Time Difference: EST + 5 hours Current Time and Date in Tunisia
Currency: Currency Converter – Tunisian Dinar TND
Travel Advisory: State Department Report Tunisia
US Embassy in Tunisia: tunisia.usembassy.gov
Tunisia is the smallest country in North Africa. It is a Maghreb country bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia is almost 165,000 square kilometers (64,000 sq mi) in area, with an estimated population of just under 10.7 million. Its name is derived from the capital Tunis located in the northeast. The south of the country is composed of the Sahara desert, with much of the remainder consisting of particularly fertile soil and 1,300 kilometers (810 mi) of coastline.
Health: CDC Tunisia
What to Pack
Weather: Tunisia Weather
Communications: Dial 011 followed by country code 216
Entry Requirements
- Passport
- Visa is not required for all US Passport Holders, if you are not a US Passport holder; please consult the embassy in your region.
- Proof of immunization.
Diplomatic Missions
Permanent Mission of Tunisia to the United Nations
Site of the Permanent Mission of Tunisia to the UN.
Tunisian Embassy in the U.S.
Tunisian Embassy in Washington DC.
Tunisian Consulate London
Tunisian Consulate in the UK
Climate
Warm Season: June to September (high temperature above 87°F, low temperature of 73°F)
Cold season: November to March (high temperature below 68°F , low temperature of 55°F)
Language: Official languages are Arabic and French, English is widely spoken
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Amphitheatre of El Jem
The impressive ruins of the largest colosseum in North Africa, a huge amphitheatre which could hold up to 35,000 spectators, are found in the small village of El Jem. This 3rd-century monument illustrates the grandeur and extent of Imperial Rome
Archaeological Site of Carthage
Carthage was founded in the 9th century B.C. on the Gulf of Tunis. From the 6th century onwards, it developed into a great trading empire covering much of the Mediterranean and was home to a brilliant civilization. In the course of the long Punic wars, Carthage occupied territories belonging to Rome, which finally destroyed its rival in 146 B.C. A second – Roman – Carthage was then established on the ruins of the first.
Dougga / Thugga
Before the Roman annexation of Numidia, the town of Thugga, built on an elevated site overlooking a fertile plain, was the capital of an important Libyco-Punic state. It flourished under Roman and Byzantine rule, but declined in the Islamic period. The impressive ruins that are visible today give some idea of the resources of a small Roman town on the fringes of the empire.
Kairouan
Founded in 670, Kairouan flourished under the Aghlabid dynasty in the 9th century. Despite the transfer of the political capital to Tunis in the 12th century, Kairouan remained the Maghreb’s principal holy city. Its rich architectural heritage includes the Great Mosque, with its marble and porphyry columns, and the 9th-century Mosque of the Three Gates.
Medina of Sousse
Sousse was an important commercial and military port during the Aghlabid period (800–909) and is a typical example of a town dating from the first centuries of Islam. With its kasbah, ramparts, medina (with the Great Mosque), Bu Ftata Mosque and typical ribat (both a fort and a religious building), Sousse was part of a coastal defence system.
Medina of Tunis
Under the Almohads and the Hafsids, from the 12th to the 16th century, Tunis was considered one of the greatest and wealthiest cities in the Islamic world. Some 700 monuments, including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas and fountains, testify to this remarkable past.
Punic Town of Kerkuane and its Necropolis
This Phoenician city was probably abandoned during the First Punic War (c. 250 B.C.) and as a result was not rebuilt by the Romans. The remains constitute the only example of a Phoenicio-Punic city to have survived. The houses were built to a standard plan in accordance with a sophisticated notion of town planning.
Ichkeul National Park
The Ichkeul lake and wetland are a major stopover point for hundreds of thousands of migrating birds, such as ducks, geese, storks and pink flamingoes, who come to feed and nest there. Ichkeul is the last remaining lake in a chain that once extended across North Africa.