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    "localId": "486500863",
    "label": "Report, Central Intelligence Agency, French North Africa, Situation Report 36",
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    "title": "Report, Central Intelligence Agency, French North Africa, Situation Report 36",
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    "seq": 61,
    "pageIndex": 0,
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    "ocrText": "56\nSECRE\nseaplane base. Maximum cargo handling\n(5) Gabès is a small fishing port, although\ncapacity is 30,000 metric tons monthly.\ncertain agricultural products are exported.\n(6) Mostaganem port can handle 50,000\nThe Tunisian merchant marine is insignifi-\nmetric tons of cargo monthly. Facilities are\ncant and is wholly engaged in coastwise ship-\nlimited, but because of its location and the\nping.\nrich hinterland the port will probably increase\nin importance.\n2. Navigable Inland Waterways.\n(7) Bougie is a small commercial port with\nThere are no navigable waterways in either\nlimited facilities. The export of iron and zinc\nAlgeria or Tunisia. The Sébou and Moulouya\nores, phosphates, and agricultural products is\nrivers in Morocco, however, are navigable to\nincreasing and the port is becoming more im-\nsmall boats and barges for 50 and 30 miles\nportant.\ninland, respectively.\n(8) Philippeville, with a capacity of 40,000\nmetric tons monthly, is the principal outlet\n3. Roads.\nfor agricultural products of the Department\nOf the three territories, Tunisia is best\nof Constantine. Port and rail facilities are\nequipped with constructed roads with about\nbeing improved.\n0.25 miles of road per square mile. Compara-\n(9) Béni-Saf is a privately owned port used\nble figures for Algeria and Morocco are 0.035\nprincipally for the export of iron ore.\nand 0.025. These figures compare most un-\n(10) The port of Nemours in western Al-\nfavorably with those of most Western Euro-\ngeria is being extended and modernized with\npean countries. Actual mileage is as follows:\nfinancial help from French Morocco.\nSecond-\nA few Algerian ships, registered as a part\nMain\nary\nMinor\nTotal\nof the French merchant marine, are engaged\nTunisia\n3,730\n8, 700\n3,730\n16,160\nin coastwise shipping.\nMorocco\n3,500\n2, 500\n12,500\n18, 500\nAlgeria\n, 982\n25,500\n?\n30, 482+\nC. Tunisia.\nTotal\n12,212\n36, 700\n16,230 +\n(1) Port facilities at the twin ports of\nTunis-La Goulette are being modernized, but\nThe coastal and mountain regions are well\nseveral years will probably elapse before recon-\nserved by engineered roads which become\nstruction is completed owing to the shortage\nfewer and of poorer quality inland until in\nof building materials and skilled labor. Traf-\nthe desert regions few are better than natural\nfic in 1947 totalled 1,288,143 metric tons for\ntracks. The roads are the main lines of trans-\nboth ports.\nportation and are adequate for the present\n(2) Sfax is one of the more important ports\nneeds of the population.\nin eastern Tunisia and handles the greatest\nIn Tunisia the roads radiate from the four\ntonnage of any Tunisian port. It serves both\ncoastal cities of Tunis, Sousse, Sfax, and\nas an outlet for phosphates, and as an impor-\nGabès and from the town of Medenine. These\ntant fishing and sponge center. Reconstruc-\nfive centers are linked by a coastal road that\ntion necessitated by the considerable wartime\npasses from Morocco through Algeria and\ndamage has not been completed.\nTunisia into Libya. The network in the north\n(3) Bizerte is the less important of the two\nis fairly dense with numerous connecting\nFrench naval ports in North Africa. War\nroads between the radial routes, but in the\ndamage has been cleaned up, but planned\nsouth the network is open. Extending into\nexpansion cannot be carried out because of the\nAlgeria are three good roads, roughly parallel,\nlack of funds. The base is equipped with re-\nfrom Tunis. The roads southwest of Gabès\npair facilities.\nand Medenine are principally ancient caravan\n(4) Sousse is a small commercial port with\nroutes, slightly improved but in many places\na capacity of 25,000 metric tons monthly. The\nobstructed to motor traffic by drifting sands.\nprincipal exports are phosphates, salt, olive\nThe two principal routes in Algeria are the\noil, grain, and esparto grass.\ninternational highways connecting Morocco\nECRET"
}