The official language is Arabic. French is widely used and English and Italian are spoken among a growing number of Tunisians.
Located at the northernmost tip of the African Continent, Tunisia spreads over an area of 164000 kmē.
Given its small size, Tunisia's contrasting biological diversity is remarkable: over a distance of only a few hundred kilometres, one can pass from a Saharan landscape to lush cork oak forest which is easily accomplished by car in less than a day's time! In addition, Tunisia is surrounded by approximately 750 miles of coastline, given the highest ratio of coastline to total surface area of all the countries in Africa.
Tunisia lies within two hours of most European capitals and has air links with a total of 50 cities. Its seven international airports are served by flights by major international airline and by Tunisair, Tunisia's own airline, which enjoys an excellent safety record.
Passengers from North America can make easy connections through any of the major European gateway cities: London, Paris, Frankfurt, Geneva or Rome. There are still no direct flights from the United States.
Due to its limited natural resources, Tunisia has focused on developing its human resources: the bulk of the national budget has been allocated to education, health care, housing and social services, while a comparatively small amount was spent on defense. Education is mandatory for girls and boys between the ages of 6 and 16. The private sector is encouraged to play a leading role in economic growth, and as a result, Tunisians have created a modern, diversified market-oriented economy based on an efficient agricultural sector, a growing manufacturing sector, and a thriving tourism industry.
Tunisia's GNP and social indicators have risen steadily since the independence in 1956. Per capita income has increased sevenfold, from $300 in 1956 to over $2,070 in 1997. Tunisia has enjoyed an average growth rate of 5.4 percent since the beginning of the 90s, including 8.6 percent in 1992. Furthermore, even with the world debt crisis, Tunisia has managed to actually reduce its total debt burden. During the last few years, Tunisia has been frequently cited by international financial institutions as a "model for success" in economic structural adjustment.
The Tunisian Dinar (TD) is a soft currency and is illegal to export it from Tunisia. The exchange rate with all major currencies is fixed daily on a nation-wide basis and is the same in banks, exchange booths, and hotels.
The dinar is divided into 1000 millimes. Prices are expressed in thousands and written with three digits to the right of the decimal. One US dollar equals about 1.358 TD.
Bank notes are issued in denominations of 5, 10, 20, and 30 TD. There are aluminum coins of 5 millimes and brass coins of 10, 20, 50 and 100 millimes.
Banking Hours are Monday to Thursday from 8:00 - 11:30 AM and 2:00 - 5:00 PM and Friday from 8:00 - 11:30 AM and 1:30 - 4:30 PM
Major credit cards - Visa, MasterCard and sometimes American Express - are accepted in hotels.
Credit cards and debit cards sometimes do not work in local cash machines. Travelers' checks can be exchanged at banks, airports and some hotels. Do not expect small shops to accept credit cards, travelers' check or foreign currency.
Citizens of the United States and the European Union do not require visas for a stay of less than three months. Debarking passengers are asked to fill out a simple two-part registration form; one portion is presented upon arrival and the other kept for presentation at the time of departure.
Visitors will be asked to fill out similar forms when registering at hotels.
Citizens of Australia may obtain tourist visas from the Tunisian consulates in their countries.
As a matter of government policy and reflected in general awareness, Tunisia's citizens with disabilities are well integrated in schools, universities, workplaces ad community life throughout the country. Parking spaces reserved for the handicapped and wheelchair access in downtown areas have become standard.
PromoTunisia welcomes guests who use wheelchairs or who have other disabilities. However, it is important that we know of your special requirements as soon as possible since many historical sites are not easily accessible and special arrangements may have to be made for hotel accommodations.
Always keep receipts from your banking transactions so you can re-exchange dinars upon departure. However, there are strict regulations about the quantity of dinars you can change back when leaving the country. You are allowed to reconvert up to thirty percent of the total amount you can prove you have changed since your arrival, provided it is not more than 100 TD.
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