Discover with us a sustainable, healthy, and resilient tourism throughout TUNISIA, crossroad of civilizations.
Power point by Majdi Faleh, PhD. candidate, Fulbright
Present at Ball State University (Indiana), and HKS Architecture Firm (Indianapolis, Detroit)
1. التونسية الجمهورية
TUNISIA-crossroads of cultures
Land of Berber, Phoenicians, Punic, Roman, medieval, Ottoman, French , Islamic
Land of Alyssa-CARTHAGE(9th century B.C)
Arab-Muslim, North African, Mediterranean, with European influence
2. OUR NATIONAL FLAG-HYMN
Red with a white disk in the center
bearing a red crescent nearly
encircling a red five-pointed star; the
crescent and star are traditional
symbols of Islam.
Coat of arms of Tunisia
Motto: عدالة ،نظام ،حرية( Hurriya, Nidham, 'Adala)
"Liberty, Order, Justice"
National Flag
3. LOCATION
TUNISIA is located in North Africa. It is
bordered by Algeria to the west and Libya
to the southeast. Tunisia is located
southwest of the island of Sicily and
south of Sardinia. Its size is almost
63.7068 mi² with an estimated
population of just over 10.3 million. Its
name is derived from the capital Tunis.
Tunisia is the northernmost country on
the African continent, and the smallest of
the nations situated along the Atlas
mountain range. The south of the country
is composed of the Sahara desert, with
much of the remainder consisting of
particularly fertile soil and a 807 miles
coastline. Both played a prominent role
in ancient times, first with the famous
Phoenician city of Carthage, then as the
Africa Province which was known as the
bread basket of the Roman
Empire. Today Tunisia is an export
oriented country, in the process of
liberalizing its economy
4. GENERAL FACTS
Location:
Northern Africa, bordering the
Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and
Libya
Geographic coordinates:
34 00 N, 9 00 E
Area:
total: 163,610 sq km
country comparison to the world: 92
land: 155,360 sq km
water: 8,250 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Georgia
Climate:
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
Natural resources:
petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead,
zinc, salt
5. POPULATION
Population:
10,486,339 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 76
Religions:
Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and
other 1%
Languages:
Arabic (official and one of the
languages of commerce), French
(commerce), English, Italian, etc…
There is also a small minority of
speakers of Shelha, a Berber language.
Urbanization:
urban population: 67% of total
population (2008)
Total fertility rate:
1.72 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 168
People’s skin Colors:
Brown, white, black..
6.
7. OUR DIALECT: TUNISIAN
ARABIC- تونسي
Tunisian Arabic is closely related to the
Maltese language.
Many Tunisians, particularly those
residing in large urban areas, readily
mix Tunisian Arabic with French, a
dialectal melange often informally
called 'Frarabic'.
The most immediately apparent
difference between Tunisian and
standard Arabic is the extensive use of
words borrowed from Italian, Spanish,
French, Punic, Berber and Turkish.
Common Phrases and Vocabulary:
Hello: Aslema / Ahla / Salut
How are you: Labes? Shniya'hwalik?
(sometimes pronounced as
"Shnahwalik")
Response: Labes/Hamdoullah
Thank you: Merci/ Aychek/
barakallahufik
A lot: Barcha
Nothing: Hata Shay
How Much: Qaddesh? / Qaddeh?
French: Suri
When (in a question form): Waqtesh? /
Waqteh?
Who: Ashkoun? / Shkoun?
What: Ashnowa? (for masculine) /
Ashnya? (for feminine)
Goodbye: Bislema / Bye / Ciao
8. HISTORICAL TUNISIA
The history of Tunisia reveals this rich past where
different successive Mediterranean cultures had a
strong presence. After the Carthaginian
Empire, the Roman Empire came and left a
lasting effect on the land with various monuments
and cities such the El-Jem Amphitheater and the
archaeological site of the ancient city of Carthage.
After a few centuries of the presence of Christianity,
represented by the Church of Africa, the Arab
Islamic conquest transformed the whole
country and founded a new city called Al-Qayrawan,
Al-Qayrawan is a renowned center for religious and
intellectual pursuits.
With the annexation of Tunisia by the Ottoman
Empire, the center of power shifted from Tunis to
Istanbul. This shift in power allowed the local
government of the new Ottoman Province to gain
more independence, which was maintained until the
institution of the French Protectorate. The
protectorate introduced elements of Western –
French – culture.
11. OUR CULTURE
The Culture of Tunisia is a product of
more than 3000 years of history
and an important multi-ethnic influx.
Ancient Tunisia was a major civilization
crossing through history; different
cultures, civilizations and multiple
successive dynasties contributed to
the culture of the country over
centuries with a varying degrees of
influence. Among these cultures were
the Punic, Roman, Jewish, Christian,
Arab, Islamic, Turkish, and French, in
addition to native Berbers. This
unique mixture of cultures made
Tunisia, with its strategic geographical
location in the Mediterranean, the
core of some great civilizations of
Mare Nostrum.