| Location | Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya |
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| Geographic coordinates | 34 00 N, 9 00 E |
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| Zone | Africa |
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| Area | total: 163,610 sq km
land: 155,360 sq km
water: 8,250 sq km |
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| Land boundaries | total: 1,424 km
border countries: Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km |
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| Coastline | 1,148 km |
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| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm |
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| Climate | temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south |
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| Terrain | mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the Sahara |
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| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Shatt al Gharsah -17 m
highest point: Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m |
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| Natural resources | petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt |
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| Irrigated land | 1,148 km |
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| Natural hazards | NA |
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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 |
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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 |
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| 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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