TND

Exchange rates:

Tunisian dinars (TND) per US dollar - 1.2776 (2007), 1.331 (2006), 1.2974 (2005), 1.2455 (2004), 1.2885 (2003)

Communications
Tunisia

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.273 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

7.842 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: above the African average and continuing to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; Internet access available domestic: in an effort jumpstart expansion of the fixed-line network, the government has awarded a concession to build and operate a VSAT network with international connectivity; competition between the two mobile-cellular service providers has resulted in lower activation and usage charges and a strong surge in subscribership; expansion of mobile-cellular services to include multimedia messaging and e-mail and Internet to mobile phone services also leading to a surge in subscribership; overall fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 90 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 216; a landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable system that provides links to Europe, Middle East, and Asia; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in Medarabtel; 2 international gateway digital switches

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 7, FM 38, shortwave 2 (2007)

Radios:

2.06 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

26 (plus 76 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:

920,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.tn

Internet hosts:

376 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

1.722 million (2007)

Transportation
Tunisia

Airports:

30 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 14 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 7 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 2,665 km; oil 1,235 km; refined products 353 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 2,153 km standard gauge: 471 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,674 km 1.000-m gauge (65 km electrified) dual gauge: 8 km 1.435 m and 1.000-m gauges (three rails) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 19,232 km paved: 12,655 km (includes 262 km of expressways) unpaved: 6,577 km (2004)

Merchant marine:

total: 7 by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 1, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 4 registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Bizerte, Gabes, La Goulette, Rades, Sfax, Skhira

Military
Tunisia

Military branches:

Army, Navy, Republic of Tunisia Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriyah At'tunisia) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

20 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,992,249 females age 16-49: 2,912,819 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,539,962 females age 16-49: 2,465,295 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 101,794 female: 95,198 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.4% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues
Tunisia

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

@Turkey

Introduction
Turkey

Background:

Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants of the defeated Ottoman Empire by national hero Mustafa KEMAL, who was later honored with the title Ataturk or "Father of the Turks." Under his authoritarian leadership, the country adopted wide-ranging social, legal, and political reforms. After a period of one-party rule, an experiment with multi-party politics led to the 1950 election victory of the opposition Democratic Party and the peaceful transfer of power. Since then, Turkish political parties have multiplied, but democracy has been fractured by periods of instability and intermittent military coups (1960, 1971, 1980), which in each case eventually resulted in a return of political power to civilians. In 1997, the military again helped engineer the ouster - popularly dubbed a "post-modern coup" - of the then Islamic-oriented government. Turkey intervened militarily on Cyprus in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island and has since acted as patron state to the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," which only Turkey recognizes. A separatist insurgency begun in 1984 by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - now known as the People's Congress of Kurdistan or Kongra-Gel (KGK) - has dominated the Turkish military's attention and claimed more than 30,000 lives. After the capture of the group's leader in 1999, the insurgents largely withdrew from Turkey mainly to northern Iraq. In 2004, KGK announced an end to its ceasefire and attacks attributed to the KGK increased. Turkey joined the UN in 1945 and in 1952 it became a member of NATO. In 1964, Turkey became an associate member of the European Community; over the past decade, it has undertaken many reforms to strengthen its democracy and economy enabling it to begin accession membership talks with the European Union.

Geography
Turkey

Location:

Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey west of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe), bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria

Geographic coordinates: