Geography & environment — Tunisia
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Geography & environment at a glance
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources. Key figure for Tunisia: Africa
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Location & size
- Geographic Location
Africa
- Geographic Coordinates
34 00 N, 9 00 E
- Total Area
63,170 Square Miles 163,610 Square Kilometers
- Land Area
59,984 Square Miles 155,360 Square Kilometers
- Water Area
3,185 Square Miles 8,250 Square Kilometers
- Land Boundaries
885 Miles 1,424 Kilometers
- Border Countries
Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km
- Coastline
713 Miles 1,148 Kilometers
Physical geography
- Terrain
- mountains in north
- hot, dry central plain
- semiarid south merges into the Sahara
- Highest Point
1,544 Meters
- Highest Point Location
Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m
- Lowest Point
-17 Meters
- Lowest Point Location
Shatt al Gharsah -17 m
- Natural Resources
petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt
- Irrigated Land
1,533 Square Miles 3,970 Square Kilometers
Climate & time
- Time Zone
UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate
- Climate
- Tunisia's climate is temperate with generally mild winters and hot summers. The countryside is quite green in winter and spring
- and becomes dry and brown in summer. Winters are are short, rainy, humid and chilly. The temperature is rarely below freezing. Snow falls in the northwestern mountain region. Summers in Tunis are characterized by high temperatures, occasionally reaching 120°F, with an average humidity of 60% to 70% during June, July, and August
- evenings are pleasant. From mid-May until mid-October, the sky is usually cloudless and little rain falls. In an average year, only 120 days have any rainfall.
- Terrain
- mountains in north
- hot, dry central plain
- semiarid south merges into the Sahara
- Location
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya
- Total Area
63,170 Square Miles 163,610 Square Kilometers
- Border Countries
Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km
Environment
- Environment - Current Issues
- toxic and hazardous waste disposal is ineffective and poses 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed,
- but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation