Tunisia Geography - 2006

Location:
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya

Geographic coordinates:
34 00 N, 9 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 163,610 sq km
land: 155,360 sq km
water: 8,250 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Georgia

Land boundaries:
total: 1,424 km
border countries: Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km

Coastline:
1,148 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm

Climate:
temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south

Terrain:
mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the Sahara

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Shatt al Gharsah -17 m
highest point: Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt

Land use:
arable land: 17.05%
permanent crops: 13.08%
other: 69.87% (2005)

Irrigated land:
3,940 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
toxic and hazardous waste disposal is ineffective and poses health risks; water pollution from raw sewage; limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation