This small, most northern country of Africa was the attraction to the Phoenicians who sailed the Mediterranean. The well known city of Carthage was found on the Northern border in 9th century B.C. During the 2nd century, Rome conquered Carthage, thus the strong European influence. It was during the 7th century A.D. that Islam conquered the region and established Kairouan (a holy city of Islam). The French colonised the country from 1881 to 1956. After gaining independence, the first president, Habib Bourguiba suppressed Islamic fundamentalism and gave rights to women that surpassed any other Arabic state.
 

Weather: 

Average monthly temperatures

VISAS
A visa is not required for Americans, Canadians, European Community and Great Maghreb nationals (Libya, Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania). A landing visa (on arrival) is available for Australians and South Africans. For New Zealand, other African and Asian countries' nationals, a visa must be applied for at the embassy of coverage.

Cultural Sensitivity
Tunisia is a Muslim country although other religions are present. Dress code for females are important. Within the tourist zones even topless is tolerated but outside of these areas, care should be taken. It is wise to avoid political discussion of any kind, local or international.

Time Zone:
GMT + 1. Tunisia observes day light saving time which starts on the last Sunday in March until the last Sunday in October. For religious reasons, day-light saving was not applied in 2009.

Voltage:
Electricity 220/230v at 50cycles. The shape of the outlet is the two-pin round.

Road Travel:
Vehicles travel on the right side of the road as in the USA and parts of Europe.

Language:
Arabic and French are official languages but English is spoken and its use growing. German and Italian are widely used.

Health:
Consult a physician before travelling to Tunisia. Inoculate against Hepatitis A and Tetanus, but ask your physician for the latest news on health matters in the country. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travelers arriving from infected areas
Bottled water is widely available and should be a travelling companion especially during the hot months.

Safety:
Travel to the desert has to be with registered guides. No attempt should be made to cross into Algeria and Libya without the correct legal documents and without a registered guide.  Around the towns, security is good, but tourists have to keep their possessions safe at all times.

Communication:
There are two mobile phone networks available with coverage over most part of the country. Public landline telephone offices can be found in every town and village. Internet cafés are available, but bear in mind that they require identification. Some hotels offer internet connection to their guests.

Currency:
The Tunisian Dinar trades at 1.4TD to the US Dollar. Strict exchange laws are enforced. Tunisian Dinar is not available outside of the country and may not be exported. ATM’s are widely available that accept Visa, MasterCard, Diner Card and Debit Cards.

Hotels:
To cater for her 8million plus annual tourists, Tunisia has the full range of accommodation to meet the needs of every visitor. In the popular destinations one can find hotels from unrated to 5 Star. There is a lack of back-packers lodgers for those who travel light.

Airports:
The major airports in Tunisia include Tunis-Carthage, Monastir, Jerba, Tozeur and Tabarka. Most international flights come in from European, Middle Eastern and North African destinations.

Getting Around:
The public transport network is reasonably effective for those who travel light. With heavy luggage, travelling by public transport can be irksome. The Louage (inter-city taxis) leave when full, but there are plenty per day. Busses, not very new, are also available to travel between cities. Within towns, yellow cabs are reasonably priced. Trains run at a set schedule and are mostly on time.

People:
Population is 10.3million July 2008. The first people in Tunisia were the Berbers who were later joined by the Arabs. The Berbers isolated themselves until intermarriage forged assimilation. Tunisians are friendly and helpful especially to tourists who lost their way. Those on the island of Djerba claim a unique identity. When asked how different they are to the mainlanders, the answer usually is ‘Djerbis are different’.

Food:
The Meditaranean, Arab, Eastern influence on the Tunisian cuisine makes for a rich experience. Couscous is the national meal of identity. Really tasty sandwiches, rotisserie and other on-the-go meals are readily available at very reasonable prices. If caffeine keeps sleep from you, don’t go close to the potent small glasses of Tunisian coffee. That is reserved for the truly brave