Tunisia

Where the name comes from

Tunisia is named after Tunis; suggested roots include a Berber word for resting and the Phoenician goddess Tanit, but none is settled.

First people

Amazigh communities lived here, and Phoenicians founded Carthage, which grew into a Mediterranean power.¹

Known for

Tunisia is known for the ruins of Carthage and for the Roman amphitheatre of El Jem, one of the largest ever built.²

Outside contact

Roman rule and the Arab conquests of the 600s came first; Ottoman conquest followed in 1574 and French rule in 1881.¹

The modern country

Independence came in 1956. Protests that began in December 2010 forced President Ben Ali from power in January 2011 and inspired the Arab Spring.³