- Area

163,610 sq km (63,170 sq miles).

- Population

9,889,900 (official estimate 2002).

- Population Density

60.4 per sq km.

- Capital

Tunis. Population: 1,927,000 (official estimate 2001 (including suburbs)).

- Geography

The Republic of Tunisia lies on the Mediterranean coast of Africa, 130km (80 miles) southwest of Sicily and 160km (100 miles) due south of Sardinia. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and Libya to the southeast. The landscape varies from the cliffs of the north coast to the woodlands of the interior, from deep valleys of rich arable land to desert, and from towering mountains to salt pans lower than sea level. South of Gafsa and Gabs is the Sahara desert. The 1100km (700 miles) of coastline is dotted with small islands, notably Jerba in the south and Kerkennah in the east, and from the northwest to the southeast the coastline is backed successively by pine-clad hills, lush pasture, orchards, vineyards and olive groves.

- Government

Republic since 1959. Gained independence from France in 1956. Head of State: President Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali since 1987. Head of Government: Prime Minister Muhammad Ghannouchi since 1999.

- Language

The official language is Arabic. French is the second language, Italian is spoken in major cities, and English and German mainly in tourist resorts.

- Religion

The principal religion is Islam; there are small Roman Catholic, Protestant and Jewish minorities.

- Time

GMT + 1.