Encyclopedia
Tunisia , officially the
Tunisian Republic , is a country situated on the
Mediterranean coast of
North Africa. It is the northernmost African country and the smallest of the nations situated along the
Atlas mountain range, bordering
Algeria, to the west, and
Libya to the south east. Around forty percent of the country is composed of the
Sahara desert, with much of the remainder consisting of particularly fertile soil, and a 1300-km coastline. Both played a prominent role ancient times, first with the famous
Phoenician city of
Carthage, and later, as the
Africa Province, which became known as the bread basket of the
Roman Empire.
It is thought that the name
Tunis originated from
Berber, meaning either a
geographical promontory, or, "to spend the night."
History
At the beginning of recorded history, Tunisia was inhabited by
Berber tribes. Its coast was settled by Phoenicians starting as early as the 10th century BC. In the 6th century BC,
Carthage rose to power and eventually became the dominant power in the
Mediterranean after a series of wars with Greece.
Carthage was founded in the 8th Century B.C. by settlers from
Tyre, now in modern day
Lebanon, and the settlers of Carthage brought their culture and religion from the Phoenician and
Canaanite legacy. Legend says that the Queen
Dido founded the city, and this is retold in the Roman Epic
Aeneid.
The people of Carthage worshiped a pantheon of Middle Eastern Gods including
Baal and
Tanit. Tanit's symbol, a simple female figure in long dress and extended arms, is a popular icon on ancient sites. The founders of Carthage also established a Tophet which was altered in Roman times.
Though the Romans referred to the new empire growing in the city of
Carthage as Punic or Phoenician the empire built around
Carthage was a distinct independent political entity from the other Phoenician settlements in the Western Mediterranean.
During a series of wars with Rome, a Carthaginian invasion of Italy led by
Hannibal during the
Second Punic War nearly crippled the rise of the
Roman Empire.
Carthage was eventually conquered by Rome in the 2nd century BC, a turning point which meant that the civilization of the ancient
Mediterranean would become influenced mainly by European instead of African cultures. After the Roman conquest, the region became one of the granaries of Rome. It was conquered by the
Vandals in the 5th century AD and was retaken by
Byzantines in the
6th century, during the rule of
Justinian by his commander
Belisarius.
In the
7th century it was conquered by Arab
Muslims, who founded
Al Qayrawan. Successive Muslim dynasties ruled, interrupted by Berber rebellions. The reigns of the
Aghlabids and of the Zirids , Berber followers of the Fatimids, were especially prosperous. When the Zirids angered the Fatimids in
Cairo , the latter sent in the Banu Hilal to ravage Tunisia. The coasts were held briefly by the
Normans of
Sicily in the
12th century. In 1159, Tunisia was conquered by the
Almohad caliphs. They were succeeded by the Berber
Hafsids , under whom Tunisia prospered. In the last years of the Hafsids,
Spain seized many of the coastal cities, but these were recovered for
Islam by the
Ottoman Empire. Under its
Turkish governors, the Beys, Tunisia attained virtual independence. The Hussein dynasty of Beys, established in 1705, lasted until 1957. In the late
16th Century the coast became a
pirate stronghold .
French Imperialism
In the mid-1800's, Tunisia's government under the rule of the Bey severely compromised its legitimacy by making several controversial financial decisions that led to its downfall. France had been planning to take control of Tunisia when the Bey first borrowed large sums of money in an attempt to
Westernise. This failing state facilitated the Algerian raids that occurred thereafter. The weakened Bey was powerless against these raids and unable to resist European colonization.
In 1878, a secret deal was made between the
United Kingdom and France that decided the fate of the
African country. Provided that the French accepted British control of
Cyprus, recently given to the United Kingdom, the British would in turn accepted French control of Tunisia. This satisfied the French and led to their assumption of control in 1880. Tunisia was formally made a
French protectorate on May 12, 1881.
Tunisia gained independence from France in 1956. The Bey reclaimed power, but was soon deposed by French-educated
Habib Bourguiba in 1957. He was quickly selected to be the Republic's first president and served through 1987.
World War II
Tunisia was the scene of the first major joint operations between the United States and British allies in
World War II during 1942–1943. The main body of the British army, advancing from their victory in Battle of
el-Alamein under the command of British Field Marshal Montgomery, pushed in to Tunisia from the south whereas the US and other allies, following their invasions of Algeria and Morocco in
Operation Torch, came from the west. With Germany engaged in the battle of
Stalingrad, it is easy to dismiss the battle for Tunisia as a minor event, but in fact it had significance for the rest of the war.
General
Erwin Rommel, commander of
Axis forces in North Africa, had hoped to inflict a similar defeat on the allies in Tunisia as the German forces had in the
Battle of France in 1940. Until the battle for Tunisia, the inexperienced allied forces had generally been unable to withstand quick German
blitzkriegs or properly coordinate their operations, therefore the battle for Tunisia was a major test of the allies. If they were going to defeat Germany they were going to have to fight together, and stand up to the inevitable setbacks that the excellent German forces would inflict.
On February 19, 1943, General Rommel launched an attack on the American forces in the
Kasserine Pass region of Western Tunisia, hoping to inflict the kind of alliance and morale shattering defeat the Germans had won in Poland and France. The initial results were a disaster for the United States; to this day the area around the Kasserine Pass is the site of many US
war graves from that time.
However, the American forces were ultimately able to stop their retreat, having learned a critical lesson in
tank warfare. On March 20, 1943, the Allies broke through the German Mareth line and subsequently linked up on April 8, 1943. Thus, the alliance of the United States, the United Kingdom, the Free French, and Polish as well as other forces were able to win a major battle as an allied army.
The battle, though often overshadowed by Stalingrad, represented a major allied victory of
World War II largely because it forged the Alliance which would one day liberate Western Europe.
Politics
Tunisia is a
republic with a strong
presidential system dominated by a single political party. President
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has been in office since 1987 when he deposed
Habib Bourguiba, who had been President since Tunisia's independence from France in 1956. The constitution has been changed twice to allow him to remain in power: initially from two to three terms, and then from three to five. The ruling party, the Democratic Constitutional Rally , was the sole legal party for 25 years — when it was known as the Socialist Destourian Party — and still dominates political life.
The President is elected to 5-year terms — with virtually no opposition — and appoints a Prime Minister and cabinet, who play a strong role in the execution of policy. Regional governors and local administrators also are appointed by the central government; largely consultative mayors and municipal councils are elected. There is a unicameral legislative body, the Chamber of Deputies, which has 182 seats, 20% of which are reserved for the opposition parties. It plays a growing role as an arena for debate on national policy but never originates legislation, and virtually always passes bills presented by the executive with only one minor change. The judiciary is nominally independent but responds to executive direction especially in political cases. The military is professional and does not play a role in politics. There are currently six legal opposition parties having their own Journals.
Tunisia is noteworthy for its lack of public political discourse. Tunisia's precise political situations is hard to determine due to the effective level of silence the government has placed and the entire lack of all transparency. There is strong evidence that dissidents are routinely arrested, for crimes as minor as looking at banned web sites. The growth of the Internet has been a major issue for Tunisia, with European tourists and ISP so close by. Tunisia allows only censored Internet access in its own country. This censorship bars all materials deemed pornographic, and any chat group references critical of the government. It seems unlikely that the oppression brought to bear is restricted only to the Internet. Tunisia has free press and Tunisians are almost never willing to speak about politics. Most likely the Internet has only made public the pervasive structure of state control which has managed to shroud itself in a western friendly face, welcoming masses of tourists who can even enjoy pardise beaches.
Tunisia is also one of the few Muslim countries , where
hijabs are prohibited in government buildings.
As for the underground opposition from Islamic Fundamentalists, these groups have an obvious but not clear existence in the nation. Under former Habib Bourguiba Islamic Fundamentalists were allowed to serve as a counter to more left wing movements. In 1987, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali took power in a bloodless coup. Ben Ali has followed an aggressive policy regarding the Fundamentalists but the extent of any government success if difficult to judge in a nation where so much is secret. While Tunisia has a repressive political system, standards of living are among the best in the developing world. Tunisia remains an autocratic regime, but one free of many of the evils of starvation, homelessness, and disease seen in much of Africa and Asia.
See Also:
- Foreign relations of Tunisia
Administrative Divisions
Tunisia is subdivided into 24 governorates.
Geography
Tunisia is in northern
Africa, between the
Mediterranean Sea and the
Sahara Desert and bordered by
Algeria in the west and
Libya in the south-east. Much of the land is semi-arid and
desert. There are mountains in the north. The climate is temperate in the north, with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. The desert is in the south.
See also:
...
Economy
Tunisia has a diverse economy, with important agricultural, mining, energy, tourism, and manufacturing sectors. Governmental control of economic affairs whilst still heavy has gradually lessened over the past decade with increasing privatization, simplification of the tax structure, and a prudent approach to debt. Real growth averaged 5.0% in the 1990s, and inflation is slowing. Increased trade and tourism have been key elements in this steady economic growth. Tunisia's association agreement with the
European Union entered into force on March 1 1998, the first such accord between the EU and Mediterranean countries to be activated. Under the agreement Tunisia will gradually remove barriers to trade with the EU over the next decade. Broader privatization, further liberalization of the investment code to increase foreign investment, and improvements in government efficiency are among the challenges for the future. In 2008, Tunisia will be a completely associated member of the EU .
Culture
See also:
- Islam in Tunisia
- Music of Tunisia
- Tunisian Arabic
Demographics
While the vast majority of modern Tunisians identify themselves as Arabs, they are mainly the descendants of indigenous
Berbers: less than 20% of their genetic material comes from the Middle East . Numerous civilizations have invaded, migrated to, and been assimilated into the population over the millennia. Significant influxes of population have come through conquest by the
Phoenicians, the
Romans, the
Vandals coming from Germany, the Arabs, the
Ottomans, and the
French. Many
Spanish Moors and
Jews also arrived at the end of the 15th century.
Nearly all Tunisians are Muslim. There has been a Jewish population on the southern island of Djerba for 2500 years, and though
considerably diminished, there remains a small Jewish population in
Tunis which is descended from those who fled Spain in the late 15th century. There is a small indigenous Christian population. http://france-echos.com/actualite.php?cle=6174. Small
nomadic indigenous minorities have been mostly assimilated into the larger population.
Education
Main article: List of universities in TunisiaColleges and universities in Tunisia include:
- International University of Tunis
- Universite Libre de Tunis
- University of Aviation and Technology, Tunisia
Interesting Notes
Miscellaneous topics
References
External links
Government
- official site
- official site
News
- news headline links
- government-sourced
- business news
Overviews
- [https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ts.html CIA World Factbook - Tunisia]
- directory category
Tourism
Other
