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Tunisia extends farther north than any other country in Africa. Both northern and eastern Tunisia borders the Mediterranean Sea. Tunisia is part of the Arab world, the Mediterranean area, and Africa. Almost all Tunisians speak Arabic and follow an Arab way of life. Tunis is its capital and largest city.

Government

Tunisia is a republic headed by a president. The people elect the president to a five-year term. The president appoints a governor to head each of Tunisia's 13 provinces. The Democratic Constitutional Rally is by far the largest. It has controlled the government since Tunisia became independent.

People

Life in Tunisia is more uniform that it is in most other African and Middle Eastern countries. This is chiefly due to the people's similarity in language and religion, and to the fact that political and cultural life is centered in one city, Tunis. Small groups of Jews, and Berbers live in Tunisia. But almost all Tunisians are Arabs and Muslims. Many Tunisians speak French as a second language because the country was once ruled by the French.

Climate

Tunisia has hot, dry summers and warm, wet winters. The average coastal temperatures are 79 degrees in summer and 52 degrees in the winter. There is little rain in the south.

Facts in brief:

Capital: Tunis

Official language: Arabic

Population: estimated 1996- 9,095,000; estimated 2001- 9,929,000

Chief products: agriculture- barley, citrus fruits, olives,wine; forestry- oak and pine

Flag: The flag has a large white circle on a red field. Inside the circle are a crescent and a star, emblems of the Muslim religion

Money: dinar

My Experience

This is a place I have not experienced, but would one day love to visit. I was named after the country after my mother and her sister were looking through a history book and the country Tunisia just came up. My mother thought it was different and pretty. She changed the pronunciation of the word to Spanish vowels to make it sound more feminine. The original pronunciation, at that time, she said sounded like a disease. I'm glad she corrected that!

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