Tunisia's Area:: 164.155 km2Tunisia's geographique Situation : frontière nord du continent africain, à 137 milles au sud de la Sicile (à deux heures d'avion de Paris, à une heure et demie de Genève, et cinquante minutes de Rome).The Tunisian coastline : 1300 km (compte non tenu des îles).Tunisian's Average altitude: 1065 m.The highest point Chaamba : Châambi (1544 m).
Tunisia's Climate : méditerranéen au nord et le long des côtes, semi-aride à l'intérieur et au Sud.
Average temperature: 
Décembre: 12,0° Juillet: 30,6°Tunisian's Precipitation: Irrégulières. Concentrées pendant la saison froide (75% du total annuel). Nord: 800 à 1000 mm; Sud 50 à 150 mm.Tunisia's policy on environmental protection aims to preserve the ecological balance, safeguard natural resources, human and fight against various forms of pollution. It aims, also, to reconcile development needs with environmental imperatives in order to protect the natural elements (air, water, soil and biodiversity), reduce the risk of a threat to those resources and to improve conditions life of the population. All these objectives are part of a national strategy for sustainable development, in accordance with the principles of the Rio Conference in 1992.
The institutions in charge of the Environment in Tunisia are varied. At the head of the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources, is responsible for designing and implementing a national policy of protecting the environment. Institutions under supervision are five in number:
The National Office of Sanitation (ONAS)It was created in 1974 to combat pollution and protect tunisia's water resources. Its task is to contribute to the improvement of hygiene and health in urban areas, tourism and industry.
The National Agency for Environmental Protection (ANPE)Founded in 1988, is a specialized agency lANPE against pollution, especially that industrial origins such. It has a dual mission: to study and control of the environment State then in the country in order DEliminate all sources of environmental degradation and quality of life. In this context, it approves the environmental Incidence studies of major projects. More recently, she was responsible for overseeing the national program for solid waste management (PRONAGDES).
| The National Agency of Renewable Energies (ANER) |  |
Founded in 1995, following the recommendations of the conference MED21, APAL's mission to protect and improve the utilization and the organization of the coastal area and prevent abuses that could harm the coastal environment particularly in the maritime public domain, as well as conduct studies on the rehabilitation and protection of sensitive areas and wetlands.
| The International Centre for Environmental Technologies of Tunis (CITET) |  |
Created in 1996 under the recommendations of the Rio de Janeiro, CITET's missions of promoting the knowledge, skills and technology and environment uvrer for the transfer of technology from North to South and adopt them to local conditions to facilitate a transfer from South to South, as part of a triangular partnership.Email: dg@Citet.nat.tn
| The National Agency of Renewable Energies (ANER) |  |
Many specific programs of environmental protection have been designed with "Blue Hand", "Green Hand" and "Yellow Hand".
The "Blue Hand" is intended to protect the coastline and water resources against the risks associated with activities based in the coastal regions. These include the prevention of oil pollution, organization and promotion of clean beaches, the incentive to waste water treatment facility and the coastal towns of important devices for control problems of waste.
The " Green Hand" aims to protect nature and promote green spaces in urban areas. Thus, many parks have been built in all parts of the country, allowing for a mean of 11.5 m² of green space per capita in 2003, against 4.4 in 1994 sq.m. in urban areas.
Overall, the ratio of green space per capita is steadily improving to 14.65 m2 per capita during the 2006-2007 season against 13.85 m2 in 2005-2006.
The PNPU (national urban parks) is in this framework and allows the protection of forests by turning them into suburban green space for relaxation and environmental education.
This program includes the establishment of 100 urban parks in ten years. Parks Ennahli El Mourouj El Khaleej are already functional. At the end of 2007, 26 national parks have been built.
The "Yellow Hand" focuses on the fight against desertification. It is the harmonization of interventions on the ground between existing sectoral strategies such as improvements of rangelands, water conservation and soil, sand dune fixation, the fight against soil salinization, reforestation and regeneration. It provides, again, strengthening of these interventions by sectoral projects and accompanying measures and support in accordance with the principles of the National Agenda 21 and the United Nations Convention on Action against Desertification (CCD).
This program fits into the national strategy of rural development that included the four main options - and irreversible - the policy of the Tunisian Government for the long term, namely:
1.protection of natural resources
2.improving the quality of life in disadvantaged areas
the development of agriculture
3.participation of the population and civil society in development projects and promoting the development local.Il should be noted also, the creation in 2007 of a national gene ba
