Tunisia Country Facts

Tunisia Country Facts

Tunisia, the northernmost country in Africa, attracts visitors with fertile mountains in the north, while visitors to the southfindthe fascinating Sahara with salt lakes, dunes and oases.

The former French colony is still dominated by the former mother country France, especially in the cities. Since the late 1980s, Tunisia has been making enormous efforts to become a holiday and vacation destination for Europeans – with success. All major cities and tourist resorts have a well-developed infrastructure. Tunisia has become a popular destination, especially for Germans.

Tunisia, the home of Hannibal the Great, has something for everyone. From Nabeul to Sousse on the east coast, from Tabarka to Ben Guerdane on the north coast andNaturallythere are wonderful ones on the island of Djerba beaches. Hikers can in the north-west of Tunisia together with the first residents of Tunisia, the Berbers, the foothills of the Atlas Mountains with extensive cork oak and pine forests explore.

The 1,300 km long coast of Tunisia offers sandy beaches and wonderful views over the beautiful landscapes. The coastal region is particularly in the interest of vacationers and travelers. Of course, this also means that tourism is particularly strong in this area. The Mediterranean coast is also one of the main sources of income in Tunisia in economic terms.

In recent years, more and more hotel complexes have been built in Tunisia, some of them luxurious. The best developed and most used tourist regions are the coastal towns of Hammamet, Nabeul, Sousse and Monastir. More and more tourist resorts are being built here that are attracting more and more visitors. Over half of the holidaymakers come from Europe, most of whom book a package holiday to Tunisia. But visitors from the neighboring countries of Libya and Algeria are now also coming to Tunisia to visit the capital Tunis or to enjoy a few vacation days near the beach.

Tunisia is one of the few countries in Africa that is suitable for a last minute vacation. Find out about the current situation in Tunisia on Trans Africa.

Tunisia Country Facts

Area: 163,610 km² (land: 155,360 km², water: 8,250 km²), north-south extension approx. 900 km, east-west extension up to 300 km.

Population: 10.6 million people (July 2011, COUNTRYAAH.COM). The main ethnic group in Tunisia is Arab-Berber with a share of 98%, whereas pure Arabs only make up about 10% of the country’s population. Europeans (especially French): 1%, Jews and other ethnic minorities like Berbers: 1%.

Density: 65 people per sq. Km.

Population growth: 0.978% per year (2011, CIA)

Capital: Tunis (with suburbs around 1.4 million residents).

Here is a detailed list of the largest cities in Tunisia.

Form of government: Tunisia has been a presidential republic since 1959, and the Republic of Tunisia was proclaimed in 1957. The constitution dates from 1959, the last constitutional amendment was made in 2002. The bicameral parliament consists of the National Assembly (Majlis al-Nuwaab) with 189 MPs elected every five years and the Chamber of Advisors with 126 seats (71 MPs are elected by the Mayor and MPs of the National Assembly, 41 by the President and 14 by the Tunisian general Labor Union (Tunisia) has been independent of France since March 20, 1956.

Administrative divisions: 24 Governorates: Ariana (Aryanah), Beja (Bajah), Ben Arous (Bin ‘Arus), Bizerte (Banzart), Gabes (Qabis), Gafsa (Qafsah), Jendouba (Jundubah), Kairouan (Al Qayrawan), Kasserine (Al Qasrayn), Kebili (Qibili), Kef (Al Kaf), Mahdia (Al Mahdiyah), Manouba (Manubah), Medenine (Madanin), Monastir (Al Munastir), Nabeul (Nabul), Sfax (Safaqis), Sidi Bou Zid (Sidi Bu Zayd), Siliana (Silyanah), Sousse (Susah), Tataouine (Tatawin), Tozeur (Tawzar), Tunis and Zaghouan (Zaghwan).

Head of government: Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali, since December 24, 2011

Head of state: Interim President Moncef Marzouki, since December 13, 2011

Highest point: Jebel ech Chambi, 1,544 m

Lowest point: Shatt al Gharsah, -17 m

Language: The official language in Tunisia is Arabic. Tunisian is a regional, western Arabic dialect that is used as a colloquial language together with Berber languages. French is the commercial and educational language in the country and, together with Arabic, the business language. French is taught as a second language in schools. In larger cities and holiday resorts, people working in tourism sometimes understand English and German.

Religion: 98% Muslims (especially Sunnis), 1% Christians, 1% Jews and others.

Local time: CET. Tunisia is summer time from late April to late September.
The time difference to Central Europe is 0 h in summer and in winter. In April and October the time difference to Central Europe is 1 hour.

Telephone code: 00216 or +216

Internet identifier:.tn

Mains voltage: 220 V, 50 Hz

Geography

Tunisia is the northernmost country in Africa and only 140 kilometers from Sicily. It extends between the Mediterranean and the Sahara, between 37 ° 20 ‘and 30 ° 10’ north latitude and between 7 ° 30 ‘and 12 ° east longitude. The largest north-south extension between Cap Blanc and the Bordj el Khadra border station is around 780 km, the largest east-west extension between the island of Djerba and Nefta is around 380 km. The Mediterranean coast measures approximately 1,300 km in length. The neighboring state in the west is Algeria, in the south-east Libya.

Here you can find a detailed topographic map of Tunisia.

The north-west of Tunisia is determined by the Tell Atlas. The Kroumirie mountain ranges (700-800 m) run parallel to the north coast from the Algerian border to the Bay of Bizerte. This is followed by the Mogod highlands (300-400 m altitude) to the northeast, which, for example, descend into the Mediterranean Sea in Cap Blanc on a mostly steep rocky coast. On the side of the mountain facing away from the wind is the valley basin of the year-round water-bearing Medjerda, whose lower reaches belong to the most important agricultural zone in the country.

The ridges of the Dorsale run from the northeast (Cap Bon) to the southwest with the highest mountain in Tunisia (Djebel Chambi, 1,544 m) in a length of 220 km. To the east of the dorsal along the Mediterranean coast between Hammamet and Skhira, Sousse and Sfax, lies the Sahel (Arabic for “plain”) called the coastal strip, which is very fertile due to the rain-blowing east winds and enables, among other things, large olive tree crops.

To the south of the dorsal is the steppe-like bulkhead (Chott el Djerid, salt lake), which goes further south into the Sahara desert with the Eastern Great Erg. The Djeffara plain stretches along the Mediterranean Sea, for example from Gafsa in the west to the Libyan border, which is separated from the Erg by the up to 600 m high limestone plateau Dahar and has sandy flat coasts, lagoons and offshore islands.

Population in Tunisia

This map of population distribution in Tunisia was created by the Worldmapper team. Densely populated areas appear bloated, the area of ​​sparsely populated areas is reduced. The shape of the grid has been preserved; an underlying map with the original geographical extent helps interpret the map. The distorted map should help to present abstract statistical information clearly.

Tunisia Population by Year (Historical)

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