Tunisia

Tunisia, officially the Tunisian Republic, is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area is almost 165,000 square kilometres, with an estimated population of just over 11.8 million. The capital of Tunisia is Tunis.

Modern Standard Arabic is the official language, but Tunisian Arabic is the local vernacular and is considered Tunisia's native language.

The currency is the Tunisian dinar (TND).

In 1869, Tunisia declared itself bankrupt, and an international financial commission took control over its economy. In 1881, the French invaded with an army and forced the Bey to agree to the terms of the 1881 Treaty of Bardo (Al Qasr as Sa'id). With this treaty, Tunisia was officially made a French protectorate.

Tunisia achieved independence from France in 1956 led by Habib Bourguiba, who later became the first Tunisian President. In November 1987, doctors declared Bourguiba unfit to rule and, in a bloodless coup d'état, Prime Minister Zine El Abidine Ben Ali assumed the presidency. He and his family subsequently, further to an intensive campaign of civil resistance, were accused of corruption and plundering the country's money and fled into exile in January 2011.

Tunisia has a diverse economy, ranging from agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and petroleum products to tourism.

Agriculture is a key sector of the Tunisian economy. It provides nearly 10% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and employs almost 15% of the workforce. These performances are the result of major support and modernisation efforts of agricultural and rural activities. The industrial sector accounts for a little less than 30% of GDP and employs one third of the active population. The textile industry is relatively undermined by Asian competition. Tunisian industries are mainly oriented towards export. The local economy is largely focused on services that account for more than 60% of GDP and employs just over half of the labour force. The services sector includes ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) and the tourism industry.

The World Bank Report ‘Doing Business 2020’, which highlights the factors determining the ease of doing business, ranked Tunisia 78th out of a total of 190 countries.

The European Union (EU) is Tunisia's largest trade partner, accounting for 57.9% of its trade in 2020: 70.9% of Tunisia's exports went to the European Union and 48.3% of Tunisia's imports came from the European Union. Tunisia is the European Union’s 35th biggest trade partner, representing 0.5% of the European Union’s total trade with the world in 2020.