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Western Sahara
Tunisia (Arabic:
تونس Tūnis), officially the
Tunisian Republic (الجمهورية
التونسية al-Jumhūriyya at-Tūnisiyya), is a country located in
North
Africa. It is bordered by
Algeria to
the west and Libya
to the southeast. It is also located southwest of the island of
Sicily and
south of
Sardinia. Its size is almost 165,000 km˛ with an estimated population of
just over 10,300,000. Its name is derived from the capital
Tunis.
It is the northernmost country on the African continent, and the smallest of
the nations situated along the
Atlas mountain range. 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 in ancient times,
first with the famous
Phoenician
city of
Carthage, then as the
Africa Province which became known as the bread basket of the
Roman
Empire, and then as the
Maghreb
region of various medieval
Islamic states. Tunisia ranks high among Arab and African nations in reports
released by The World Economic Forum.
Etymology
The word Tunisia is derived from
Tunis; a city
and capital of modern-day Tunisia. The present form of the name, with its
Latinate suffix -ia, evolved from French Tunisie.[5]
This name was introduced by French geographers and historians as part of their
efforts to give names to their new occupied territories and protectorates. The
French derivative Tunisie was adopted in some European languages with
slight modifications introducing a distinctive name to designate the country.
Other languages remained untouched such as the
Spanish Túnez. In this case, the same name is used for both country
and city as in
Arabic and only by context, one can tell the difference.[5]
The name Tunis can be attributed to different origins. It can be
associated with the Phoenician goddess
Tanith (aka Tunit),
ancient city of Tynes or to the Berber root ens which means "to
lie down".
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 B.C. The city of
Carthage
was founded in the 9th century B.C. by settlers from
Tyre, now in modern day
Lebanon.
Legend says, that
Dido founded the city in 814 B.C., as retold in by the Greek writer Timaeus
of Tauromenium. The settlers of Carthage brought their culture and religion from
the Phoenicians and other
Canaanites.
After a series of wars with Greek city-states of Sicily in the 5th century
BC, Carthage rose to power and eventually became the dominant civilization in
the Western
Mediterranean. The people of Carthage worshipped a pantheon of Middle
Eastern gods including
Baal and Tanit.
Tanit's symbol, a simple female figure with extended arms and long dress, is a
popular icon found in 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 an independent political
entity from the other Phoenician settlements in the Western Mediterranean.
A Carthaginian invasion of Italy led by
Hannibal
during the
Second Punic War, one of a series of wars with Rome, nearly crippled the
rise of the
Roman
Empire. Carthage was eventually conquered by Rome in the 2nd century BC, a
turning point which led to ancient Mediterranean civilization having been
influenced mainly by European instead of African cultures.
After the Roman conquest, the region became one of the granaries of Rome, and
was Latinized and Christianized. The Romans controlled nearly all of modern
Tunisia, unlike other modern African countries, of which Rome only held the
northern coast. It was conquered by the
Vandals in
the 5th century AD and reconquered by the commander
Belisarius
in the 6th century during the rule of
Byzantine emperor
Justinian.
Around the beginning of the 8th century the region was conquered by
Arab Muslims,
who founded the city of
Kairouan
which became the first city of Islam in North Africa. Tunisia flourished under
Arab rule. Extensive irrigation installations were constructed to supply towns
with water and promote agriculture (especially olive production)[6][7].
This prosperity permitted luxurious court life and was marked by the
construction of new Palace cities such as al-Abassiya (809) and Raqadda (877)[6].
Successive Muslim dynasties ruled Tunisia (Ifriqiya
at the time) with occasional instabilities caused mainly by
Berber rebellions[citation
needed]; of these reigns we can cite the
Aghlabids
(800-900)
and
Fatimids (909-972).
After conquering
Cairo, Fatimids abandoned North Africa to the local
Zirids (Tunisia and parts of Eastern Algeria, 972-1148) and
Hammadid
(Central and eastern Algeria, 1015-1152)[8].
North Africa was submerged by their quarrels; political instability was
connected to the decline of Tunisian trade and agriculture[6][9][10].
In addition the invasion of Tunisia by
Banu Hilal,
a warlike Arab Bedouin tribes encouraged by Fatimids of Egypt to seize North
Africa, sent the region's urban and economic life into further decline[8].
The Arab historian
Ibn
Khaldun wrote that the lands ravaged by Banu Hilal invaders had become
completely arid desert[9][11].
The coasts were held briefly by the
Normans of
Sicily in the
12th century and the following Arab reconquest made the last Christians in
Tunisia disappear. In 1159, Tunisia was conquered by the
Almohad caliphs. They were succeeded by the Berber
Hafsids (c.1230 – 1574), under whom Tunisia prospered. In the late 16th
century the coast became a
pirate stronghold (see:
Barbary States).
In the last years of the Hafsids,
Spain seized many
of the coastal cities, but these were recovered 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. From 1881 - 1956 the country was under
French colonization. European settlements in the country were actively
encouraged; the number of
French colonists grew from 34,000 in 1906 to 144,000 in 1945. In 1910 there
were 105,000
Italians in Tunisia.[12]
World
War II
In 1942 – 1943, Tunisia was the scene of the first major operations by the
Allied Forces (the British Empire and the United States) against the
Axis
Powers (Italy and Germany) during
World
War II. 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 into Tunisia from the south. The US and
other allies, following their invasions of Algeria and Morocco in
Operation Torch, invaded from the west.
General
Rommel,
commander of the
Axis forces in North Africa, had hoped to inflict a similar defeat on the
allies in Tunisia as German forces did in the
Battle of France in 1940. Before the battle for el-Alamein, the allied
forces had been forced to retreat toward Egypt. As such the battle for Tunisia
was a major test for the allies. They figured out that in order to defeat Axis
forces they would have to coordinate their actions and quickly recover from the
inevitable setbacks the German-Italian 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
demoralizing and alliance-shattering defeat the Germans had dealt to Poland and
France. The initial results were a disaster for the United States; 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 reverse their retreat.
Having known a critical strategy in
tank warfare, the Allies broke through the Mareth line on March 20, 1943.
The allies subsequently linked up on April 8 and on May 2, 1943 the
German-Italian Army in Tunisia surrendered. Thus, the United States, United
Kingdom, 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.
Present-day
politics
Tunisia is a
republic
presidential system characterized by bicameral parliamentary system,
including the Chamber of Representatives and the Chamber of Advisors . President
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has been in office since 1987, the year he acceded
to the executive office
Habib Bourguiba after a team of medical experts judged Bourguiba unfit to
exercise the functions of the office. At the time, Tunisia was on the verge of
civil upheaval as "Ennahdha's" (banned Islamic party) supporters were attempting
to seize power. Since his access to power, also known as the Change, president
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali launched a series of reform meant to introduce political
pluralism and boost the economy.
In Tunisia, the President is elected to 5-year terms. He 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
bicameral legislative body, the Chamber of Deputies, which has 182 seats,
20% of which are reserved for the opposition parties and the Chamber of Advisors
which is composed of representatives from political parties, from professional
organizations and by personalities appointed by the president of the Republic.
Both chambers are composed of more than 20% of women, making it one of the rare
countries in the Arab world where women enjoy equal rights. Incidentally, it is
also the only country in the Arab world where polygamy is forbidden by law. This
as part of a provision of the country’s Code of Personal Status which was
introduced by the former President Habib Bourguiba in 1956. The judiciary is
independent. The military is professional and does not play a role in politics.
Since 1987, Tunisia has gradually reformed its political system, it has
abolished life presidency and opened up parliament to opposition parties. There
are currently nine political parties in Tunisia, six of whom are represented in
parliament. The majority party known as the Democratic Constitutional Rally
(RCD) in French, is composed of about 2 million members and more than 6000
representations throughout the country; although the party was renamed (in
Bourguiba’s days it used to be known as the Socialist Destourian Party), its
policies are still considered to be largely secular. Since 2007, all political
parties represented in parliament benefit from state subsidies to cover the
rising cost of paper and to expand their publication. In July 2008, new
constitutional provisions have been voted by the country’s parliament. These
provisions which include lowering the age of voting to 18, as well as easing the
conditions for eligibility for the presidency, also allow for any head of
political party , whether represented in parliament or not to present their
candidacy, to run for president.
The state has also abolished the ‘depot legal’, which required prior
authorization before sending to print, and issued legislation meant to bring
amendments to the press code which provides journalists with greater freedom to
express their ideas. Recently, the election of a syndicate of journalists met
with a positive reaction from journalists. There are currently about 300
publications in Tunisia, most of them are financially and editorially
independent.
Human rights are also the subject of controversy between human rights groups
such as Amnesty International that argue that rights are not respected and
Tunisian authorities that make the point that in recent international fora such
as the United Nations - based New York Human Rights Commission and the Human
Rights Committee in Geneva (2008), where all of the countries of the world go
through a ‘periodic review’, Tunisia ‘s efforts to promote a comprehensive
system of human rights were officially acknowledged.
Tunisia is also one of three Muslim countries (Azerbaijan
and Turkey are
the others) that prohibits the
hijab in
government buildings. By government edict, women that insist on wearing the
hijab cannot enter public buildings. Dissenters are liable to a fine and have to
sign a document to avoid recidivism. Even if the ban against the hijab in public
offices, is not always strictly enforced, the publicity given to certain cases,
has overshadowed the real issues.
Underground opposition from Islamic fundamentalists has an obvious but
shadowy existence in Tunisia.Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, has consistently expressed
his opposition to the presence of religious parties in parliament, and the
Tunisian constitution clearly forbids the inclusion of religious parties in the
political system.[citation
needed] While Tunisia cannot boast the natural resources its
neighbors have, standards of living are among the best in the developing world[13].
This can be evidenced by two compelling economic observations: the level to
which Tunisia has become self-sufficient in material goods, and the extent of
real estate development in the cities and major towns of the country. Put
simply, the mid-level retail outlet will typically offer goods more than 90% of
which are home produced. As to the rise of the building and construction
industry, a fleeting visit to any of Tunisia's smaller towns (let alone the
cities) will confirm that development is rampant: many projects, especially
hotels, are newly opened, and many more stand as skeleton buildings, ready to be
developed as soon as demand - and capital funds - are available to bring them to
completion.
Poverty has significantly been reduced due to a strong social commitment from
the government, and now stands at 3,8%, instead of some 50% in 1956.
Economy
Tunisia has a diverse economy, ranging from agriculture, mining,
manufacturing, petroleum products and tourism. In 2008 it had a GDP of $41
billion (official exchange rates), or $82 billion (purchasing power parity)
[14]. It
also has one of Africa and the Middle East's highest per-capita GDPs (PPP)
[15]. The
agricultural sector stands for 11,6% of the GDP, industry 25,7%, and services
62,8%. The industrial sector is mainly made up of clothing and footwear
manufacturing, production of car parts, and electric machinery. Although Tunisia
managed an average 5% growth over the last decade it continues to suffer from a
high unemployment especially among youth.
Tunisia was ranked the most competitive economy in Africa and the 40th in the
world by the World Economic Forum[16].
Tunisia has managed to attract many international companies such as
Airbus[17]
and
Hewlett-Packard[18].
The
European Union remains Tunisia's first trading partner, currently accounting
for 72.5% of Tunisian imports and 75% of Tunisian exports. Tunisia is a one of
the
European Union’s most established trading partners in the
Mediterranean region and ranks as the EU’s 30th largest trading partner.
Tunisia was the first
Mediterranean country to sign an Association Agreement with the
European Union, in July 1995, although even before the date of entry into
force, Tunisia started dismantling tariffs on bilateral EU trade. Tunisia
finalised the tariffs dismantling for industrial products in 2008 and therefore
was the 1 st Mediterranean country to enter in a free trade area with EU[19].
Tunisia also attracted large Gulf investments (especially from
United Arab Emirates) the largest include:
-
Mediterranean gate: a US$ 25 billion project to build a new city in the
south of Tunis
[20].
-
Tunis Sport City: an entire sports city currently being constructed in
Tunis, Tunisia. The city that will consist of apartment buildings as well as
several sports facilities will be built by the Bukhatir Group at a cost of
$5 Billion[21].
-
Tunis Financial harbour: will deliver
North Africa’s first offshore financial centre at Tunis Bay in a project
with an end development value of US$ 3 billion[22].
-
Tunis Telecom City: A US$ 3 billion project to create an IT hub in
Tunis[23].
Transportation
Religion
The constitution declares
Islam as the
official
state religion and requires the President to be
Muslim. Tunisia
also enjoys a significant degree of religious freedom, a right enshrined and
protected in its constitution which guarantees the freedom to practice one's
religion.[26]
The country has a culture that encourages acceptance of other religions;
religious freedom is widely practiced. However, the government has been accused[citation
needed] of limiting the freedom of Muslims by banning the wearing
the Headscarf (Hijab). The government believes the Hijab is a "garment of
foreign origin having a partisan connotation".[27]
Individual Tunisians are tolerant of religious freedom and generally do not
inquire about a person's personal beliefs.[26]
The majority of Tunisia's population (98%) are
Muslims, while 1% follow
Christianity and the rest (1%) adhere to
Judaism or
other religions.[28]
However, there are no reliable data on the number of practicing Muslims. Some
reports stipulate that atheists form the second largest group in the country
(making it probably on top of any other North African country)[29].
Tunisia has a sizable Christian community of around 25,000 adherents; mainly
Catholics (20,000) and to a lesser degree
Protestants. Judaism is the country's third largest religion with 1,500
members. One-third of the Jewish population lives in and around the capital. The
remainder lives on the island of Djerba, where the Jewish community dates back
2,500 years[26].
Djerba, an
island in the
Gulf
of Gabčs, is home to
El Ghriba synagogue, which is one of the
oldest synagogues in the world. Many Jews consider it a pilgrimage site with
celebrations taking place there once every year.
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