Tunisia: what you need to know

As the unrest in Tunisia escalates, people are turning their attention to the North African country.

Here are some key facts about it:

Population: 10.5 million. (2010)

Capital: Tunis.

Religion: Sunni Islam is followed by over 99 percent of the population. There are also small Jewish and Catholic groups.

Language: Arabic is the official language, French and Berber (Tamazight) are also spoken.

Geography: On the north coast of Africa, with Algeria to the west and Libya to the east, Tunisia covers 164,149 sq km (63,378 sq miles). The south is mostly semi-arid or desert.

Economy

Tourism is a major source of foreign exchange, representing over 11 percent of hard currency receipts ($2.57 billion), as well as an important sector for employment. In 2009, 6.9 million tourists visited Tunisia, hailing largely from Europe and North Africa.

Tunisia aims to achieve 5.4 percent economic growth in 2011, up from a projected 3.7 percent in 2010, restoring growth to levels before the global financial crisis.

The government also plans to borrow around 3.8 billion dinars ($2.7 billion) in 2011 to cover the budget deficit and reimburse 2.3 billion dinars in public debt, according to the 2011 draft budget.

Spending is projected to rise to 19.2 billion dinars ($13.6 billion) from the 18.3 billion dinars projected in the 2010 budget.

The budget deficit will therefore be contained at 2.5 percent of (2011) GDP while public debt will be reduced to 39 percent of GDP compared with respectively 2.6 percent and 39.8

percent projected for 2010, the draft said.

Trade (2009)

Exports amount to $14.42 billion and include: clothing, semi-finished goods and textiles, agricultural products, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, hydrocarbons, electrical equipment.

Percentage of exports by region – Europe 76.13 percent, Africa 13.12 percent and Asia 4.99 percent. Tunisia has exports to France worth $4.27 billion.

Imports amount to $19.03 billion and include textiles, machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, and foodstuffs.

Percentage of imports by region: Europe 72.58 percent, Asia 12.64 percent, Africa 7.21 percent and Americas 7.08 percent. Tunisian imports from France totalled $3.83 billion.