Tunisia Overview

Tunisia is a country situated in North Africa and while relatively small, it is a place that’s filled with places of interest and significance with everything from sandy Mediterranean beaches to historic remains and breathtaking Saharan landscapes. The country has a well established tourist infrastructure which includes fine holiday resorts with hotels, shops, restaurants and entertainment venues geared towards its visiting population.

Tunisia experiences a typically Mediterranean climate which sees year round sunshine and warm weather. Temperatures in every season vary from the northern to the southern part of the country but generally speaking, summers are hot and dry and winters are mild if not warm. Precipitation is scarce in the summer months and more common in winter.

For the purpose of visiting Tunisia, the spring and autumn seasons are perhaps the best times as summers are generally too hot for most people with temperatures reaching 35°C in the north and a blistering 45°C in the south. The months from late March to early June and late September to November are much more bearable with temperatures rarely exceeding 30°C and generally peaking at 28°C. Winter can also be a good time to take a Tunisian holiday, especially if you are seeking refuge from a country with cold weather during this season. Winters in the south can see temperatures reach a very pleasant 20°C during the five to six hours of sunshine per day.

According to the earliest historical documentation, Tunisia was initially inhabited by Berber tribes. The first settlers however were the Phoenicians who arrived and made the country their home around the 10th century BC with the establishment of the city of Carthage in 814 BC. The Punic Wars with Rome followed between the years 218-202 BC, the second of which saw Hannibal lead an invasion of Italy which very nearly had disastrous effects on the Roman Empire. The Romans recovered however and conquered Carthage, an event that ensured that Tunisia would be subject to more European influences than African ones.

In the 7th century, the country was invaded and conquered by the Arabs. The seizing of Carthage followed in 698. A period of several Muslim dynasties ensued with the reign of the Aghlabids in the 9th century and of the Zirids in the 10th. In the 12th century however, the coastal areas of the country fell to the Normans of Sicily while in 1159, the Almohad caliphs took control of the entire country closely followed by the Berber Hafsids who ushered in a period of prosperity for the country.

The 17th century saw Tunisia become a part of the Ottoman Empire but still maintain a semi-autonomous state. The Empire helped the country recover a series of islands that were stolen by Spain towards the end of the Hafsid’s era. In the following century, the French invaded the country and established domination for a period that was to last 75 years. The country’s fate was decided in 1878 in a deal between France and the UK that saw the French accept British control of Cyprus in return for their own control of Tunisia remaining unchallenged. Tunisia was subsequently made a French protectorate in May 1881. French held on to their power until 1956 when Tunisia declared independence.

Following the declaration, the path to complete independence continued and 1957 saw the abolishment of the monarchy and the establishment of Tunisia as a republic. In 1961, the country told France to remove its troops from their base in Bizerte. This event that saw fighting break out and the troops finally leave two years later after long and arduous talks. In 1981, the country held its first multi-party parliamentary elections since declaring independence and the party led by President Bourguiba won in a landslide victory. Bourguiba remained in power until 1987 when Prime Minister Zine El Abidine Ben Ali had him declared mentally unfit to rule the country and relieved him of his power by taking control himself.