What is the capital of Tunisia?

The capital of Tunisia is Tunis.

What is the population of Tunisia?

Tunisia has a population of about 12.35 million, the #80 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.

Tunisia covers 163,610 km², ranking #93 by area, with about 75 people per square kilometre.

Which countries border Tunisia?

Tunisia shares a land or maritime border with Algeria, Libya.

What is the largest city in Tunisia?

Tunis is the largest city in Tunisia, with a metropolitan population of about 2.41 million.

What is the highest mountain in Tunisia?

The highest summit recorded for Tunisia in YearMaps is Jebel Chambi at 1,544 m (5,066 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.

Country · Africa · TN

Map of Tunisia

Tunisia is a country in Africa with its capital at Tunis, home to about 12.35 million people across 163,610 km². The interactive map below plots 25 cities and towns, 1 mountain summits and 14 ports recorded for Tunisia in YearMaps.

Population: 12.35 million
Area: 163,610 km²
Capital: Tunis
Continent: Africa

About Tunisia

Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares maritime borders with Italy through the islands of Sicily and Sardinia to the north and Malta to the east. It features the archaeological sites of Carthage dating back to the 9th century BC, as well as the Great Mosque of Kairouan. Known for its ancient architecture, souks, and blue coasts, it covers 163,610 km2 (63,170 sq mi), and has a population of 12.1 million. It contains the eastern end of the Atlas Mountains and the northern reaches of the Sahara desert; much of its remaining territory is arable land. Its 1,300 km (810 mi) of coastline includes the African conjunction of the western and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Basin. Tunisia is home to Africa's northernmost point, Cape Angela. Located on the northeastern coast, Tunis is the capital of the country, which is itself named after Tunis. The official language of Tunisia is Arabic. The vast majority of Tunisia's population is Arab and Muslim. Vernacular Tunisian Arabic is the most spoken language, and French serves as an administrative and educational language in some contexts, but has no official status.

Beginning in early antiquity, Tunisia was inhabited by the indigenous Numidian people who were later subsumed by the Amazighs or Berbers. The Phoenicians, a Semitic people, began to arrive in the 12th century BC, settling on the coast and establishing several settlements, of which Carthage emerged as the most powerful by the 7th century BC. The descendants of the Phoenician settlers came to be known as the Punic people. Ancient Carthage was a major mercantile empire and a military rival to the Roman Republic until 146 BC when it was defeated by the Romans who occupied Tunisia for most of the next 800 years. The Romans introduced Christianity and left architectural legacies like the Amphitheatre of El Jem. In the 7th century AD, Arab Muslims conquered Tunisia and settled with their tribes and families, bringing Islam and Arab culture. A later large-scale Arab migration of Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym tribes in the 11th-12th centuries accelerated this process. By around the 15th century, the region of modern-day Tunisia had already been almost completely Arabised. Then, in 1546, the Ottoman Empire established control, holding sway until 1881, when the French conquered Tunisia. In 1956, Tunisia gained independence as the Tunisian Republic.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Tunisia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Geography and Climate of Tunisia

Many empires have controlled Tunisia, including the Phoenicians (as early as the 12 century B.C.), Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, various Arab and Berber kingdoms, and Ottomans (16th to late-19th centuries). 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 after World War I finally convinced 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. In 1987, Zine el Abidine BEN ALI replaced BOURGUIBA in a bloodless coup. Street protests that began in Tunis in 2010 over high unemployment, corruption, widespread poverty, and high food prices escalated in 2011, culminating in rioting that led to hundreds of deaths and later became known as the start of the regional Arab Spring uprising. BEN ALI dismissed the government and fled the country, and a "national unity government" was formed. Elections for the new Constituent Assembly were held later that year, and human rights activist Moncef MARZOUKI was elected as interim president. The Assembly began drafting a new constitution in 2012 and, after several iterations and a months-long political crisis that stalled the transition, ratified the document in 2014. Parliamentary and presidential elections for a permanent government were held at the end of 2014. Beji CAID ESSEBSI was elected as the first president under the country's new constitution. After ESSEBSI’s death in office in 2019, Kais SAIED was elected. SAIED's term, as well as that of Tunisia's 217-member parliament, was set to expire in 2024. However, in 2021, SAIED used the exceptional powers allowed under Tunisia's constitution to dismiss the prime minister and suspend the legislature. Tunisians approved a new constitution through public referendum in 2022, expanding presidential powers and creating a new bicameral legislature.

Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya.
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.
Highest point: Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m.
Lowest point: Shatt al Gharsah -17 m.
Coastline: 1,148 km.
Land borders: Total: 1,495 km; border countries: Algeria 1,034 km; Libya 461 km.
Natural resources: Petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt.
Land use: Agricultural land: 62.4% (2023 est.); arable land: 18.2% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 13.6% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 30.6% (2023 est.); forest: 4.5% (2023 est.); other: 33.1% (2023 est.)
Natural hazards: Flooding; earthquakes; droughts.
Geographic note: Strategic location in central Mediterranean.
Languages: Arabic (official, one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce), Tamazight.
Religions: Muslim (official; Sunni) 99%, other (includes Christian, Jewish, Shia Muslim, and Baha'i) <1%.
Ethnic groups: Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1%.
Economy: Lower middle-income North African economy; drafting reforms for foreign lenders; high unemployment, especially for youth and women; hit hard by COVID-19; high public sector wages; high public debt; protectionist austerity measures; key EU trade partner.

From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.

Tunisia in Numbers

Population: 12.35 million
GDP: US$57.5 billion
GDP per person: US$4,657
Life expectancy: 76.7 years
Population growth: 0.58% a year
Population density: 79 per km²
Urban population: 70.7%
Surface area: 163,610 km²
Forest cover: 4.4%
Arable land: 17.8%
Access to electricity: 100.0%
Internet users: 76.5%

Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.

Tunisia in Depth

History

Farming methods reached the Nile Valley from the Fertile Crescent region about 5000 BC, and spread to the Maghreb by about 4000 BC. Agricultural communities in the humid coastal plains of central Tunisia then were ancestors of today's Berber tribes.

It was believed in ancient times that Africa was originally populated by Gaetulians and Libyans, both nomadic peoples. According to the Roman historian Sallust, the demigod Hercules died in Spain and his polyglot eastern army was left to settle the land, with some migrating to Africa. Persians went to the West and intermarried with the Gaetulians and became the Numidians. The Medes settled and were known as Mauri, later Moors.

The Numidians and Moors belonged to the race from which the Berbers are descended.

Geography

Tunisia is situated on the Mediterranean coast of Northwest Africa, midway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Nile Delta. It is bordered by Algeria on the west (965 km) and southwest and Libya on the south east (459 km). It lies between latitudes 30° and 38°N, and longitudes 7° and 12°E. An abrupt southward turn of the Mediterranean coast in northern Tunisia gives the country two distinctive Mediterranean coasts, west–east in the north, and north–south in the east.

Though it is relatively small in size, Tunisia has great environmental diversity due to its north–south extent. Its east–west extent is limited. Differences in Tunisia, like the rest of the Maghreb, are largely north–south environmental differences defined by sharply decreasing rainfall southward from any point.

Economy

Ranked the most competitive economy in Africa by the World Economic Forum in 2009, Tunisia is an export-oriented country in the process of liberalizing and privatizing an economy that, while averaging 5% GDP growth since the early 1990s, has suffered from corruption benefiting politically connected elites. Tunisia's Penal Code criminalises several forms of corruption, including active and passive bribery, abuse of office, extortion and conflicts of interest, but the anti-corruption framework is not effectively enforced. However, according to the Corruption Perceptions Index published annually by Transparency International, Tunisia was ranked the least corrupt North African country in 2016, with a score of 41.

Demographics

According to the CIA, as of 2021, Tunisia has a population of 11,811,335 inhabitants. The government has supported a successful family planning program that has reduced the population growth rate to just over 1% per annum, contributing to Tunisia's economic and social stability.

The first people known to history in what is now Tunisia were the Berbers.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Tunisia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Tunisia: Key Facts

Key facts about Tunisia
Currency	Tunisian dinar
Official language	Arabic
Head of state	Kais Saied
Head of government	Sarra Zaafrani
Form of government	parliamentary republic, semi-presidential system
Calling code	+216
Internet domain	.tn
Highest point	Jebel ech Chambi
Lowest point	Shatt al Gharsah
Established	20 March 1956

Facts from Wikidata Q948 (CC0).

History of Tunisia: Empires and States

The atlas records 29 polities whose mapped territory included part of Tunisia, from Carthage in 650 BCE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.

Polities that held Tunisia, in chronological order
Polity	Period here	Extent
Carthage	650–145 BCE	Most
Kingdom of Numidia	197–47 BCE	A large part
Roman Republic	144–32 BCE	Most
The Roman Empire	31 BCE – 442 CE	Most
Western Roman Empire	395–442 CE	Most
Vandal Kingdom	439–533 CE	Most
Eastern Roman Empire	534–632 CE	Most
The Byzantine Empire	534–704 CE	Most
Rashidun Caliphate	647–655 CE	A small part
The Umayyad Caliphate	674–749 CE	Most
Fihrids	750–756 CE	Most
Kharijites	751–762 CE	Most
The Abbasid Caliphate	763–799 CE	Most
Rustamid dynasty	778–910 CE	A small part
Aghlabid Dynasty	800–910 CE	Most
Fatimid Caliphate	911–1055 CE	Most
Zirid dynasty	1056–1151 CE	Most
Kingdom of Africa	1152–1168 CE	A large part
Almohad Caliphate	1169–1235 CE	Most
Hafsid Dynasty	1236–1571 CE	Most
Marinid Sultanate	1352–1362 CE	Most
The Ottoman Empire	1534–1712 CE	Most
Beylik of Tunis	1706–1884 CE	Most
Karamanli Dynasty	1713–1793 CE	A small part
French Third Republic	1885–1939 CE	Most
French Africa	1885–1955 CE	Most
The French Colonial Empire	1885–1955 CE	Most
French Fourth Republic	1945–1955 CE	Most
Republic of Tunisia	1956–2024 CE	Most

Historical Maps of Tunisia

Tunisia on the world map in each year one of these states held it:

Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.

Visiting Tunisia

"TN" redirects here. For the Indian state, see Tamil Nadu; for the US state, see Tennessee.

The Republic of Tunisia (Arabic: تونس‎ Tūnis), is a country in North Africa bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Tourist infrastructure is well developed, and there are several ways to enjoy the loveliness of Tunisia, including spending time on the gorgeous Mediterranean beaches, viewing its ancient ruins, living its thriving desert culture, or sampling its delicious cuisine.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Tunisia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Largest Cities in Tunisia

25 cities recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.

Largest Cities in Tunisia
#	Name	Population	Region	Role
1	Tunis	2.41 million	Tunis	National capital
2	Sfax	453,050	Sfax	Populated place
3	Sousse	327,004	Sousse	Admin-1 capital
4	Gabès	219,517	Gabès	Admin-1 capital
5	Zarzis	159,161	Médenine	Populated place
6	Qairouan	144,522	Kairouan	Admin-1 capital
7	Bizerte	139,843	Bizerte	Admin-1 capital
8	Gafsa	126,803	Gafsa	Admin-1 capital
9	Nabeul	115,149	Nabeul	Admin-1 capital
10	L'Ariana	97,687	Manubah	Admin-1 capital
11	Qasserine	81,987	Kassérine	Populated place
12	Monastir	71,546	Monastir	Admin-1 capital
13	Tataouine	62,577	Tataouine	Admin-1 capital
14	Medenine	61,705	MUdenine	Admin-1 capital
15	Béja	59,567	Béja	Admin-1 capital
16	Jendouba	51,408	Jendouba	Admin-1 capital
17	El Kef	47,979	Le Kef	Admin-1 capital
18	Mahdia	45,977	Mahdia	Admin-1 capital
19	Sdid Bouzid	42,098	Sidi Bou Zid	Admin-1 capital
20	Tozeur	39,504	Tozeur	Admin-1 capital
21	Siliana	26,960	Siliana	Admin-1 capital
22	Kebili	19,875	Kebili	Admin-1 capital
23	Ben Gardane	19,843	Médenine	Populated place
24	Zaghouan	16,911	Zaghouan	Admin-1 capital
25	Dehibat	3,525	Tataouine	Populated place

Highest Mountains in Tunisia

1 mountain recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.

Highest Mountains in Tunisia
#	Name	Elevation	Feet	Region
1	Jebel Chambi	1,544 m	5,066 ft	Africa

Ports in Tunisia

14 ports recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.

Ports in Tunisia
#	Name	Channel Depth	Class	Sea	Max Vessel
1	Houmt Souk	56.7 m	Very Small	Eastern Mediterranean	point_of_interest
2	Tunis	45.7 m	Minor	Western Mediterranean	medium vessels
3	Menzel Bourguiba	38.4 m	Small	Western Mediterranean	medium vessels
4	Rades	38.4 m	Very Small	Western Mediterranean	medium vessels
5	la Goulette	34.7 m	Minor	Western Mediterranean	medium vessels
6	Skhira	34.7 m	Very Small	Eastern Mediterranean	large vessels
7	Mersa Sfax	34.7 m	Small	Eastern Mediterranean	medium vessels
8	Sousse	34.7 m	Small	Eastern Mediterranean	medium vessels
9	Banzart	34.7 m	Small	Western Mediterranean	large vessels
10	Zarzis	31.1 m	Very Small	Eastern Mediterranean	medium vessels

The other 4 (channel depth, class, sea, max vessel)

Tazerka Oil Terminal · 5.5 m · Minor · Eastern Mediterranean · medium vessels
Ashtart Oil Terminal · Small · Eastern Mediterranean · large vessels
Didon Terminal · Small · Eastern Mediterranean · medium vessels
Tabarka · Very Small · Western Mediterranean · point_of_interest

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Tunisia

10 World Heritage Sites recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Tunisia
#	Name	Inscribed	Type	Criteria
1	Archaeological site of Carthage	1979	Cultural	(ii) (iii) (vi)
2	Medina of Tunis	1979	Cultural	(ii) (iii) (v)
3	Roman amphitheatre of El Jem	1979	Cultural	(iv) (vi)
4	Ichkeul National Park	1980	Natural	(x)
5	Punic Town of Kerkuane and its Necropolis	1985	Cultural	(iii)
6	Kairouan	1988	Cultural	(i) (ii) (iii) (v) (vi)
7	Medina of Sousse	1988	Cultural	(iii) (iv) (v)
8	Dougga	1997	Cultural	(ii) (iii)
9	Djerba	2023	Cultural	(v)
10	Sidi Bou Said	2026	Cultural	(ii) (iii) (vi)

Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Tunisia

4 mountain ranges, deserts and other landforms recorded. Ranked by mapped area. Covers mountain ranges, deserts, plateaus, named glaciers, plains, basins, peninsulas and capes. One that crosses a border is listed under every country it lies in, with the area of the whole feature.

More on these mountain ranges, deserts and other landforms →

Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Tunisia
#	Name	Area	Type	Region
1	Africa	29.41M km²	Continent	Africa
2	Sahara	4.73M km²	Desert	Africa
3	Grand Erg Oriental	127,027 km²	Desert	Africa
4	Jabal Nafüsah	17,690 km²	Plain	Africa

Countries Bordering Tunisia

Land and maritime neighbours.

More Maps in Africa

Tunisia: Quick Answers

What is the capital of Tunisia?: The capital of Tunisia is Tunis.
What is the population of Tunisia?: Tunisia has a population of about 12.35 million, the #80 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
How big is Tunisia?: Tunisia covers 163,610 km², ranking #93 by area, with about 75 people per square kilometre.
Which continent is Tunisia in?: Tunisia is in Africa.
Which countries border Tunisia?: Tunisia shares a land or maritime border with Algeria, Libya.
What is the largest city in Tunisia?: Tunis is the largest city in Tunisia, with a metropolitan population of about 2.41 million.
What is the highest mountain in Tunisia?: The highest summit recorded for Tunisia in YearMaps is Jebel Chambi at 1,544 m (5,066 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.

Interactive Map of Tunisia