Tunisia

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 exclusive economic zone: 12 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	4,450 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	4.6 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	total: 2.64 cu km/yr (14%/4%/82%) per capita: 261 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards	NA
Environment - current issues	toxic and hazardous waste disposal is ineffective and poses health risks; water pollution from raw sewage; limited natural freshwater 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
Geography - note	strategic location in central Mediterranean; Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration