Medenine Governorate (Gouvernorat de Médenine)
The governorate encompasses the south-easternmost coastal strip, totalling 9167 km2 and had a population of 479,520 at the 2014 census. The capital is Medenine. The governorate includes the country's largest island, Djerba, which is connected by a ferry boat and has over a third of the total population of the governate and its own airport.
The area is generally lowlands. It extends in two projections at its extreme ends a maximum of 60 km from the coast, otherwise the neighbouring division of Tataouine is 30 km from the coast. The northern projection abuts Kebili Governorate and includes part of a long escarpment which extends from the south of Gabes Governorate (adjoining Medenine to the north) to beyond Tripoli in Libya and which is dotted with settlements. Precipitation is low and reaches a maximum between October and January, the far north of the governorate and western hill range benefiting from this most. Key settlements are those associated with ports, tourism, fishing, farming in more fertile parts within the north-east and oases.
Map - Medenine Governorate (Gouvernorat de Médenine)
Map
Country - Tunisia
Flag of Tunisia |
Beginning in early antiquity, Tunisia was inhabited by the indigenous Berbers. Phoenicians began to arrive in the 12th century BC, establishing several settlements, of which Carthage emerged as the most powerful by the 7th century BC. Carthage was a major mercantile empire and a military rival to the Roman Republic until 146 BC, when it was defeated by the Romans who occupied Tunisia for most of the next 800 years. The Romans introduced Christianity and left architectural legacies like the Amphitheatre of El Jem. In the 7th century AD, Arab Muslims conquered all of Tunisia (finally succeeding in 697 after several attempts starting in 647) and settled with their tribes and families, brought Islam and Arab culture to the local inhabitants, and since then Arabs became the majority of the population. Then, in 1546, the Ottoman Empire established control there, holding sway for over 300 years, until 1881, when the French conquered Tunisia. In 1956, Tunisia gained independence as the Tunisian Republic under the leadership of Habib Bourguiba with the help of activists such as Chedly Kallala, Farhat Hached and Salah Ben Youssef. Today, Tunisia's culture and identity are rooted in this centuries-long intersection of different cultures and ethnicities.
Currency / Language
ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
---|---|---|---|
TND | Tunisian dinar | دت | 3 |
ISO | Language |
---|---|
AR | Arabic language |
FR | French language |