The mining industry of Tunisia focuses mainly on phosphate products such as fertilizer, industrial minerals ( gypsum, clay, lime),

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...

, and salt. Mine ownership is limited to the

Government of Tunisia The politics of Tunisia takes place within the framework of a unitary semi-presidential representative democratic republic, with a President serving as head of state, Prime Minister as head of government, a unicameral legislature and a court syst ...

, although operation by private entities is encouraged.

History

Mining has been practiced in the country since the times of the Berber, Roman, Arab, and French empires. In 1890, many areas were discovered for mining extractions. Zinc mining began in 1892, iron ore mining in 1906, and phosphate mining in 1996. In Parry's ''Carthage and Tunis: Past and present: In two parts'' (1869), he discusses mining during late Ottoman Tunisia:

There are in Tunisia two lead mines, slightly argentiferous, at Jeba and at Jeladja. Some beds of iron are at Gebel Zerissa and in several other mountains lying along the frontiers of Algeria. Most of the mines are situated in the northwest part of the regency. Marine salt is taken from several sebkas or shallow salt lakes, where it is embedded on the surface in large quantities. Gebel Hadifa contains a considerable mine of rock salt. Plaster and lime are extracted on a large scale in the central and southern provinces, and soda is furnished, especially by the district of Cairwan."

During the colonial period, when Tunisia was a protectorate of France, mining was a major part of the economy, particularly in rural areas. Gendarmes were formed by the colonial police force and were used to suppress labor unrest, particularly during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. This led to unemployment in the mining industry due to increased economic prices. By 1962, mining labor unions accounted for 11% of organized labor (second only to government employees). Jobs in mining began decreasing in Tunisia during the 1970s, as operations transitioned from underground mining to open-pit mining. Following the 2010 Tunisian Revolution in which President

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali Zine El Abidine Ben Ali ( ar, زين العابدين بن علي, translit=Zayn al-'Ābidīn bin 'Alī; 3 September 1936 – 19 September 2019), commonly known as Ben Ali ( ar, بن علي) or Ezzine ( ar, الزين), was a Tunisian politician ...

was deposed, mining in Tunisia declined. This was followed by nationwide labour disputes and strikes. Opposition to the hiring practices at the mines of the

Compagnie des phosphates de Gafsa The Compagnie des phosphates de Gafsa ( ar, شركة فسفاط قفصة, Gafsa Phosphate Company) or CPG is a Tunisian phosphate mining company based in Gafsa, formed in the late 19th century during the French colonial era, and once the largest em ...

in Gafsa resulted in a protest at the operations lasting over six months. In 2011, further protests continued for more than three years at the mines in

Moularès Moularès (; oc, Molarés) is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regio ...

and

Redeyef Redeyef ( ar, الرّدَيِّف ') is a town and commune in the Gafsa Governorate, Tunisia. As of 2004 it had a population of 26,143.

Production and impact

Tunisia is the fifth largest exporter of phosphates in the world. Extraction of phosphate is the most important mining sector in the country, boosting the economy through exports by some 45%. The mineral sector as a whole contributes to 3% of the GDP. Iron ore is extracted at the underground mine at Djerissa and also at the open-pits of

Tamera Tamera is a peace research village with the goal of becoming "a self-sufficient, sustainable and duplicable communitarian model for nonviolent cooperation and cohabitation between humans, animals, nature, and Creation for a future of peace for a ...

and Douaria; this activity is done by the Société du Djebel Djerissa, which is a public sector undertaking. Mining in Central Tunisia and the north–south axis area, covering an area of , is not fully developed, but iron ore is being extracted to a considerable degree. In the northeast of central Tunisia, extraction of

fluorine Fluorine is a chemical element with the symbol F and atomic number 9. It is the lightest halogen and exists at standard conditions as a highly toxic, pale yellow diatomic gas. As the most electronegative reactive element, it is extremely reacti ...

and

baryte Baryte, barite or barytes ( or ) is a mineral consisting of barium sulfate ( Ba S O4). Baryte is generally white or colorless, and is the main source of the element barium. The ''baryte group'' consists of baryte, celestine (strontium sulfate), ...

have been very substantial.

Legal framework

Mining and mineral exploration is legislated by the Tunisian Mining Code (law No. 2003–30 of April 28, 2003). Laws on fuel minerals are the Hydrocarbons Code (law No. 99–93 of August 17, 1999) and its supplement (law No. 2002–23 of February 2002). The government of Tunisia develops geological and geophysical maps through the National Office of Mines, and regulates all mining operations, which are government owned. Despite the public ownership of all mines in Tunisia, private operation of the mines is promoted by the National Office of Mines. When a mining operation is started, it is granted a five-year reprieve on taxation, followed by a 25% taxation on profits.

Outlook

Production of phosphate rock and phosphate fertilizers are likely to increase with the commissioning of the Celamin and the TIFERT projects. Cement export is expected to get a boost with exports to Algeria.

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{Mining in Africa Mining in Tunisia Economy of Tunisia Tunisia