Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

Factories in the city make food products,

cloth, clothing, and electronics. Many

people in Tunis work in banking, tourism,

or other service industries.

People called the Libyans founded

Tunis in ancient times. Later, people

called the Phoenicians built the city of

Carthage nearby. Carthage became a

great power. Tunis came under its rule.

The Romans destroyed Tunis during a

war with Carthage in 146 BC. They

later rebuilt Tunis as a city of the

Roman Empire.

Arabs capturedTunis in the AD 600s. The

city later became the capital of aMuslim

empire. In the 1200sTunis was one of

the leading cities in theMuslim world.

Tunis and the rest of Tunisia became part

of theTurkishOttoman Empire in 1574.

France took control ofTunisia in 1881.

In 1956Tunisia became an independent

country withTunis as its capital.

..More to explore

Carthage • Tunisia

The Grand Mosque of Tunis, Tunisia, is

decorated with colorful tiles.

108 Tunis BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

Tunisia

Tunisia is the smallest country in North

Africa. In ancient times Tunisia was the

site of the great city of Carthage. Today

Tunisia’s capital is Tunis.

Geography

Tunisia shares borders with Algeria and

Libya. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the

east and the north. Tunisia is only about

100 miles (160 kilometers) from Sicily,

an island of Italy.

Mountain chains run through northern

Tunisia. The country’s largest river, the

Majardah, flows through the north. The

central part of Tunisia is a large plateau,

or area of flat, raised land. There are

shallow salt lakes farther south. The

southern tip of Tunisia is a part of the

Sahara Desert. The land there is sandy

and rocky.

Northern Tunisia has mild, rainy winters

and hot, dry summers. The south is

warmer and drier.

Plants and Animals

Most of Tunisia’s plants and animals are

in the cooler northern region. The north

has vineyards and forests of cork oak and

evergreen oak. Thorny bushes and

grasses grow farther south. The Sahara

region in the far south has few plants.

Tunisia’s animals include hyenas, wild

boars, jackals, gazelles, and cobras. Scorpions

live throughout the country.

People

Most of Tunisia’s people have a mixture

of Arab and Berber roots. (The Berbers

were the first people in the region.)

Most Tunisians call themselves Arabs.

The main language is Arabic, but many

people also speak French. Almost all the

people are Muslims. More than half of

all Tunisians live in cities and towns.

Most people live near the Mediterranean

coast.

Economy

Tourism and other services are key parts

of Tunisia’s economy. Manufacturing

and mining are also important. The

country’s factories make processed

foods, steel, chemicals, clothing, and

leather goods. Tunisia also produces oil.

Mines provide phosphates and iron.

Tunisia uses the phosphates to make

chemicals and fertilizers.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Tunisia 109

 

Many Tunisians work in agriculture.

Wheat and barley are the main food

crops. Farmers also grow olives, tomatoes,

sugar beets, citrus fruits, and dates.

Sheep, goats, and cattle are the main

livestock.

History

In ancient timesTunisia was a colony of

the Phoenicians, a people from what is

now Lebanon. In the 800s BC the

Phoenicians founded the city of Carthage

near what is nowTunis. By the 400s BC

the city controlled trade in the western

Mediterranean Sea. In the 200s and 100s

BC Carthage fought Rome in a series of

wars. The Romans destroyed Carthage in

146 BC and took over the land.

Muslim Arabs invaded the region in the

AD 600s. Spain and the Ottoman Turks

battled for control of the area in the

1500s. In 1574 the Turks defeated the

Spanish and made Tunisia a part of the

Ottoman Empire. As the Ottomans

weakened in the late 1800s, France,

Great Britain, and Italy tried to control

the region. Tunisia became a territory of

France in 1881. France allowed

Tunisia’s bey, or king, to stay on the

throne, but the French held the real

power.

Tunisia gained independence from

France in 1956. The next year Tunisia

ended its monarchy. The country’s first

president stayed in power until 1987.

Tunisia’s second president held power

into the 21st century.

..More to explore

Carthage • Tunis

Tunisia is home to many ancient buildings, including Islamic buildings called ribats. Ribats

served as both monasteries and fortresses.

Facts About

TUNISIA

Population

(2008 estimate)

10,325,000

Area

63,170 sq mi

(163,610 sq km)

Capital

Tunis

Form of

government

Republic

Major cities

Tunis, Safaqis,

Al-Arianah,

Ettadhamen,

Susah

110 Tunisia BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

Turkey

The Republic of Turkey lies partly in

Asia and partly in Europe. For centuries

Turkey was the heart of two great

empires—the Christian Byzantine

Empire and the Islamic Ottoman

Empire. Modern Turkey’s capital is

Ankara.

Geography

Most of Turkey is on a peninsula in

southwestern Asia. A peninsula is a piece

of land surrounded by water on three

sides. The peninsula is known as Anatolia

or Asia Minor. A small part of Turkey

is in southeastern Europe. Narrow

waterways and the Sea of Marmara separate

the two parts of Turkey.

The Black Sea lies north of Turkey.

Georgia, Armenia, and Iran are to the