PEOPLE
Modern Tunisians are the descendents of indigenous Berbers and of people from numerous civilizations that have invaded, migrated to, and been assimilated into the population over the millennia. 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. It was a French protectorate from 1881 until independence in 1956, and retains close political, economic, and cultural ties with France.
Nearly
all Tunisians (98% of the population) are Muslim. There has been
a Jewish population on the southern island of Djerba for 2000
years, and there remains a small Jewish population in Tunis which
is descended from those who fled Spain in the late 15th century.
There is no indigenous Christian population. Small nomadic indigenous
minorities have been mostly assimilated into the larger population.
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Tunisian(s).
Population (2007): 10,276,185.
Annual growth rate (2007): 0.99%. Birth rate--15.54 births/1,000 population. Death rate--5.17 deaths/1,000 population.
Ethnic groups: Arab-Berber 98%, European 1%, other 1%.
Religions: Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish less than 1%.
Languages: Arabic (official), French.
Education: Years compulsory--9. Literacy (definition--age 15 and over can read and write, 2006 est.)--74.3%.
Health (2007): Infant mortality rate--22.94 deaths/1,000 live births. Life expectancy--75.34 total, 73.6 years male, 77.21 years female.
Work force (2007): 3.591 million.
Unemployment rate (2007): 13.9%.
