Located in North Africa, Tunisia is the gate between northern and southern world. In the ancient time , it played a prominent role, first with the famous Phoenician city of Carthage, then as the Africa Province, and then as the Maghreb region of various medieval Islamic states. Tunisia ranks high among Arab and African nations in reports released by The World Economic Forum.

Tunisia was inhabited by Berber tribes. Its coast was settled by Phoenicians starting as early as the 10th century BC. The city of Carthage was founded in the 9th century B.C. by settlers from Tyre, now Lebanon. Legend says that Dido founded the city in 814 B.C

A Carthaginian invasion of Italy led by Hannibal during the Second Punic War, one of a series of wars with Rome, nearly crippled the rise of the Roman Empire. Carthage was eventually conquered by Rome in the 2nd century BC, a turning point which led to ancient Mediterranean civilization having been influenced mainly by European instead of African cultures. After the Roman conquest, it was conquered by the Vandals in the 5th century AD and reconquered by the rule of Byzantine.

In the 7th century the region was conquered by Arab Muslims, who founded the city of Kairouan which became the first city of Islam in North Africa. Tunisia flourished under successive Muslim dynasties who ruled Tunisia: we can cite the Aghlabids (800-900) and Fatimids (909-972). The invasion of Tunisia by Banu Hilal, a warlike Arab Bedouin tribes sent the region's urban and economic life into further decline.

In the 12th century, and after a briefly conquest by the Normans of Sicily, Tunisia was conquered by the Almohad caliphs. They were succeeded by the Berber Hafsids (c.1230 – 1574), under whom Tunisia prospered. In the last years of the Hafsids, Spain seized many of the coastal cities, but these were recovered by the Ottoman Empire. Under its Turkish governors, the Beys, Tunisia attained virtual independence. The Hussein dynasty of Beys, established in 1705, lasted until 1956. From 1881 - 1956 the country was under French colonization. European settlements in the country were actively encouraged. Tunisia got its independence in 1956.

Tunisia is a republic presidential system characterized by bicameral parliamentary system, including the Chamber of Representatives and the Chamber of Advisors.

Tunisia has a diverse economy, ranging from agriculture, mining, manufacturing, petroleum products and tourism.

The country maintains 19 232 km of roads; there are 30 airports; the railway network amounts to 2135 km in total. The Tunis area is served by a tram network.

Despite its relatively small size, Tunisia has great geographical and climactic diversity. Around forty percent of the country is composed of the Sahara desert, with much of the remainder consisting of particularly fertile soil and a 1300 km coastline. Atlas Mountains cross Tunisia in a northeasterly direction. The northern part of the land is a region characterized by low, rolling hills and plains, although in the northwestern corner of Tunisia, the land reaches elevations of 1,050 meters. Agriculture in this area is based on cereal production. The Sahil is a plain along Tunisia's eastern Mediterranean coast famous because of its olive monoculture. Much of the southern region is semi-arid and desert. Dates En-Nour, highly appreciated throughout the world, come from oasis of this southern area.

Education is given a high priority and accounts for 6% of GNP. A basic education for children between the ages of 6 and 16 has been compulsory since 1991. Tunisia ranked 11th in the category of "quality of the educational systems".

The culture of Tunisia is mixed due to their long established history of conquerors such as Phoenicians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs, Turks, Spaniards, and the French who all left their mark on the country.