Tunisia's history as either
a centre or vassal of Phoenician, Carthaginian, Roman, Berber,
and Arabic power has left a rich heritage of architectural
remains, particularly in the north. Modern Tunisians utilize
both Arabic and French in literature but generally use French
in the scientific disciplines.
Annual agricultural yields in
Tunisia fluctuate because of the frequency of drought and the
lack of extensive water resources for irrigation. The leading
crops in the fertile plains of the north include cereal grains
such as wheat and barley (1,012,000 metric tons in 2000);
vegetables and melons (1.9 million metric tons); and fruits,
most importantly grapes, dates from Saharan oases, and oranges
from the Cape Bon Peninsula (898,205 metric tons). About half
the productive land is used for grazing, and, because of
drought, the livestock industry is also subject to
fluctuations. In 2000 the country’s livestock included 6.6
million sheep, 1.4 million goats, 790,000 cattle, 231,000
camels, 56,200 horses, and 40 million poultry.
Tunisia has a road network of
23,100 km (14,354 mi) connecting important commercial centers.
The country is also served by 3,640 km (2,262 mi) of railroad
track. Tunisia has four major ports—Tunis, Bizerte, Susah,
and Sfax. A fifth port, AsSukhayrah, specializes in petroleum
bunkering. A modern port is also being constructed at Qabis.
The country has five international airports, two of which
serve Tunis.
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