TUNISIA

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
President

(pronounced "ZIN-ah el ah-bih-DIN-ah ben AH-lee")

"Our commitment to Republican values is firm and unshakable. We believe in the sovereignty of the people, the primacy of the Constitution and the inviolability of the institutions. We also believe in the values of liberty, democracy, justice, pluralism and human rights."

The Republic of Tunisia is located on the Mediterranean shores of North Africa between Algeria on the west and Libya on the east. It has an area of 163,610 sq km (63,170 sq mi) and a population estimated at 9.8 million in 2002, most of whom are Arabs. As of 2002, the population growth rate was 1.12%, one of the lowest in the Arab world. The religion of 98% of the population is Islam. Tunisia's national language is Arabic, but French is widely used and is the language in which business is transacted. The country is predominantly urban with two-thirds of its land area consisting of desert or high, arid plains. Tunisia's gross domestic product (GDP) of US $64.5 billion in 2001, with per capita GDP estimated at US $6,600. The currency unit is the dinar. Tunisia exports crude oil, textiles, phosphates and olive oil. Other important sources of foreign exchange are a very developed tourist infrastructure and emigrant workers' remittances.