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{{Country
|name =''Al-Jumhūriyyah at-Tūnisiyyah''<br/>الجمهورية التونسية|map =Tunisia rel 90.JPG|flag =Flag of Tunisia.png|arms =Arms of Tunisia.png
|capital =Tunis
|capital-raw =
|government-raw =
|language =Arabic
|king =|queen =
|monarch-raw =
|president =Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
|chancellor =
|chancellor-raw =
|pm =Mohamed Ghannouchi|pm-raw =|area =63,170 sq mi|pop =10,102,000
|pop-basis =2005
|gdp =$97.74 billion
|gdp-year =2007
|gdp-pc =$9,630 |currency =Tunisian dinar
|idd =
|tld =
}}
The '''Tunisian Republic''' (Arabic الجمهورية التونسية) is a country in north [[Africa]]. The country borders the [[Mediterranean Sea]] to the north, [[Algeria]] to the west, and [[Libya]] to the east. The ancient city of [[Carthage]] lies just to the north of the present-day capital, [[Tunis]]. The official religion of Tunisia is [[Islam]], with approximately 98% of Tunisians being [[Muslim|Muslims]].
==History==
Recorded history in Tunisia begins with the arrival of Phoenicians, who founded Carthage and other North African settlements in the 8th century B.C. Carthage became a major sea power, clashing with Rome for control of the Mediterranean until it was defeated and captured by the Romans in 146 B.C. The Romans ruled and settled in North Africa until the 5th century, when the Roman Empire fell and Tunisia was invaded by European tribes, including the Vandals. The Muslim conquest in the 7th century transformed Tunisia and the make-up of its population, with subsequent waves of migration from around the Arab and Ottoman world, including significant numbers of Spanish Muslims and Jews at the end of the 15th century. Tunisia became a center of Arab culture and learning and was assimilated into the Turkish Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. The country was one of the Barbary States (along with Tangiers, Algiers, and Tripoli), demanding tribute from the vessels of other nations engaged in commerce within the Mediterranean; the Barbary States were ultimately subdued by 1815. It was a French protectorate from 1881 until independence in 1956, and retains close political, economic, and cultural ties with France. Tunisia was briefly occupied by German forces during World War II, but was liberated in May of 1943.
President Bourguiba, who had been the leader of the independence movement, declared Tunisia a republic in 1957, ending the nominal rule of the Ottoman Beys. In June 1959, Tunisia adopted a constitution modeled on the French system, which established the basic outline of the highly centralized presidential system that continues today. The military was given a defined defensive role, which excluded participation in politics. Starting from independence, President Bourguiba placed strong emphasis on economic and social development, especially education, the status of women, and the creation of jobs, policies that continued under the Ben Ali administration. The result was strong social progress--high literacy and school attendance rates, low population growth rates, and relatively low poverty rates--and generally steady economic growth. These pragmatic policies have contributed to social and political stability.
