TUNISIA in Perspective TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: GEOGRAPHY......................................................................................................... 1 Introduction............................................................................................................................ 1 Geographic Divisions and Topographic Features .............................................................. 2 Mountainous North ........................................................................................................... 2 High Central Plains .......................................................................................................... 2 Low Central Plains ........................................................................................................... 2 Desert South ..................................................................................................................... 2 Climate .................................................................................................................................... 3 Bodies of Water ...................................................................................................................... 4 Wadi Medjerda ................................................................................................................. 4 Ground Aquifers ............................................................................................................... 4 Major Cities ............................................................................................................................ 4 Tunis ................................................................................................................................. 5 Sfax ................................................................................................................................... 6 Sousse ............................................................................................................................... 7 Kairouan ........................................................................................................................... 8 Bizerte ............................................................................................................................... 9 Environmental Concerns ...................................................................................................... 9 Natural Hazards ................................................................................................................... 10 Chapter 1 Assessment .......................................................................................................... 11 CHAPTER 2: HISTORY ........................................................................................................... 12 Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 12 Prehistory (Early Stone Age to 1100 B.C.E.) .................................................................... 12 Phoenician Period (1100 B.C.E.–146 B.C.E) ..................................................................... 13 Roman Era (146 B.C.E.–439 C.E.) ..................................................................................... 14 Islamic Rule .......................................................................................................................... 15 Umayyad and Abbasid Dynasties ................................................................................... 15 Successor Dynasties ....................................................................................................... 16 Ottoman Rule ....................................................................................................................... 17 French Protectorate (1881–1956) ....................................................................................... 18 French Colonization ....................................................................................................... 18 Nationalist Resistance .................................................................................................... 18 Toward Independence .................................................................................................... 18 President Bourguiba (1957–1987) ...................................................................................... 19 President Ben Ali (1987–2010) ............................................................................................ 20 Revolution and Recent Events ............................................................................................ 21 Chapter 2 Assessment .......................................................................................................... 23 © DLIFLC | i TUNISIA in Perspective CHAPTER 3: ECONOMY ........................................................................................................ 24 Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 24 Agriculture ........................................................................................................................... 24 Industry ................................................................................................................................ 25 Energy ................................................................................................................................... 26 Natural Resources ................................................................................................................ 27 Trade ..................................................................................................................................... 28 Transportation ..................................................................................................................... 29 Tourism ................................................................................................................................. 29 Banking and Finance ........................................................................................................... 30 Investment ....................................................................................................................... 32 Standard of Living ............................................................................................................... 32 Employment ......................................................................................................................... 33 Public and Private Sectors .................................................................................................. 35 Outlook ................................................................................................................................. 36 Chapter 3 Assessment .......................................................................................................... 37 CHAPTER 4: SOCIETY ............................................................................................................ 38 Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 38 Ethnic Groups and Languages ........................................................................................... 38 Religion ................................................................................................................................. 40 Gender Issues ....................................................................................................................... 41 Cuisine .................................................................................................................................. 42 Traditional Dress ................................................................................................................. 42 Arts ........................................................................................................................................ 43 Sports and Recreation ......................................................................................................... 44 Chapter 4 Assessment .......................................................................................................... 45 CHAPTER 5: SECURITY ......................................................................................................... 46 Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 46 U.S.-Tunisia Relations ......................................................................................................... 47 Tunisian Relations with Neighboring Countries .............................................................. 48 Algeria ............................................................................................................................ 48 Libya ............................................................................................................................... 49 European Union (EU) .................................................................................................... 50 Military and Defense Forces ............................................................................................... 51 Police and Internal Security Forces ................................................................................... 52 Issues Affecting Stability ....................................................................................................