Official Name: Al-Jumhuriyah at-Tunisiyah (Republic of Tunisia)

Area: Africa

Size: 163.610 km²

Coastline: 1,148 km

Independence: from France March 20, 1956

Form of Govt.: Multiparty republic

Head of Govt.: Prime Minister

Capital: Tunis

Largest City: Tunis

Demographics (2005): 10,102,000.   62 /km²

Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1%

GDP per Capita (2005): $8,255

Languages: Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce)

Geography: The country is divided into three distinct physical regions (1.) The Tell Atlas Mountains and the Dorsale Ridge separated by the fertile valley of the Medjerda River in the north. (2.) A wide and barren plateau south of the Dorsale Ridge with the western half of the plateau called the High Steppe and the eastern half the Low Steppe. (3.) The southern flat coastal plains and salt lakes, and beyond to the vast Sahara Desert region. The principal river is the Medjerda River which flows to the Gulf of Tunis from Algeria.

Climate: Tunisia has a Mediterranean climate modified by sea breezes and characterized by warm dry summers and wet winters. The inland regions experience hotter summers and more rainfall while there are two distinct seasons, a cool wet season from October to May and a warm dry season from May to September. Average annual precipitation varies from 420 mm in the north to more than 900 mm in the Tell Atlas Mountains while the southern desert region receives less than 350 mm annually. Average temperature ranges in Tunis are from 6 to 14 degrees in January to 21 to 33 degrees in August.