1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized); 5 October 1910 (republic proclaimed)
Religions
Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1%
Roman Catholic 84.5%, other Christian 2.2%, other 0.3%, unknown 9%, none 3.9% (2001 census)
Languages
Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce)
Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locally used)
Exports
clothing, semi-finished goods and textiles, agricultural products, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, hydrocarbons, electrical equipment
agricultural products, food products, oil products, chemical products, plastics and rubber, skins and leather, wood and cork, wood pulp and paper, textile materials, clothing, footwear, minerals and mineral products, base metals, machinery and tools, vehicles and other transport material, and optical and precision
External Debt
$23,210,000,000 $
$548,300,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Tunisian dinars (TND) per US dollar - 1.211 (2008 est.), 1.2776 (2007), 1.331 (2006), 1.2974 (2005), 1.2455 (2004)
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6734 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.400%
2.300%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
1
2
Location
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya
Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain
Area
163,610 km sq
92,090 km sq
Coastline
1,148 km
1,793 km
Climate
temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south
maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south
