The Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Berbers and Arabs, Turks and French all left their mark on the cultural life of this, the smallest and most westerly of the North African, or Maghreb, countries. It can therefore rightly be referred to as a melting-pot of civilisations.

The Phoenicians, who maintained trading posts and harbours along the whole of North Africa's Mediterranean coast, settled in the region today known as Tunisia back in the 12th century BC. In 814 BC they founded Carthage, the ruins of which can be visited near to the present capital of Tunis. It was destroyed by the Romans during the Third Punic War in 146 BC and the territory became part of the Roman province of Africa.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, Tunisia remained under Byzantine rule until the invasion by the Arabs in the 7th century AD, subsequently falling to the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. With the decline of Ottoman influence in North Africa, Tunisia became a French protectorate in 1881. Only thirty years later, the "Young Tunisians Movement" rebelled against foreign rule. The movement evolved into the Destour Socialist Party, which successfully pushed for independence in 1956.

Thanks to its Mediterranean climate, beaches and cultural treasures, Tunisia is a popular holiday destination. Tourism is a key economic sector. The beautiful desert landscape in the south of the country has attracted the interest of the international film industry, with films such as Star Wars and The English Patient being filmed in the Tunisian Sahara.

 However, many Tunisians work abroad, first and foremost in nearby Italy and in neighbouring Libya.