Tunisia Country Overview
Tunisia, with its capital in Tunis, has Arabic as its official language and French widely spoken. Islam is the predominant religion. The country, bordered by Algeria, Libya, and the Mediterranean Sea, has a population of 12.5 million. Tunisia made headlines in 2019 as the first to move its national currency to a blockchain platform.
Tunisia General Information
Capital: Tunis
Language: Arabic (official, one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce), Berber (Tamazight)
Despite having no official status, French plays a major role in the country and is spoken by about two thirds of the population.
Religion: Muslim (official; Sunni) 99.1%, other (includes Christian, Jewish, Shia Muslim, and Baha’i) 1%.
Currency: Tunisian dinar.
Cryptocurrency: In 2019, it was announced that Tunisia became the first country to start moving its national currency to a blockchain platform. The Central Bank of Tunisia announced that the digitisation of the Tunisian dinar has started and that the paper-backed CBDC will be issued on the Universa Blockchain.
GMT: GMT/UTC (+) 1 h
Home of the ancient city of Carthage, Tunisia was once an important player in the Mediterranean, thanks to its location in the centre of North Africa, close to vital shipping routes.
About Tunisia
Tunisia is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Capital city of Tunisia is Tunis. The official language is Arabic, and French is another common language spoken. The main religion in Tunisia is Islam. The current population of Tunisia is 12.5 million. Tunisia ranks number 79th as the world’s most populated country.
The current president is Kais Saied (since 23 October 2019) and the current prime minister is Ahmed Hachani (since 2 August 2023).
Tunisia has dropped in its ranks from 72nd in 2019 to 118th in 2024 in the World Press freedom index. In 2018 Tunisia showed its support for the International Declaration on Information and Democracy, however international NGO’s express concern with the amount of time the government is taking in drafting the new legislation for the media.
Tunisia’s revolution in 2010 became the start of the Arab Spring movement. The demonstrations were caused by high unemployment, corruption, lack of political freedom, poor living conditions and food inflation. The protests started on the 17th December 2010 when Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire. This led to president Ben Ali resigning as president in January 2011 where he then fled to Saudi Arabia, ending his 23 years of being in power.
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