Tunisia
POPULATION 9,815,644
MUSLIM 99.7 percent
OTHER 0.3 percent
Country Overview
Introduction
The Tunisian Republic, a small country of 63,200 square miles, is located on the Mediterra-nean coast of North Africa. Except in the southwestern corner, where desert prevails, Tunisia has a mild Mediterranean climate. The countryside is hilly in the north, but in the east it is rather flat. Less than a quarter of the population is engaged in agriculture, whereas in the mid-twentieth century more than half were farmers. Since then tourism and manufacturing have become of considerable importance. Compared with other Africans and Middle Easterners, Tunisians are economically well off, and one does not find enormous extremes of wealth in the country.
Early on, Tunisia was inhabited by the ancestors of modern-day Berbers, but in the twelfth century B.C.E. the area was settled by Phoenicians, who built the Carthaginian empire. This was eventually conquered by the Romans and, then, inherited by the Byzantines. By the seventh century C.E., Tunisia had been conquered by Arab Muslims. Along with a conversion to Islam came the adoption of the Arabic language and customs. Over the course of more than 12 centuries thereafter, Tunisia was ruled by a succession of Muslim dynasties.
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