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Location:
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Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya
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Geographic coordinates:
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34 00 N, 9 00 E
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Map references:
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Africa
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Area:
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total: 163,610 sq km
water: 8,250 sq km
land: 155,360 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than Georgia
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Land boundaries:
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total: 1,424 km
border countries: Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km
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Coastline:
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1,148 km
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
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Climate:
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temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south
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Terrain:
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mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the Sahara
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Shatt al Gharsah -17 m
highest point: Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m
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Natural resources:
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petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt
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Land use:
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arable land: 18.67%
permanent crops: 12.87%
other: 68.46% (1998 est.)
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Irrigated land:
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3,800 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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NA
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Environment - current issues:
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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:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
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Geography - note:
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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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