Tunisia

Tunisia is the northernmost country in Africa. It is part of the Maghreb region of North Africa and borders Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east; covering 163,610 km2 (63,170 sq mi), with a population of 11 million. It includes the eastern end of the Atlas Mountains and the northern reaches of the Sahara Desert, with most of the remaining arable land. Its 1,300 km (810 mi) coastline includes the African junction of the western and eastern Mediterranean Basin. Tunisia is the northernmost point of Africa, Cape Angela; and its capital and largest city, Tunisia, located on the northeast coast, gave the country its name.

Since early antiquity, Tunisia has been inhabited by indigenous Berbers. The Phoenicians began arriving in the 12th century BC, establishing several settlements, of which Carthage became the most powerful by the 7th century BC. A major trading empire and a military rival to the Roman Republic, Carthage was defeated by the Romans in 146 BC, who occupied Tunisia for much of the next 800 years, introducing Christianity and leaving behind an architectural legacy such as the El Jem amphitheater. ... After several attempts, starting in 647, the Muslims conquered all of Tunisia by 697, bringing Islam and Arab culture to the locals. The Ottoman Empire took control in 1574 and held power for over 300 years, until the French conquered Tunisia in 1881. Tunisia gained independence under the leadership of Habib Bourguiba, who declared the Republic of Tunisia in 1957. Today Tunisia is the smallest country in the north. Africa, its culture and identity is rooted in the centuries-old intersection of different cultures and ethnic groups.

In 2011, the Tunisian Revolution, fueled by the lack of freedom and democracy under President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali's 24-year rule, overthrew his regime and catalyzed a wider Arab Spring across the region. Free multiparty parliamentary elections were held shortly thereafter; the country voted again for parliament on October 26, 2014 and for president on November 23, 2014. Tunisia remains a unitary semi-presidential representative democratic republic; and is the only North African country classified as "Free" by Freedom House, and is considered the only fully democratic state in the Arab world in the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index. It is one of the few countries in Africa to rank high on the Human Development Index, with one of the highest per capita incomes on the continent.

Tunisia is well integrated into the international community. He is a member of the United Nations, Francophonie, League of Arab States, OIC, African Union, Non-Aligned Movement, International Criminal Court and the Group of 77, among others. It maintains close economic and political relations with several European countries, especially France and Italy, which are geographically located very close to it. Tunisia also has an Association Agreement with the European Union, and has also gained the status of a major non-NATO ally of the United States.