| Location: |
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya
|
| Geographic coordinates: |
34 00 N, 9 00 E
|
| Area: |
total:
163,610 sq km
land:
155,360 sq km
water:
8,250 sq km
|
| Area - comparative: |
slightly larger than Georgia
|
| Land boundaries: |
total:
1,424 km
border countries:
Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km
|
| Maritime claims: |
contiguous zone:
24 NM
territorial sea:
12 NM
|
| Climate: |
temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south
|
| Terrain: |
mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the Sahara
|
| Elevation extremes: |
lowest point:
Shatt al Gharsah -17 m
highest point:
Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m
|
| Natural resources: |
petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt
|
| Land use: |
arable land:
19%
permanent crops:
13%
permanent pastures:
20%
forests and woodland:
4%
other:
44% (1993 est.)
|
| Irrigated land: |
3,850 sq km (1993 est.)
|
| Environment - current issues: |
toxic and hazardous waste disposal is ineffective and presents human health risks; water pollution from raw sewage; limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
|
| Environment - international agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
Marine Life Conservation
|
| Geography - note: |
strategic location in central Mediterranean; Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration
|
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