Probably everyone had to hear about Tunisia. True, it should not be noted that this country is often mentioned in news and programs. Therefore, not all people will be able to say exactly where it is located. We will try to fill this gap by giving a description of the country of Tunisia and its most important features, ranging from location to local national cuisine. This will surely be interesting to many people.
Geographic location
We begin our plan-description of the country of Tunisia with its location. This country is located in the very north of Africa, right on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The area is significantly inferior to neighboring states, being the smallest in North Africa.
From the east and north it is washed by the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, in the west it borders with Algeria, and in the southeast - with Libya.
If you open a textbook on geography of grade 7, in the description of the country of Tunisia you can read that the capital is called exactly the same as the state itself - Tunisia.
A considerable part of the territory - about one third - is covered by the Atlas Mountains. The rest of the area is predominantly savannahs.
Due to its favorable location, a subtropical Mediterranean climate prevails. Only in the south and southwest, away from the sea, can you observe the tropical desert climate. Therefore, there is no cold. In January, the average temperature ranges from +10 to +21 degrees Celsius - when moving from north to south. July is quite hot - the temperature is from +26 to +33 degrees. However, the heat does not torment the locals too much - the refreshing breeze from the sea makes it easy to survive even the hottest summer days.
The amount of precipitation varies greatly - in the south no more than 100 mm falls during the whole year, and in some regions there is no rainfall for many years. But in the mountainous regions there is quite a lot of precipitation - up to 1,500 mm.
Country history
In compiling a brief description of the country of Tunisia, one cannot at least briefly mention its history.
The first evidence of the presence of people here dates back to about 200 millennium BC. Primeval sites discovered at Cape Bon.
From 1100 to 600 BC, the Phoenicians founded quite a few cities here - Bizerte, Utica, Sousse and, of course, Carthage. It was the latter that became the main center of trade and attacks on the Roman Empire. The Punic Wars was destroyed. Today on this site is the city of Carthage, which houses the Museum of the History of Carthage.
After the fall of Carthage, these places became the Roman province of Africa. For more than 750 years, the area has become a center of agriculture in North Africa - prosperous, rich land has attracted many farmers, as well as traders.
Subsequently, these territories changed hands many times. Arabs controlled them, then the Ottomans, and only in the early 1960s did the state become democratic.
Economy
First of all, it is worth noting that the official currency of Tunisia is the Tunisian dinar - a fairly valuable monetary unit. To date, its exchange rate to the Russian ruble is 1:21.
For a long time, the basis of the economy was oil trading. However, gradually the sale of energy carriers began to fade into the background, and today even makes up only a small share in the country's budget.
Agriculture confidently took the first place. Preferring to preserve valuable and irreplaceable energy, the authorities began to sponsor farmers. Today, Tunisia is in fourth place for the export of olives and olive oil.
In second place is tourism, followed by the textile industry.
The minimum wage is set by the state - 270 dinars (or 130 US dollars). Little, but thanks to the mild climate and low prices, such earnings allow workers to classify themselves as the middle class.
Population
According to the census conducted in 2014, the population of Tunisia was almost 11 million people. Mostly they are Muslims (about 98 percent of the population), but a small number of Europeans are also found. And on the island of Djerba, also a territory of Tunisia, a large colony of Jews lives. There are even about 3 thousand Russians - mostly descendants of the first wave of White Emigration, forced to flee the country after the October Revolution.
Despite the fact that the majority of the population is Muslim, the average fertility rate is relatively low - only 1.7 children per woman. That is, the population of Tunisia is gradually decreasing, not increasing. The indicator is the lowest among all the Arab countries of the world.
Tunisia Tourism
As noted above, tourism is one of the main income items in this country. No wonder - the mild climate, low prices and the proximity of the sea make it a great place to spend a vacation. So it will be useful to give a description of the country of Tunisia for tourists.
Of course, there are pretty clean beaches and gorgeous bays of the Mediterranean Sea. True, hotels cannot boast of modern buildings and well-groomed territories. But still, every year hundreds of thousands of tourists (mainly women) come here.
Such a bias towards the beautiful half of humanity is not accidental. They are attracted to thalassotherapy. The range of services is quite extensive. Here you can order seaweed wrap, pressotherapy, jet massage, water aerobics, stone therapy, hammam and many other procedures. And it has a great result. A whole week of staying here with three to four daily procedures is enough to get rid of rheumatism, arthritis, arthrosis, improve skin condition and blood circulation.
Nevertheless, experienced guides recommend that women do not leave the hotel alone. However, for well-dressed men this rule is also very relevant - crime in the country is quite high and they can kill a tourist because of a wallet and a smartphone.
National cuisine
Most of the national dishes of Tunisia, in fact, are taken from European peoples, but flavored with a large number of spices. Serving is given quite a bit of attention, but the portions are very decent - one serving of salad, soup and hot is enough to eat tightly together.
It's nice that you can get very tasty both in an expensive restaurant and in a simple eatery. The risk of poisoning or simply acquiring stale food is extremely low. The fact is that the products here are very cheap. Therefore, most holders of cafes and restaurants prefer to throw away stale ingredients than scare away the low-quality cuisine of potential regular customers.
Conclusion
With this, our article about the amazing country of Tunisia comes to an end. It will be interesting to visit different people - lovers of good service, history or unusual cuisine. So, you definitely will not have to regret such a trip.