Tunisia
Republic of Tunisia Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah Northern Africa AREA 63K mi2; 164K km2 ARABLE 18% POP 12M (191/mi2; 74/km2) GOV’T Parliamentary republic CAPITAL Tunis (2.7M metro) GDP/CAPITA $12,600 UNEMPLOYMENT 15% IN POVERTY 17% LIFE EXP 77 years MEDIAN AGE 34 yrs INFANT MORT 11/1K live births (119th) LITERACY 83% INTERNET USERS 74% LANGUAGES Arabic (official, one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce), Tamazight RELIGIONS Muslim (official; Sunni) 99%, other (includes Christian, Jewish, Shi’a Muslim, and Baha'i) <1% HEALTH 6.3% of GDP EDUCATION 7.3% of GDP (17th) MILITARY 2.5% of GDP (45th) PCVs 1967–1996 CURRENT: 0, TTD: >2000 |  Tunisia Northern Tunisia is rich in fertile fields with abundant and varied harvests. The farther south and west you go toward the Sahara Desert, the more the land becomes arid and treeless, punctuated by rocky canyons. In this dry landscape, an oasis is an important gathering spot for locals and tourists alike-it's the place to come for replenishment, refreshment, and relaxation. Tunisia has some 200 cases, and Tamerza is the largest mountain oasis, lying north of Tunisia's important salt- producing lakes. Its waters come from mountain springs that occasionally produce cascades after heavy rains. Vendors here offer camel rides, refreshing tea and delicious dates, a few treasures-and many trinkets from China. Havard Bauer @ 2019 | PCV Kiribati 1990-1992 TEFL Teacher |
Adult Books
By Yaman Manai, tran L. Verngaud
2009
Summary:
Manai’s vibrant English-language debut turns on rising political instability and religious populism in Sidi. Translated by Lara Vergnaud.
Bou, a fictional country that closely resembles Tunisia after the Arab Spring. In the village of Nawa, ascetic beekeeper Sidi wakes to find colonies of his beloved “girls” destroyed by hornets. Meanwhile, the nation’s first “truly” democratic elections are imminent and fundamentalist benefactors hailing from the Party of God have descended upon Nawa to ply the villagers with food and clothes in a bid to win their votes. As increasingly radical fundamentalist Islam infiltrates the once peaceful village, Sidi discovers the Party of God members were behind the death of his bees. Determined to learn how to protect his bees, Sidi leaves them in the care of sympathetic neighbors to visit the capital, where he can find books to help him battle the hornets. Though the parallels are occasionally heavy-handed, such as a bee-ravaging parasite as metaphor for colonial invasion, lyrical prose and layered insights transform what might have been a predictable fable into a vivid meditation on societal discord and harmony. This elegant allegory of globalization’s insidious nature finds rich drama in the tense, turbulent reckoning with questions of modernity versus tradition.
Five Continents Prize of the Francophonie prize, 2009
Kids' Books
By James K. Maki
Publisher: Independently published, 2023.
Format: 40ps; col illus.
ISBN: 979-8-861-08000-2
Age Range: 6-10 yrs.
Summary:
This book contains a diverse selection of the most interesting facts about Tunisia that will provide your child with hours of exploring.
Films
Film:Under the Fig Trees
Genre:Documentary
Director:Erige Sehiri
Release Date:2021
Language: Arabic
Run Time: 92 minutes
Synopsis:
Distinguished by a naturalistic approach that's enriched by strong work from an ensemble heavy with first-time actors, Under the Fig Trees explores a world of ideas in the span of a single day. Among the trees, young women and men working the summer harvest develop new feelings, flirt, try to understand each other, and find—and flee—deeper connections.
"The languid, relaxed body language, the clipped cadences of shared stories, and the affection with which the women speak to each other even during moments of tension all bolster the film’s realism and its sense of soul."—Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter
"Sehiri has already proved herself as a documentarian with the award-winning Railway Men, and she brings that same sense of naturalism to her debut fiction feature."
—Amber Wilkinson of Screen Daily
