Tunisia 🇹🇳
Tunisia is a country in Africa with a population of 12,356,117. Its capital is Tunis. The official currency is TND, and the main languages are Arabic.
Quick facts
- Capital: Tunis
- Continent: Africa
- Population: 12,356,117
- Area: 163,610 km²
- Density: 75.5 people per km²
- Currency: TND
- Languages: Arabic
- ISO code: TN
Where Tunisia sits
Tunisia 🇹🇳 is one of 54 countries in Africa, with its capital at Tunis. It covers 163,610 square kilometres — 91st in the world — and is home to about 12,356,117 people, 79th globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include Nigeria, Ethiopia, Egypt, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How Tunisia compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Tunisia sits closest to Bolivia and Burundi. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Suriname and Uruguay.
At 75.5 people per square kilometre it is somewhat above the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by population than by area, so it is more crowded than its size alone suggests.
Arabic is an official language in 25 countries here, among them Algeria, Bahrain, Chad and Comoros, and 20 others. The TND is used by Tunisia and no one else.
To see Tunisia next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember Tunisia
Take Tunisia, drop the 'ia', and you have Tunis. For the flag, think of Turkey's crescent and star placed inside a white circle.
The flag of Tunisia: red and white
🇹🇳 The flag is a red flag with a white circle in the centre holding a red crescent and a red five-pointed star. The crescent and star are traditional symbols of Islam, and the design is based on the flag of the Ottoman Empire. Red honours those who died fighting oppression, and white stands for peace.
Region and neighbours
Tunisia is the northernmost country in Africa, on the Mediterranean coast between Algeria and Libya. It shares land borders with 2 countries: Algeria and Libya.
- Algeria 🇩🇿 — capital Algiers
- Libya 🇱🇾 — capital Tripoli
Three facts about Tunisia
- Cape Angela (Ras ben Sakka) in Tunisia is the northernmost point of Africa.
- The ruins of the ancient city of Carthage, just outside Tunis, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- The Roman amphitheatre of El Jem is one of the largest amphitheatres built by the Romans.
Sources: Wikipedia: Tunisia, Wikipedia: Flag of Tunisia, Wikipedia: Tunis, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Tunisia
- African capitals quiz — match Tunisia to Tunis
- African flags quiz — spot the Tunisia flag among its neighbours
Quizzes that include Tunisia
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Tunisia those are:
- Africa map quiz — place it on a blank map
- Africa flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- Africa capitals quiz — match it to Tunis
- Tunisia capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Tunisia
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about Tunisia
- Capital of Tunisia: Tunis — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 54 countries of Africa
Nearby countries
- Algeria 🇩🇿 — capital Algiers
- Angola 🇦🇴 — capital Luanda
- Benin 🇧🇯 — capital Porto-Novo
- Botswana 🇧🇼 — capital Gaborone
- Burkina Faso 🇧🇫 — capital Ouagadougou
- Burundi 🇧🇮 — capital Gitega
- Cabo Verde 🇨🇻 — capital Praia
- Cameroon 🇨🇲 — capital Yaoundé
- Central African Republic 🇨🇫 — capital Bangui
- Chad 🇹🇩 — capital N'Djamena
- Comoros 🇰🇲 — capital Moroni
- Congo 🇨🇬 — capital Brazzaville
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the Tunisia flag?
The flag of Tunisia is a red flag with a white circle in the centre holding a red crescent and a red five-pointed star. The crescent and star are traditional symbols of Islam, and the design is based on the flag of the Ottoman Empire. Red honours those who died fighting oppression, and white stands for peace.
Which countries border Tunisia?
Tunisia shares land borders with Algeria and Libya.
How can I remember the capital of Tunisia?
Take Tunisia, drop the 'ia', and you have Tunis. For the flag, think of Turkey's crescent and star placed inside a white circle.