Tunisia
Geography - People - Economy - Government - Communications - Transportation - Military - Transnational IssuesCountry name - conventional long form : Tunisian Republic
Country name - conventional short form : Tunisia
Country name - local long form : Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah
Country name - local short form : Tunis
Government type : republic
Capital - name : Tunis
Capital - time difference : UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
National holiday : Independence Day, 20 March (1956); also the anniversary of BEN ALI's assumption of the presidency, 7 November (1987)
Population : 10,383,577 (July 2008 est.)
Nationality - noun : Tunisian(s)
Nationality - adjective : Tunisian
Languages : Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce)
Currency (code) : Tunisian dinar (TND)
Currency code : TND
Tunisia is located Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya. The climate is temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south. The terrain is mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the Sahara.
Background
This entry usually highlights major historic events and current issues and may include a statement about one or two key future trends.Background : Rivalry between French and Italian interests in Tunisia culminated in a French invasion in 1881 and the creation of a protectorate. Agitation for independence in the decades following World War I was finally successful in getting the French to recognize Tunisia as an independent state in 1956. The country's first president, Habib BOURGUIBA, established a strict one-party state. He dominated the country for 31 years, repressing Islamic fundamentalism and establishing rights for women unmatched by any other Arab nation. In November 1987, BOURGUIBA was removed from office and replaced by Zine el Abidine BEN ALI in a bloodless coup. BEN ALI is currently serving his fourth consecutive five-year term as president; the next elections are scheduled for October 2009. Tunisia has long taken a moderate, non-aligned stance in its foreign relations. Domestically, it has sought to defuse rising pressure for a more open political society.
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