Tunisia
Republic of northern Africa, bounded on the north and east by the Mediterranean Sea, on the south by Libya, and on the west by Algeria. The total area is 164,418 sq km (63,482 sq mi).
LAND AND RESOURCES:
Tunisia’s Mediterranean coast is indented by many harbors and inlets, notably the gulfs of Tunis, Hammamet, and Qābis. The Gulf of Gabès contains the islands of Jarbah (Djerba) and Qarqanah (Kerkennah). The total length of coastline is 1,150 km (713 mi).
REGIONS:
Tunisia may be divided, from north to south, into four main topographic regions. In the north, low-lying spurs of the Maritime Atlas Mountains traverse the country in a southwestern to northeastern direction. Peaks range in elevation from about 610 to 1,520 m (about 2,000 to 5,000 ft). Fertile valleys and plains are interspersed among the mountains of this region. The country’s only major river, the Majardah, crosses the region from west to east, emptying into the Gulf of Tunis. To the south the mountains give way to a plateau that averages about 610 m (about 2,000 ft) in elevation. Farther south, the plateau descends gradually to a chain of low-lying salt lakes, known as shatts, or chotts, which extend east to west across the country. Several of these lakes lie below sea level. On the south the shatts adjoin the Sahara, which constitutes about 40 percent of Tunisia’s land area.
CLIMATE:
In general, a mild Mediterranean climate prevails in the north of Tunisia; toward the south the climate becomes progressively hotter and drier. In the north, temperatures average 9°C (48°F) in January and 26°C (78°F) in July. The northern regions have a rainy season that lasts from October to May. Average annual rainfall is about 610 mm (about 24 in) but may vary greatly from year to year. Annual rainfall decreases to the south and is only about 200 mm (about 8 in) in the Sahara.
