| Location:
Geographically
speaking, Tunisia is on the fringes of the great
Saharan desert. But while it has arid lands, it is not
a typical desert country. Situated on the North
African coast of the Mediterranean Sea between Algeria
and Libya
and just south of Italy, Tunisia represents an
intriguing cross-cultural blend of Europe and Africa.
Area:
The
total area of Tunisia is 164,418 sq km (63,482 sq mi).
Capital: The capital and largest city of
Tunisia is Tunis (1.7 million).
Language: Arabic,
is the official language, and while some businessmen
speak English, Italian or German, French is generally
the language of commerce. French is less apt to be
understood in the far south. English and German are
also spoken in major cities.
Religion: Islam is the state religion and
majority of the inhabitants are Moslems. But there are
also Roman Catholics, Jews, Greek Orthodox, and
Protestants, even though few in numbers.
Population: Tunisia has a population of one
million. 9,245,284 to be exact (1997 estimate),
yielding an average population density of 56 persons
per sq km (146 per sq mi). About three-quarters of the
population lives in the coastal region. The arid
central and southern parts make up 70 percent of the
total land area, but contain less than 30 percent of
the population. Throughout history, many peoples,
including Romans, Vandals, black Africans, and Arabs,
have invaded or settled in the region that is now
Tunisia. Tunisians, however, are essentially of Berber
stock, although fewer than 2 percent speak the Berber
language. As a result of Arabization, which started
long long, ago, Arabic has become the language of the
Tunisian people, and they have come to regard
themselves as Arabs.
Membership: Tunisia is a member of the UN, OAU,
Arab League, the
Islamic Conference and Union
of the Arab Maghreb.
Currency: The unit of currency is the Tunisian
Dinar (TND) of 1000 millimes.
Tunisia Time Difference: GMT + 1
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