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Tunisia
Republic of Tunisia
al-Jumhuriyah al-Tunisiyah
Political Status: Independent state since 1956; republic proclaimed July 25, 1957; under one-party dominant, presidential regime; interim government formed following civil unrest that resulted in the ouster of the president on January 14, 2011.
Area: 63,170 sq. mi. (163,610 sq. km.).
Population: 10,837,703 (2012E—UN); 10,732,900 (2012E—U.S. Census).
Major Urban Centers (2005E): TUNIS (734,000), Sfax (Safaqis, 269,000), Ariana (252,000), Ettadhamen (116,000).
Official Language: Arabic; French is widely spoken as a second language.
Monetary Unit: Dinar (market rate October 3, 2011: 1.45 dinars = $1US).
Interim President: Fouad MBAZAÂ, named by the Constitutional Council on January 15, 2011, following a one-day interim presidency by Prime Minister Mohamed GHANNOUCHI, who succeeded President Gen. Zine El-Abidine BEN ALI (Democratic Constitutional Assembly), after the president fled the country on January 14 in the ...