Country
name: Tunisian Republic
Government
type: republic
National
holiday: Independence Day, 20 March (1956)
Historical
background: The Phoenicians first set up shop in Tunisia at Utica in
1100 BC. They went on to establish a chain of ports along the North African
coast, the most important of which was Carthage, arch enemy of Rome, which
destroyed it in 146 BC. The Tunisian territory became Roman property after
the war. Islam burst onto the scene in the 7th century, when the Arab armies
swept out of Arabia, quickly conquering Egypt. The Arabs had taken all
of North Africa by the start of the 8th century, and, with Kairouan as
its capital.In 1574 and Tunis became an Ottoman territory. Ottoman power
lasted through to the 19th century, when France became the new power in
the Western Mediterranean. In 1881, the French sent 30,000 troops into
Tunisia under the pretext of countering border raids into French-occupied
Algeria. They quickly occupied Tunis and forced the ruling bey to sign
over his power to the French. The fall of France in WWII opened the door
for Tunisian nationalists to step up their independence campaign. Tunisia
was formally granted independence on 20 March 1956, with Habib Bourguiba
as prime minister. Bourguiba's presidency lasted through 1987 and was replaced
by his own minister for the interior, Zine el-Abidine ben Ali.. |
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 Geographic
coordinates:
34 00
N, 9 00 E
Map:
Tunisia
Highest
point: Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m
Border
countries: Algeria & Libya
Capital:
Tunis
Major
cities: Sfax, Bizerte, Djerba, Gabès, Sousse, Kairouan, Gafsa
Population:
9.9 millions (July 2003 est.)
Density:
59.99 hab./km²
Life
expectancy: 74.4 years
Ethnic
groups: Arab 98%
Languages:
Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce)
Religions:
Muslim 98%
Currency:
Tunisian dinar
GDP
per capita: $6,500 (2002 est.)
Internet
country code: .tn
Flag
description: red with a white disk in the center bearing a red crescent
nearly encircling a red five-pointed star; the crescent and star are traditional
symbols of Islam. Flag.
National
anthem: listen the anthem
illustrated with the Tunisian coat of arms |
