Located on the northern coast of Africa, Tunisia has boundaries with Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east.

The Atlas Mountains divide the country into two regions, the well-watered north and the semi-arid south. The northern region, which contains the Kroumirie Forest, Bizerte, and the Medjerda River Valley, is further divided into three sub regions: the northwest, with extensive cork forests; the north central, with its fertile grasslands, and the northeast from Tunis to Cap Bon, noted for its livestock, citrus fruits and garden produce.

The southern region contains a central plateau and a desert area in the extreme south, which merges into the Sahara and is characterized by the date palm oases and saline lakes. The Medjerda Mountains, which run from Kroumirie to Bizerte, and the Tébessa Mountains (or Massif Meridional), in the southern region, are the two most important mountain ranges. The Medjerda, the most important river system, rises in Algeria and drains into the Gulf of Tunis.

Rivalry between French and Italian interests in Tunisia culminated in a French invasion in 1881 and the creation of a protectorate. Agitation for independence in the decades following World War I was finally successful in getting the French to recognize Tunisia as an independent state in 1956.

The country's first 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.

Tunisia has long taken a moderate, non-aligned stance in its foreign relations. Domestically, it has sought to defuse rising pressure for a more open political society.

Tunisia's list of attractions would do justice to a country twice its size. From the Roman-era hot springs at Hamman Mellegue to the space-age sets of Star Wars (parts of which were filmed at Matmata), its lush-to-lunar landscapes have seen more action than the New World nations combined.

Spend a few days here and you'll agree: daydreaming at the famous Roman ruins of Carthage and El-Jem is almost as good as stepping into Virgil's Aeneid and knocking one back with Dido, while a day's dawdling on the north coast's beaches or those of Jerba Island, the 'Land of the Lotus Eaters', will leave you wondering why Hannibal ever left.
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