Geography

The country of Tunisia lies on the north coast of Africa, between Algeria to the west and Libya to the east. [Map] This beautiful country is bordered on the north and east by the Mediterranean Sea and its seemingly endless white sand beaches. The southern third of the country is blanketed by the Sahara desert, occasionally interrupted by date palm oases. The western border is rugged and arid in the south, but well forested in the north where the Atlas mountain ranges of north Africa begin. For a country similar in size and shape to Illinois, Tunisia has an astonishing variety of climates and landscapes, making it a prime tourist destination for Europeans [Tourism][Photos]

Tunisia contains the northernmost point of the entire continent of Africa. The capital city of Tunis lies at about the same latitude as Memphis Tennessee. Less than 90 miles across the Mediterranean from Italy, Tunisia hosts myriad migratory birds en route between Europe and Africa. This close proximity to Italy has also made Tunisia a strategic possession for any naval power hoping to control trade routes between the eastern and western Mediterranean. [History]