Tunisia
| Country summary | |
|---|---|
|
Capital |
Tunis |
|
Borders |
|
|
Government type |
republic |
|
Population |
10,486,339 (July 2010 est.)[1] |
|
Population growth |
0.98% (2010 est.)[1] |
|
Life expectancy |
75.78 years[1] |
|
Unemployment |
14.7% (2009 est.)[1] |
|
95[2] | |
|
65[3] | |
|
69[4] | |
Rivalry between French and Italian interests in Tunisia culminated in a French invasion in 1881 and the creation of a protectorate. Agitation for independence in the decades following World War I was finally successful in getting the French to recognize Tunisia as an independent state in 1956. The country's first president, Habib BOURGUIBA, established a strict one-party state. He dominated the country for 31 years, repressing Islamic fundamentalism and establishing rights for women unmatched by any other Arab nation. In November 1987, BOURGUIBA was removed from office and replaced by Zine el Abidine BEN ALI in a bloodless coup. BEN ALI is currently serving his fifth consecutive five-year term as president. Tunisia has long taken a moderate, non-aligned stance in its foreign relations. Domestically, it has sought to defuse rising pressure for a more open political society.[1]
Economical characteristics
- Currency: Tunisian dinar (ISO code: TND)
- Central bank discount rate: NA% (31 December 2009)[1]
- Commercial banks lending rate: NA%[1]
- Stock of money (M1): $10.07 billion (31 December 2009)[1]
- Quasi money (with M1 makes M2): $16.55 billion (31 December 2009)[1]
Notable events:
- Banking crisis: 1991-1995[5]
- Public default: 1867-1870, 1956, 1958, 1963, 1979-1982 (external)[6]
Statistics
| Statistic / Year | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP (million USD)[7] | 20 799 | 19 443 | 19 988 | 21 047 | 24 992 | 28 129 | 28 968 | 30 962 | 35 020 | 40 309 |
| Govt. debt (% of GDP)[8] | 61.376 | 62.643 | 62.337 | 61.500 | 60.439 | 59.682 | 58.420 | 53.920 | 50.889 | 48.176 |
| Govt. revenue (% of GDP)[9] | 29.044 | 29.241 | 29.433 | 29.885 | 29.427 | 29.385 | 29.146 | 29.324 | 29.985 | 32.463 |
| Govt. expenses (% of GDP)[10] | 27.508 | 27.634 | 27.414 | 28.223 | 27.868 | 28.574 | 29.144 | 28.703 | 29.092 | 30.389 |
| Debt to revenue (years) | 2.113 | 2.142 | 2.118 | 2.058 | 2.054 | 2.031 | 2.004 | 1.839 | 1.697 | 1.484 |
References
Note: statistical data was rounded. Different sources may use different methodologies for their estimates. Debt to revenue is calculated by dividing the two variables from their original ('unrounded') values. It represents how long it would a government take to repay its entire debt if it used its whole revenue for this purpose.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 CIA - The World Factbook. "Tunisia", from The World Factbook. Referenced 2010-10-05.
- ↑ Heritage Foundation. "Tunisia", Economic Freedom Score. A lower ranking is better; but please be careful when comparing between different countries or years. Referenced 2010-10-05.
- ↑ Transparency International. "Tunisia", Corruption Perceptions Index 2009. A lower ranking is better; but please note that the numbers cannot be compared between countries or years due to different methodology. Referenced 2010-10-05.
- ↑ Doing Business. "Tunisia", Doing Business 2010 (part of The World Bank Group). A lower ranking is better; but please be careful when comparing between different countries or years. Referenced 2010-10-05.
- ↑ Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff. "This Time is Different", Princeton University Press, ISBN 978-0-691-14216-6, p. 386. (The list does not claim to be complete.) Referenced 2011-07-21.
- ↑ Carmen M. Reinhart. "This Time is Different Chartbook: Country Histories on Debt, Default, and Financial Crises" (pdf), March 3, 2010, p. 111. (The list does not claim to be complete.) Referenced 2011-07-21.
- ↑ World Bank. "Tunisia: GDP", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-05.
- ↑ World Bank. "Tunisia: government debt", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-05.
- ↑ World Bank. "Tunisia: government revenue", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-05.
- ↑ World Bank. "Tunisia: government expenses", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-05.
Links
- Central bank of Tunisia
- BBC country profile
- What's Going On in Tunisia? by columnist Justin Raimondo, January 2011
- Here’s The Real Story of What’s Happening in Tunisia: A Higher Education Bubble by John Carney, January 2011
- Tunisia on Wikipedia
