city of Kairouan (AlQayrawan ) is one of the holiest places in the Muslim world. Tunisia has reduced population growth through successful family-planning programmes to less than 2% per annum. More than half the population is urbanised, the bulk of them concentrated in coastal centres, extending from Bizerte in the north to Gabes in the south. The largest city is Tunis, an urban agglomeration with over two million residents. COUNTRY PROFILES A-Z Africa Institute of South Africa | Africa A-Z: Continental and Country Profiles 391 Economy Despite modest natural resources, Tunisia has made considerable economic progress. Producing crops, minerals and manufactured products, its economy is among the most stable and diversified in Africa. The Tunisian economy moved through a socialist phase to one based on market principles. Tunisia’s agricultural products have long had preferential access to the European Union market and the country is now in the process of removing barriers to trade in industrial products with the EU. The Tunisian agricultural sector’s share of GDP had shrunk to about 15% in 2000, because of the growth in other sectors, notably manufacturing and services, including tourism. However, a third of the working population makes a living in agriculture. Tunisia is one of the world’s leading producers of olive oil, while much of the land is utilised for crops such as cereals, vegetables, grapes, dates, citrus and various other fruits. Yet the country is not self-sufficient in cereal production as the smallness of the farms (generally less than 20 ha) is a major constraint. The semi-arid region in the middle of the country, between the mountains and the desert, is utilised for livestock herding. The country is self-sufficient in dairy products and nearly so in red meat. The indigenous esparto grass growing in this zone is used for the production of paper pulp. The marine fishing industry is quite large and centred on the port of Sfax. Forestry is being promoted by the planting of trees in the northern winter rainfall zone. Tunisia is, after Morocco, the largest producer of phosphates in Northern Africa The mineral is mined around Gafsa in the middle of the country but, as the rock is of poor quality, production is geared towards fertilizers. Petroleum and natural gas is extracted from wells in the Sahara Desert and from offshore, in the Gulf of Gabes. However, Tunisia is not a...

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