Katy- 1. Location/Geography/Environment-The
official name and year of origin of this country, location, climate and
major geographical features of the country. (Be sure to include Maps and
a Flag!)
Brandon- 2. Social Structure–What racial, ethnic, class structures are present?
Dan- 3. Politics- what type of government runs this country?
Katy- 4. Religion/Ideology-what type of religious activity is present?
Brandon- 5. Economics-what types of economic activity, natural resources (oil, etc.) are present?
Dan- 6. Technology-Is this an “advanced” country technologically?
Katy- 7. Popular Culture: Any special food? Sports? Pop stars? Sites?
Brandon- 8. 21st Century Challenges and Opportunities – Describe any.
Dan- 9. “Arab Spring” focused questions:
A. Immediate precipitating causes of the “Arab Spring” – when, how and why?
B. Long-term causes of the “Arab Spring” – why did it happen in your country, based on deeper historical and cultural issues?
C. Key players – who are THREE individuals and organizations that have served as key players in the “Arab Spring”?
D.Possible futures for your “Arab Spring” country – play out at least THREE different future scenarios – what might happen?
3. Tunisia is a constitutional republic.
ReplyDeleteLike the US, the government consists of three branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.
Executive Branch:
The President is elected by the people. He then appoints a cabinet and a Prime Minister.
The regional governors and local admins are also appointed by the President and his cabinet/ Prime Minister.
Mayors and municipal councils are elected by popular vote.
Legislative Branch:
Consists of two parts: and upper and lower house.
The lower house is called the Chamber of Deputies of Tunisia, and its members are elected by a popular vote.
The upper house is called the Chamber of Advisors, some of its members are elected by a popular vote, while some are appointed by the President.
Judicial Branch:
The judicial branch of Tunisia has different levels of court systems. They have district courts, Courts of First Instance, Appeals Courts, and Supreme Courts.
(more to come about elections in this branch)
1. Location/Geography/Environment-The official name and year of origin of this country, location, climate and major geographical features of the country. (Be sure to include Maps and a Flag!)
ReplyDeleteTunisia aka “al-Jumhuriyah at-Tunisiyah”
Capital = Tunis located in northern Tunisia on the coast of the Tunis Gulf (Golfe de Tunis).
Population: about 10.8 million.
Geography:
Northern Africa; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, west of Libya, and east of Algeria.
63,170 square miles. (About the size of Georgia)
Northern Tunisia: mountainous
Coast line: fertile plain (Sahel) that produces their main agriculture products, olives.
Central Tunisia: dry plain
Southern Tunisia: Sahara Dessert
Climate:
Northern Tunisia experiences hot and dry summers with mild and rainy winters while Southern Tunisia the climate is typically hot and dry.
Chott de Djerid is a large salt lake located in southern Tunisia that evaporates in the summer.
ReplyDelete2. What racial, ethnic and class structures are present?
In 2013 the population of Tunisia was 10,886,500.
15-29 year olds make up 29% of the population, 30-59 year olds represent 37% and will continue to grow because of their labor market is increasing.
Almost all Tunisians are Arab speaking Muslims (98%), but many are also fluent in French.
Used to have a high Jewish population (reaching almost 10-15%)
79% of the population is literate, but only 71% of women are literate whereas 87% of men are literate.
Urban population represents 66 percent of the Tunis population.
Ranks 94th of 187 countries in the group of high human development
The poverty rate for Tunisia is estimated at 11.5%, but it changes throughout location in the country, for example the poverty rate in the middle west is 29.4%.
Greater Tunis has the least amount of poverty, while everywhere the Middle West, the South West and the South East are most affected by poverty. The reason for this is because 65% of public investment goes to the coastal areas.
ReplyDelete5. Economics-what types of economic activity, natural resources
Their biggest natural resources are petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt
Central to the country’s economy is tourism, foreign investment and exports. 80% of their exports go to the European Union, which is their main economic partner. Their key exports are petroleum based products, textiles for apparel, food products, phosphates and chemicals. Their GDP used to rise 4-5% every decade until the Arab Spring. Since then, tourism and investment have declined The former President, BEN ALI, was at first successful with his investments, but his corruption held economic performance which increased unemployment.
Their 2012 GDP was 104 Billion USD
Unemployment rate is 17.4%
Public Debt is 46.1% of GDP
8. 21st Century Challenges and Opportunities – Describe any.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 8.
Youths and graduates in Tunisia have a hard time finding jobs. Only people who have “connections” are able to find good, high paying jobs. Those who do not have those connections rarely find work, especially the working poor. 31% of young people aged 15-24 are unemployed. Though the percentage is low, Tunisia does have 2,400 citizens who have HIV/AIDS. Fresh water and sewage are also problems for citizens in Tunisia. The sewage is not properly disposed of it gets into the drinking water. Also it has harmed species that live in the water.
6. Technology
ReplyDeleteThe internet played a contributing role in the Arab Spring in Tunisia. 34.1% of its population uses the internet, numbers which are rather high for North Africa and the Middle East. "Tunisia has one of the most developed telecommunications infrastructures in North Africa with high mobile penetration rate and one of the lowest broadband prices in Africa," (opennet.com). Generally, Tunisia is well at the forefront of science and technology in comparison to surrounding countries.
7. Popular Culture: Any special food? Sports? Pop stars? Sites?
ReplyDeleteFood and Drink: Mediterranean foods, typically spicy. French cuisine is also very popular in Tunisia.
Main ingredients: olive oil, tomatoes, seafood, meat (lamb), and spices.
A popular condiment is harissa, a spicy sauce made from garlic and red chili peppers.
The national dish is couscous, often served with vegetables and meat or fish.
The most popular drink in Tunisia is mint tea.
Sports: soccer (football)
Tunisia has been to the FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) World Cup finals four different times and won the African Cup of Nations in 2004.
9.
ReplyDeleteA. The spark the started the Tunisian revolution was on December 17, 2010: Mohammed Bouazizi set himself on fire in the middle of the street in Tunisia.He did this as an act of protest because he had been continually hassled by unfair police practices.
B. Tunisia had only been under the rule of two autocratic presidents. Although, they were elected, the presidents changed laws and manipulated citizens; they were very corrupt leaders. The leaders, especially Ben Ali, did all they could to restrict information from the Tunisian population. The 50+ years of autocratic rule and constant mistreatment of citizens finally boiled over in Tunisia, and the revolution began.
B. Bouazizi is obviously one major player in the Tunisian Spring. Protests started in the streets the day after his self-immolation and the revolution was kick-started because of his courageous yet sacrificial act.
The Tunisian military also played a large role in events of the uprising. Once the protests reached the feet of Ben Ali they could choose to fire upon the protesters and suppress or let them advance. Since Tunisia was not historically a militaristic country and their military was rather small, they did nothing, this caused president Ben Ali to flee the country.
The Al Nahda party in Tunisia did not take place in the uprisings to a large extent, however, they did organize and spread their message among Tunisians after Ben Ali had fled power. They became the most popular political party in Tunisia and won most of the seats in the 2011 elections.
D. The transitional period has been tough for Tunisia and all have not been appeased by the result of the elections in 2011. In fact, violence still persists and some of the elected leaders were assassinated, most notably, Mohamed Brahmi and Boubacar Hakim.
Very recently a caretaker government was handed power and they drafted and signed into law a new constituion, this was a big step. General elections will be held, allegedly, by the end of this year. One possible scenario I can think coming from this is the "end" of the revolution. The elections could be fair and appease most of the countries concerns, leading to a somewhat peaceful existence in modern Tunisia.
Another scenario that seems plausible is that the people could be deeply split on the constitution and the rulers that are elected in the upcoming elections. This could lead to internal turmoil and protests and possibly more assassinations, which would put Tunisia back at square one of trying to become a democratic country.
Also, I could see the elections never happening and the caretaker government remaining in office. I could see this government trying to delay the elections or maybe even stop them altogether. This could lead to more autocratic rule in Tunisia or a general acceptance of the government that was supposed to only rule during a transitional period.