tunisia, the jewel of the mediterranean

TUNISIAThe jewel of the Mediterranean

MAP

The capital city of Tunisia is Tunis. Tunisia is subdivided into

24 governorates.It is a Maghreb country bordered

by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast and the Mediterranean sea to

the north and east.

HISTORY

Tunisia has been a part of Fenician, Carthagesian, Roman and Arab empires and they all left their beautiful traces there. The

city of Tunis date back to pre-roman times, th city of El jem has its own Colosseum. Kairouan

is considered as a young city ans it was founded in the 6th century by Arabs..

GOVERNMENT

Tunisia is a constitutional republic, with a president serving as head of state, prime

minister as head of government, a bicameral parliament and a court system

influenced by French civil law. Tunisia achieved independence from France in 1956

led by Habib Bourguiba, who later became the first Tunisian President. In 2012 Tunisia’s population was estimated to be around

10,777,500.Habib Bourguiba, the first president of the republic of

Tunisia

First used in 1831The Tunisian flag is red

with a white circle in the middle that contains a five-

pointed star and a crescent

JasmineThe national

flower

The Tunisian coat of arms

means freedom (ship) order

(lion) and justice (scales) That is the country’s

motto.

REVOLUTION

The Tunisian revolution was an intensive campaign of civil resistance that

were precipitated by high unemployment, food inflation, corruption, a lack

of freedom of speech and other political freedoms and poor living

conditions. Labor unions were said to be an integral part of the protests.

The protests inspired the Arab Spring, a wave of similar actions throughout

the Arab world.

CURRENCY

Tunisia’s currency is called dinar. It is one of the only currencies that still uses thousands. The coins are 5, 10, 20, 50 millims, ½ and 1 dinar. The notes are 5, 10, 20 and 50 dinar.

1 dinar = 1000 millims

RELIGIONS AND LANGUAGES

Arabic is the official language, and Tunisian Arabic, known as ’’Derja’’, is the local,

vernacular variety of Arabic and is used by the public. There is also a small minority of speakers

of Shelha, a Berber language.

98% of Tunisians are Muslim. 1% are Jewish and 1% are Christian.

تونس

ECONOMY

Tunisia now finds itself as an export-oriented country in the process of liberalizing and privatizing an economy that, while averaging 5% GDP growth since the early 1990s, has suffered from corruption benefiting politically connected elites. Tunisia has a diverse economy, ranging from agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and petroleum products, to tourism.  The agricultural sector stands for 11.6% of the GDP, industry 25.7%, and services 62.8%.

FOOD

Mloukheya

Like most Mediterranean Countries, Tunisia has what is called a “sun

cuisine” consisting mainly of olive oil, spices and seafood.

The most famous dishes in Tunisia are :

Couscous Lalabli Brik Makroud Hrissa