Geography

Tunisia, 164150km², is the most oriental Country in the Maghreb (North Africa). It is divided into 3 geographic zones; there are the coast, the hills and the plains.
The internal Tunisia, not much populated and little urbanized, is the most watered part o the country, and it is traversed by fertile depression like La Mejerda Valley which is the longest river in Tunisia.
The Tunisian ridge geography constitutes a climatic barrier isolating the north-west from the Sahara countries. Behind the depression of Choot-El-Djerid, occupied by a salty lake, the Saharian Tunisia starts taking over 55% of the country’s global area.
The north profits from Mediterranean climate, which the south is arid.

                                                     Population

The majority of the population is Arab, the Tunisian people practice the Sunnite Islam.
The Berber speaking community barely represents 1%of the whole population. The population’s growth is rapid and the under 15 years proportion is high.
The majority of the population, the cities, the fortune and the industrial and tourist activities are concerned on the coast. Almost 65% of the Tunisian live in the cities.
Tunis, the capital city, is the country’s industrial and commercial metropolis.
Sfax, Tunisian’s second city is the main south metropolis. Gabes welcomes an important industrial chemical complex. The island of Djerba is characterized by its strong tourist activity.

History

Late the millennium II B.C; the Phoenicians created their trading posts on the coast line, including Carthage in the northeast of the country. The Numidian Kingdom, in the west and in the south of the current Tunisia was annexed by Rome during the 1st century B.C. Christianity spread starting from the 3rd century.
During the decline of the Roman Empire, the Vandals took possession of Carthage.
Besides, the Arabs invaded Tunisia in the 7th century. In 1574, Tunisia was grabbed by the Turkish and the whole region became a province of the Ottoman Empire.
1881, the treaty of Bardo made of Tunisia a French Protectorate. The national claims showed up very early. The Italian Occupation during World War II fragilized more the French occupation.
In 1956, Tunisia acquired its independence. One year the republic was declared. Habib Bourguiba became the President of the republic.
The current president, Ben Ali (since November 7, 1987), put Tunisia on the economical reforms way through a progressive openness onto the world.