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Geography |
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Capital |
Tunis. |
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Area |
163,610 sq. km. (63,378 sq. mi.), slightly smaller than Missouri. |
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Terrain |
Arable land in north and along central coast; south is
mostly semiarid or desert. |
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Climate |
Hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. |
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People |
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Nationality |
Noun and adjective--Tunisian(s). |
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Population |
(2006): 10,216,000. |
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Groups |
Arab-Berber 98%, European 1%, other 1%. |
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Religions |
Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish less than 1%. |
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Languages |
Arabic (official), French. |
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Government &
History |
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Official Name |
Tunisian Republic |
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Government |
Republic. |
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Independence |
March 20, 1956. |
Modern Tunisians are the descendents of indigenous Berbers and of
people from numerous civilizations that have invaded, migrated to,
and been assimilated into the population over the millennia.
Recorded history in Tunisia begins with the arrival of Phoenicians,
who founded Carthage and other North African settlements in the 8th
century B.C. Carthage became a major sea power, clashing with Rome
for control of the Mediterranean until it was defeated and captured
by the Romans in 146 B.C. The Romans ruled and settled in North
Africa until the 5th century, when the Roman Empire fell and Tunisia
was invaded by European tribes, including the Vandals. The Muslim
conquest in the 7th century transformed Tunisia and the make-up of
its population, with subsequent waves of migration from around the
Arab and Ottoman world, including significant numbers of Spanish
Muslims and Jews at the end of the 15th century. Tunisia became a
center of Arab culture and learning and was assimilated into the
Turkish Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. It was a French
protectorate from 1881 until independence in 1956, and retains close
political, economic, and cultural ties with France.
Nearly all Tunisians (98% of the population) are Muslim. There has
been a Jewish population on the southern island of Djerba for 2000
years, and there remains a small Jewish population in Tunis and
other cities, which is mainly descended from those who fled Spain in
the late 15th century. A small Christian community is dispersed
throughout the country, and includes foreign residents, as well as a
few hundred native-born citizens who have converted to Christianity.
Small nomadic indigenous minorities have been mostly assimilated
into the larger population. |
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