Tunisia officially the Tunisian Republic is the
northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb
country and is bordered by Algeria to the west,
Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean
Sea to the north and east. Its area is almost
164,000 km2, with an estimated population of
just over 10.4 million. Its name is derived from
the capital Tunis located in the north-east.
Tunisia is the smallest of the nations situated
along the Atlas mountain range. The south of
the country is composed of the Sahara desert,
with much of the remainder consisting of
particularly fertile soil and 1,300 km of coastline. Both played a prominent role in ancient
times, first with the famous Punic city of Carthage, then as the Roman province of Africa,
which was known as the "bread basket" of Rome. Later, Tunisia was occupied by Vandals
during the 5th century AD, Byzantines in the 6th century, and Arabs in the 8th century. Under
the Ottoman Empire, Tunisia was known as "Regency of Tunis". It passed under French
protectorate in 1881. After obtaining independence in 1956 the country took the official name
of the "Kingdom of Tunisia" at the end of the reign of Lamine Bey and the Husainid Dynasty.
With the proclamation of the Tunisian Republic on July 25, 1957, the nationalist leader Habib
Bourguiba became its first president.
Tunisia has relations with both the European Union—with whom it has an association
agreement—and the Arab world. Tunisia is also a member of the Arab Maghreb Union, the
Arab League and the African Union. Tunisia has established close relations with France in
particular, through economic cooperation, industrial modernization, and privatization
programs. The government's approach to the Israel-Palestine conflict has also made it an
intermediary in Middle Eastern diplomacy.
Energy
The majority of the electricity used in Tunisia is produced
locally, by state-owned company STEG (Société Tunisienne
de l´Electricité et du Gaz). In 2008, a total of 13,747 GWh was
produced in the country.
Oil and gas Oil production of Tunisia is about 97,600 barrels
per day (15,520 m3/d). The main field is El Bourma.
Oil production began in 1966 in Tunisia. Currently there are
12 oil fields.
Nuclear energy Tunisia has plans for two nuclear power stations, to be operational by 2019.
Both facilities are projected to produce 900–1000 MW. France is set to become an important
partner in Tunisia's nuclear power plans, having signed an agreement, along with other
partners, to deliver training and technology.
The Desertec project is a large-scale energy project aimed at installing solar power panels in
northern Africa, with a power line connection between it and southern Europe. Tunisia will be
a part of this project, but exactly how it may benefit from this remains to be seen.
Transport in Tunisia
The country maintains 19,232 kilometres (11,950 mi) of roads, with the A1 Tunis-Sfax, P1
Tunis-Libya and P7 Tunis-Algeria being the major highways.
There are 32 airports in Tunisia, with three International Airport Carthage International
Airport, Monastir International Airport and Enfidha–Martyrs International Airport. There are
four airlines headquartered in Tunisia: Tunisair, Karthago Airlines, Nouvelair and Tunisair
express.
The railway network is operated by SNCFT and amounts to 2,153 kilometres in total. The
Tunis area is served by a tram network, named Metro Leger.
Geography of Tunisia
Tunisia's Topography.
Tunisia is situated on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa, midway between the Atlantic
Ocean and the Nile Delta. It is bordered by Algeria on the west and Libya on the south east. It
lies between latitudes 30° and 38°N, and longitudes 7° and 12°E. An abrupt southward turn of
the Mediterranean coast in northern Tunisia gives the country two distinctive Mediterranean
coasts, west-east in the north, and north-south in the east.
Though it is relatively small in size, Tunisia has great environmental diversity due to its
north-south extent. Its east-west extent is limited. Differences in Tunisia, like the rest of the
Maghreb, are largely north-south environmental differences defined by sharply decreasing
rainfall southward from any point. The Dorsal, the eastern extension of the Atlas Mountains,
runs across Tunisia in a northeasterly direction from the Algerian border in the west to the
Cape Bon peninsula in the east. North of the Dorsal is the Tell, a region characterized by low,
rolling hills and plains, again an extension of mountains to the west in Algeria. In the
Khroumerie, the northwestern corner of the Tunisian Tell, elevations reach 1,050 metres and
snow occurs in winter.
The Sahel, a broadening coastal plain along Tunisia's eastern Mediterranean coast, is among
the world's premier areas of olive cultivation. Inland from the Sahel, between the Dorsal and a
range of hills south of Gafsa, are the Steppes. Much of the southern region is semi-arid and
desert.
Tunisia has a coastline 1,298 km long. In maritime terms, the country claims a contiguous
zone of 24 nautical miles (44.4 km; 27.6 mi), and a territorial sea of 12 nautical miles (22.2
km; 13.8 mi).
Climate Tunisia's
Climate is temperate in the north, with mild rainy winters and hot, dry summers. The south of
the country is desert. The terrain in the north is mountainous, which, moving south, gives way
to a hot, dry central plain. The south is semiarid, and merges into the Sahara. A series of salt
lakes, known as chotts or shatts, lie in an east-west line at the northern edge of the Sahara,
extending from the Gulf of Gabes into Algeria. The lowest point is Shatt al Gharsah, at 17
metres below sea level and the highest is Jebel ech Chambi, at 1,544 metres.
Demographics of Tunisia
Some 98% of modern Tunisians are Arab-Berber, and are speakers of Tunisian Arabic.
However, there is also a small (1% at most) population of Berbers located in the Jabal Dahar
mountains in the South East and on the island of Jerba, though many more have Berber
ancestry. The Berbers primarily speak Berber languages, often called Shelha.
The small European population (1%) consists mostly of French and Italians. There is also a
long-established Jewish community in the country, the history of the Jews in Tunisia going
back some 2,000 years. In 1948 the Jewish population was an estimated 105,000, but by 2003
only about 1,500 remained.
The first people known to history in what is now Tunisia were the Berbers. Numerous
civilizations and peoples have invaded, migrated to, and been assimilated into the population
over the millennia, with influences of population via conquest from
Phoenicians/Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Arabs, Ottoman Turks, and French. There was
a continuing inflow of nomadic Arab tribes from Arabia.
Additionally, after the Reconquista and expulsion of non-Christians and Moriscos from Spain,
many Spanish Moors and Jews also arrived. According to Matthew Carr, "As many as eighty
thousand Moriscos settled in Tunisia, most of them in and around the capital, Tunis, which
still contains a quarter known as Zuqaq al-Andalus, or Andalusia Alley. "In addition, from the
late 19th century to after World War II, Tunisia was home to large populations of French and
Italians (255,000 Europeans in 1956), although nearly all of them, along with the Jewish
population, left after Tunisia became independent.
Religion in Tunisia.
The Great Mosque of Kairouan it is the most important
mosque in Tunisia situated in the city of Kairouan.
The constitution declares Islam as the official state religion
and requires the President to be Muslim. Besides the
president, Tunisians enjoy a significant degree of religious
freedom, a right enshrined and protected in its constitution,
which guarantees the freedom to practice one's religion.
View of the Great Mosque of
Kairouan
Cathedral of St. Vincent de PaulThe majority of Tunisia's population (around 98%) are Sunni
Muslims (with very few Shia), while about 1% follow Christianity and the remaining 1%
adhere to Judaism or other religions.
Tunisia has a sizable Christian community of around 25,000 adherents, mainly Catholics
(22,000) and to a lesser degree Protestants. Judaism is the country's third largest religion with
1,500 members. One-third of the Jewish population lives in and around the capital. The
remainder lives on the island of Djerba, with 39 synagogues, and where the Jewish
community dates back 2,500 years.
Djerba, an island in the Gulf of Gabès, is home to El Ghriba synagogue, which is one of the
oldest synagogues in the world. Many Jews consider it a pilgrimage site, with celebrations
taking place there once every year. In fact, Tunisia along with Morocco has been said to be
the Arab countries most accepting of their Jewish populations.
Languages of Tunisia
Modern Standard Arabic is the official language, but Tunisian Arabic are the local
vernacular and are considered Tunisia's native language. As is the case in the rest of the Arab
League, a local variety of Arabic is used by the public. Tunisian Arabic is closely related to
the Maltese language. There is also a small minority of speakers of Shelha, a Berber language.
Due to the former French occupation, French also plays a major role in the country, despite
having no official status. It is widely used in education (e.g., as the language of instruction in
the sciences in secondary school), the press, and in business. Most Tunisians are able to speak
it. Due to Tunisia's proximity to Italy and the large number of Italian Tunisians, Italian is
understood and spoken by a small part of the Tunisian population