Tunis
Capital and chief port of Tunisia; population (2004) 728,500. Industries include chemicals, textiles, engineering, lead smelting, and distilling. Velvets, silks, linen, and fez caps are also manufactured. Exports include phosphates, iron ore, fruit, and vegetables.
History
Founded by the Arabs, it was captured by the Turks in 1533, then occupied by the French in 1881 and by the Axis powers 1942–43. The ruins of ancient
Carthage are to the northeast.
Features Tunis is a walled city and its harbour is well defined. In the centre of the old town is the Medina, the focus of trade and industry, built mainly from the ruins of the towns of Thunes, Carthage, and Utica. The new part is European and east of the Medina. The houses are nearly all built of stone and there are many mosques, including the Great Mosque which housed an Islamic university. The present-day University of Tunis dates from 1960. |
Location Tunis stands on a bay of the same name, surrounded by lakes and marshes, 15 km/9 mi from the sea and 450 km/280 mi northwest of Tripoli. Its port is Goletta, but a channel opened in 1893 has made Tunis directly accessible to ocean vessels. The city is linked by rail to other North African ports and has an international airport. |
