TUNISIA DROUGHT INDEX

Sitting on the southern Mediterranean coast, Tunisia, a country that depends heavily on its small fertile region, housing 70% of the population and making up over 17% of the country’s gross domestic product, is dependent on and sensitive of its vegetative conditions. A recent decline in precipitation has predicted a harmful decrease in vegetative health, which could prove drastically harmful to the nation’s economy. However, precipitation is not the only factor playing a part in vegetative condition, and as a still currently developing country, data for current and previous vegetative conditions is scarce and difficult to acquire, preventing analysis of the relationship between precipitation and vegetation. This study incorporates vegetation analysis in the past and present based on the comparative temperature and the comparative vegetation density. Data was gathered from satellite imagery, providing an accurate history of the factors in play. This analysis should provide a more accurate history of the conditions of the fertile region of Tunisia, which will provide a view for economic and agricultural analysis and assistance when appropriate.