| Location | Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya |
| Geographic coordinates | 34 00 N, 9 00 E |
| Map references | Africa |
| 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: 1,495 km border countries (2): Algeria 1034 km, Libya 461 km |
| Coastline | 1,148 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 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 | highest point: Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m lowest point: Shatt al Gharsah -17 m mean elevation: 246 m |
| Natural resources | petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt |
| Land use | agricultural land: 64.8% (2018 est.) arable land: 18.3% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 15.4% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 31.1% (2018 est.) forest: 6.6% (2018 est.) other: 28.6% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 4,590 sq km (2012) |
| Total renewable water resources | 4.615 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Natural hazards | flooding; earthquakes; droughts |
| 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 |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
