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
- Holidaymakers on smaller budgets turning to Tunisia and Egypt, says Tuiby Joanna Partridge on December 11, 2024
Bulgaria also among more affordable choices as vacations remain a priority Business live – latest updatesCash-strapped consumers are still prioritising spending on holidays but are choosing more affordable destinations including Egypt, Bulgaria and Tunisia for their annual break, according to Europe’s biggest package trip operator.Tui said new customers […]
- 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.
- Migrant rights advocate held in Tunisia under anti-terrorist investigationby Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo and agencies on November 18, 2024
Rights group says Abdallah Said’s case is a troubling first for the country amid president’s increasing crackdownTunisian anti-terrorist investigators are handling the case of a leading advocate for migrants who has been taken into custody, in what the head of a rights group said was a troubling first for the country.Abdallah Said, a Tunisian of Chadian […]
- ‘We checked on a mother and asked what she was feeding her new baby. She said just hot water’by Ismita* on November 1, 2024
As a nurse I helped to build a small clinic in a Tunisian refugee camp where we treat machete wounds and disease day and night. But we cannot treat malnutrition without foodI am 26 and from Sierra Leone, where I used to work in hospitals as a state-registered nurse. My friends heard that the British NHS needed doctors and nurses so they applied for jobs, […]
- 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.
- EU refuses to publish findings of Tunisia human rights inquiryby Mark Townsend on October 23, 2024
Inquiry preceded controversial migration deal linked to claims of abuse in increasingly authoritarian countryThe European Commission is refusing to publish the findings of a human rights inquiry into Tunisia it conducted shortly before announcing a controversial migration deal with the increasingly authoritarian north African country.An investigation by the […]
- Breakdown in global order causing progress to stall in Africa – reportby Kaamil Ahmed on October 22, 2024
‘Moral threshold coming down,’ warns Mo Ibrahim, as his index of governance reveals widespread decline in 10 yearsThe global rise of populism and “strongmen” has led to an increase in authoritarianism in Africa that is holding back progress in governance, the businessman and philanthropist Mo Ibrahim has said.According to the latest edition of the […]
- 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.
- EU unable to retrieve €150m paid to Tunisia despite links to rights violationsby Mark Townsend on October 11, 2024
Concerns are growing that funds from the migration deal are connected to abuses by the repressive regime in TunisThe EU will be unable to claw back any of the €150m (£125m) paid to Tunisia despite the money being increasingly linked to human rights violations, including allegations that sums went to security forces who raped migrant women.The European […]
- Tunisia’s president wins landslide second term after cracking down on opponentsby Eromo Egbejule on October 7, 2024
Kais Saied secured 90.7% of the vote in election on a turnout of just 27.7%, after detaining rival Ayachi ZammelTunisia’s president, Kais Saied, has secured a second five-year term with a landslide victory, although the election had one of the lowest turnouts in the north African country’s history.The Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) […]
- 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.
- Democracy campaigners criticise President Saied as polls close in Tunisiaby Angelique Chrisafis and agencies on October 6, 2024
Leader of north African country expected to win second term after jailing opponents and changing constitutionPolls have closed in Tunisia’s presidential election as the president, Kais Saied, seeks a second term, while his most prominent critics are in prison and after his main rival was jailed suddenly last month.Observers see the election, which Saied […]
- 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.
- Arab spring dreams in ruins as Tunisia goes to polls against backdrop of repressionby Eromo Egbejule West Africa correspondent and agencies on October 5, 2024
Critics of incumbent Kais Saied say he has increasingly bent the country’s institutions to his willTunisia will hold a presidential election on Sunday against the backdrop of a crackdown on dissent and human rights violations committed against undocumented migrants seeking to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.The incumbent, Kais Saied, whose most […]
- '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.
- Tunisians resume protests against president ahead of October electionby RFI on September 23, 2024
Hundreds of Tunisians protested on Sunday against President Kais Saied, accusing him of deepening authoritarian rule and stifling political competition two weeks before a presidential election.
- Labour once sought an ethical foreign policy. That should be the guiding star in tackling the refugee crisisby Enver Solomon on September 21, 2024
Stemming migration does not have to involve pacts with repressive regimes. Keir Starmer should look to human rights and creating ‘a community of inclusion’The testimonies are not just of human tragedy but of total disregard for human life. Moussa, a migrant from Guinea, explains: “There was a pregnant woman and they beat her until blood started coming […]
- Europe has questions to answer over migrant abuse in Tunisia, say MEPs and activistsby Guardian reporters on September 20, 2024
EU Commission says it will be sending independent observers to the country to investigate allegations of human rights violationsThe European Commission can no longer ignore mounting evidence of the gross human rights violations against migrants and refugees in Tunisia, say MEPs and activists.The EU has given millions of pounds to Tunisia to reduce migration […]