Area Total | 163,610 sq km |
Climate | temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south |
Natural Resources | petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt |
Imports | Italy 15.8%, France 15.1%, China 9.2%, Germany 8.1%, Turkey 4.8%, Algeria 4.7%, Spain 4.5% (2017) – textiles, machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, foodstuffs |
Exports | France 32.1%, Italy 17.3%, Germany 12.4% (2017) – clothing, semi-finished goods and textiles, agricultural products, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, hydrocarbons, electrical equipment |
Government | parliamentary republic |
Capital | Tunis |
Population | 11,516,189 (July 2018 est.) |
Ethnicity | Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1% |
Language | Arabic (official, one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce), Berber (Tamazight) |
News about Tunisia
- Is it safe to travel to Tunisia? Your rights amid ongoing conflict in Middle Eastby Natalie Wilson on June 30, 2025
The latest advice on travel to Tunisia following the Israel-Iran ceasefire
- Egypt detains pro-Palestinian activists ahead of Gaza solidarity marchby RFI on June 13, 2025
Egyptian authorities have detained more than 200 pro-Palestinian activists who arrived in Cairo by plane as part of a solidarity march to Gaza to push for increased humanitarian aid access to the enclave. A convoy that left Tunisia for Gaza is currently blocked in Libya.
- Tunisian man's killing in France investigated as racist hate crimeby RFI on June 3, 2025
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau is meeting Tuesday with the Tunisian ambassador to France following the murder of a Tunisian man by one of his neighbours at the weekend that is being investigated by anti-terrorism police as a hate crime.
- Postcard from Cannes #2: A tender tale of women surviving migration in Tunisby Ollia Horton on May 17, 2025
One of several films from the African continent shown at the Cannes Film Festival, Erige Sehiri’s Promised Sky (Promis le ciel) in the Un Certain Regard category, is a powerful and rare portrait of three migrant women struggling to make ends meet in Tunisia.
- Driven from camp to camp, Tunisia’s migrants still dream of Europeby RFI on April 27, 2025
In eastern Tunisia, near the coastal city of Sfax, hundreds of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa have been forced to move to nearby olive groves after authorities dismantled their camps earlier this month.
- Tunisian government opponents handed jail terms ranging between 13 and 66 yearsby RFI on April 19, 2025
A Tunisian court handed jail terms ranging from 13 to 66 years to 40 opposition leaders, businessmen and lawyers on charges of conspiring against state security, Tunisia's state news agency TAP reported on Saturday.
- Human Rights Watch slams Tunisia’s 'repressive' use of arbitrary detentionby Melissa Chemam with RFI on April 16, 2025
The non-governmental organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) has just released a new report on Tunisia, denouncing the government's use of arbitrary detention as “a cornerstone of its repressive policy” and claiming it is designed to strip individuals of their civil and political rights.
- Tunisia opposition figures go on trial on state security chargesby RFI on March 4, 2025
The trial of several prominent Tunisian opposition figures accused of national security offences opened on Tuesday, with rights groups denouncing the case as politically motivated.
- Tunisia reclaims lost voices of WWI riflemen from German archivesby RFI on February 1, 2025
Germany has returned hundreds of sound recordings of North African soldiers who were held as prisoners during World War I, helping to fill a major gap in Tunisia’s war archives.
- Deadly New Year for migrants as Tunisian shipwreck claims 27 livesby RFI on January 2, 2025
Twenty-seven migrants, including women and children, died after two boats capsized off central Tunisia, with 83 people rescued, a civil defence official told AFP on Thursday.
- Mobile cinema brings big screen magic to Tunisia's remote communitiesby RFI on December 29, 2024
Like many of his fellow Tunisians, 23-year-old Amine Elhani has never been to the cinema, but now, thanks to a mobile theatre touring the country, he can finally enjoy the big screen.
- Tunisia women herb harvesters struggle with drought and heatby RFI on December 28, 2024
On a hillside in Tunisia's northwestern highlands, women scour a sun-scorched field for the wild herbs they rely on for their livelihoods, but droughts and rising temperatures are making it ever harder to find the precious plants.
- How the Tunisian sun is turning red algae into food industry goldby RFI on December 7, 2024
In the sheltered waters of northwest Tunisia's Bizerte lagoon, red algae is being transformed into valuable food additives using nothing but sunlight – a natural process that is creating jobs and reviving marine life in the process.
- University demands release of French student arrested in Tunisiaby Melissa Chemam with RFI on October 31, 2024
French PhD student Victor Dupont has been detained in Tunisia on breach of state security charges for at least 12 days, it was announced this week. His university has denounced the arrest as an attack on fundamental liberties.
- Tunisian farmer revives parched village with EU fundingby RFI on October 13, 2024
Parched crops on one side and lush green plants on the other, a small farming project in northwest Tunisia demonstrates how foreign funding coupled with dogged local efforts can help tackle the impact of climate change.
- Supporters of Tunisia's Saied celebrate his landslide election winby RFI on October 7, 2024
Supporters of incumbent Tunisian President Kais Saied celebrated in the capital on Sunday night after an exit poll broadcast on state television showed him winning the election by a landslide, ahead of his two rivals, one of whom is now in prison.
- Tunisia votes in presidential polls marked by economic and political woesby Melissa Chemam with RFI on October 6, 2024
Tunisians are headed to the polls on Sunday for presidential elections widely expected to be dominated by incumbent leader Kais Saied, who's seeking a new term amid a struggling economy and political tensions.
- 'This country has let us down': young Tunisians seek future abroadby RFI on October 5, 2024
About a third of the nearly 10 million Tunisians set to vote in a presidential election this weekend are under 35, according to official figures. Yet the poll appears to have created a mood of resignation among young people, most of whom would rather leave the country, according to a recent study.
- Fear and resignation ahead of Tunisia's 'lopsided' presidential pollsby Melissa Chemam with RFI on October 4, 2024
Nearly 10 million Tunisians are gearing up to vote on Sunday in presidential elections dominated by incumbent leader Kais Saied, whose rule has been marked by accusations of authoritarianism.
- Tunisia lawmakers strip court of electoral power days before presidential voteby RFI on September 28, 2024
Tunisia's parliament has approved a law stripping its top court of its authority to rule on electoral disputes, nine days before the presidential election. Opposition groups fear the move is aimed at ensuring President Kais Saied remains in power.