Tunisia in Africa

Introduction

Tunisia is a country in the center of North Africa. It has an area of 63,170 square miles and a population of approximately 10 million. The capital of the country is Tunis, a city located near the once powerful city of Carthage. Tunisia is bordered by Libya and Algeria and has a long Mediterranean shoreline to the north and east. Physically, the country is dominated by the Sahara to the south and low mountains surrounded by large agricultural areas in the north. Most of the population lives either near the coast or in the major northern agricultural areas. The south, though intermittently dotted with oases, is considerably less inhabited. More than half of Tunisia is covered by pastoral land forests that are used for agriculture, supporting such crops as olives, dates, oranges, almonds, grain, sugar beets, wine grapes, poultry, beef, and dairy. Its main profits, however, are derived from industries such as the mining of phosphates and iron ore. The petroleum and textile industries of Tunisia are also significant (Arfaoui, 58).

The main environmental and conservation issues throughout North Africa is desertification, and Tunisia is not exempt from this problem. Poor farming techniques, such as overgrazing, along with deforestation, soil erosion, and a limited supply of natural sources of freshwater, are all contributing to the problem of desertification. Agricultural land is decreasing, not only because of desertification, but also because of increased salinization and siltation due to the increased erosion of the soil. Ineffective disposal of toxic and hazardous materials and water pollution from raw sewage (a problem common in North Africa) are posing risks to the well-being of Tunisia's citizens. Like many countries, Tunisia has fallen far short of the ideal global total of 10 percent of its land under some sort of environmental protection, protecting less than half a percent of its land. The people of Tunisia are mostly of Arab and Berber ethnicity. The official language of the republic is Arabic; however, there is a strong French language influence from the days of French colonization. Religiously, 98% of Tunisians are Muslims.

Discussion and Analysis

Unlike its neighbors, Libya and Algeria, Tunisia does not have abundant oil resources, thus Tunisia has a fairly diversified economy. The service industry, including the important European tourist sector, accounts for over half of the economy and agriculture counts for less than 15 percent, with industrial jobs constituting the remainder. That said, agriculture still employs the greatest number of people and remains an essential part of the economy especially with high value products such as olives and dates. However, like other North African countries, unemployment is a continuing problem as the mean average of the population continues to get younger. This has fueled a migration of young people to Europe, both legal and illegal, in search of jobs. Politically, Tunisia is considered stable in relation to most other Middle Eastern countries. This in spite of President Ben Ali having not allowed any real democratization for fear of an Islamist party taking hold in the country ...