Weather
Temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south.
Terrain
Mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the Sahara.
Currency
Tunisian Dinar (TND)
Languages
Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce)
Religion
Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1%
Ethnic groups
Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1%
History
Following independence from France in 1956, President Habib BOURGUIBA established a strict one-party state. He dominated the country for 31 years, repressing Islamic fundamentalism and establishing rights for women unmatched by any other Arab nation. In recent years, Tunisia has taken a moderate, non-aligned stance in its foreign relations. Domestically, it has sought to defuse rising pressure for a more open political society.
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