21st century

Main article: Tunisian Revolution

Many protests took place during the Arab Spring of 2011–12.

On 18 March 2015, two gunmen attacked the Bardo National Museum and held hostages.
[31] Twenty civilians and one policeman were killed in the attack, while around 50
others were injured.[32] Five Japanese, two Colombians, and visitors from Italy,
Poland, and Spain were among the dead. Both gunmen were killed by Tunisian police.
The incident has been treated as a terrorist attack.[33][34]

Geography
Tunis is located in north-eastern Tunisia on the Lake of Tunis, and is connected to
the Mediterranean sea's Gulf of Tunis by a canal which terminates at the port of La
Goulette/Halq al Wadi. The ancient city of Carthage is located just north of Tunis
along the coastal part. The city lies on a similar latitude as the southernmost
points of Europe.

The city of Tunis is built on a hill slope down to the lake of Tunis. These hills
contain places such as Notre-Dame de Tunis, Ras Tabia, La Rabta, La Kasbah,
Montfleury and La Manoubia with altitudes just above 50 metres (160 feet).[35] The
city is located at the crossroads of a narrow strip of land between Lake Tunis and
Séjoumi. The isthmus between them is what geologists call the "Tunis dome", which
includes hills of limestone and sediments. It forms a natural bridge and since
ancient times several major roads linking to Egypt and elsewhere in Tunisia have
branched out from it. The roads also connect with Carthage, emphasising its
political and economic importance not only in Tunisia but more widely in North
Africa and the Mediterranean Sea in ancient times.

The Greater Tunis area has an area of 300,000 hectares, 30,000 of which is
urbanized, the rest being shared between bodies of water (20,000 hectares of lakes
or lagoons) and agricultural or natural land (250,000 hectares). However, urban
growth, which is estimated to be increasing by 500 hectares per year, is gradually
changing the landscape with urban sprawl.

A summer night in Tunis

Tunis bay at sunrise

Satellite view

A Tunis suburb

Bab El Bhar located 7 metres (23 feet) above sea level

Hammouda Pasha Mosque in El Kasbah is located 23 metres (75 feet) above sea level

Suburbs
Municipality Population (2004)
Ettadhamen-Mnihla 118,487
Ariana 97,687
La Soukra 89,151
El Mourouj 81,986
La Marsa 77,890
Douar Hicher 75,844
Ben Arous 74,932
Mohamedia-Fouchana 74,620
Le Bardo 70,244
Le Kram 58,152
Oued Ellil 47,614
Radès 44,857
Raoued 53,911
Hammam Lif 38,401
La Goulette 28,407
Carthage 28,407
La Manouba 26,666
Mornag 26,406
Djedeida 24,746
Den Den 24,732
Tebourba 24,175
Mégrine 24,031
Kalâat el-Andalous 15,313
Mornaguia 13,382
Sidi Thabet 8,909
Sidi Bou Saïd 4,793
El Battan 5,761
Borj El Amri 5,556
Total 1,265,060
Sources: National Institute of Statistics[36]
After World War II, suburbs began to rapidly spring up on the outskirts of Tunis.
These form a large percentage of the population of the Tunis metropolitan area. It
grew from 27% of the total population in 1956, to 37% in 1975 and 50% in 2006.

Climate

Tunis bay
Tunis has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa),
[37] characterized by a hot and dry season and mild winters with moderate rainfall.
The local climate is also affected somewhat by the latitude of the city, the
moderating influence of the Mediterranean sea and the terrain of the hills.

Winter is the wettest season of the year, when more than a third of the annual
rainfall falls during this period, raining on average every two or three days. The
sun may still increase the temperature from 7 °C (45 °F) in the morning to 16 °C
(61 °F) in the afternoon on average during the winter. Frosts are rare. In spring,
rainfall declines by half. The sunshine becomes dominant in May when it reaches 10
hours a day on average. In March temperatures may vary between 8 °C (46 °F) and 18
°C (64 °F), and between 13 °C (55 °F) and 24 °C (75 °F) in May. However, it is
common for temperatures to soar even as early as April with record temperatures
reaching 40 °C (104 °F). In summer, rain is almost completely absent and the
sunlight is at a maximum. The average temperatures in the summer months of June,
July, August, and September are very high. Sea breezes may mitigate the heat, but
sometimes the sirocco winds reverse the trend. In autumn, it begins to rain, often
with short thunderstorms, which can sometimes cause flash floods or even flood some
parts of the city.[38][39] The month of November marks a break in the general heat
with average temperatures ranging from 11 °C (52 °F) to 20 °C (68 °F).

Climate data for Tunis (Tunis–Carthage International Airport) 1981–2010, extremes

1943–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 25.1
(77.2) 28.5
(83.3) 36.5
(97.7) 33.1
(91.6) 41.4
(106.5) 47.0
(116.6) 47.4
(117.3) 46.6
(115.9) 44.4
(111.9) 40.0
(104.0) 30.5
(86.9) 29.6
(85.3) 47.4
(117.3)
Average high °C (°F) 16.1
(61.0) 16.8
(62.2) 19.0
(66.2) 21.7
(71.1) 26.1
(79.0) 30.6
(87.1) 33.8
(92.8) 34.1
(93.4) 30.4
(86.7) 26.5
(79.7) 21.2
(70.2) 17.3
(63.1) 24.5
(76.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) 11.6
(52.9) 11.9
(53.4) 13.8
(56.8) 16.2
(61.2) 20.2
(68.4) 24.3
(75.7) 27.2
(81.0) 27.7
(81.9) 24.7
(76.5) 21.1
(70.0) 16.3
(61.3) 12.8
(55.0) 19.0
(66.2)
Average low °C (°F) 7.6
(45.7) 7.7
(45.9) 9.2
(48.6) 11.4
(52.5) 14.8
(58.6) 18.6
(65.5) 21.3
(70.3) 22.2
(72.0) 20.1
(68.2) 16.8
(62.2) 12.2
(54.0) 8.9
(48.0) 14.2
(57.6)
Record low °C (°F) −2.0
(28.4) −1.1
(30.0) 1.0
(33.8) 1.7
(35.1) 6.0
(42.8) 10.0
(50.0) 13.0
(55.4) 11.7
(53.1) 12.0
(53.6) 6.0
(42.8) 0.8
(33.4) 0.0
(32.0) −2.0
(28.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 63.1
(2.48) 49.2
(1.94) 39.2
(1.54) 38.5
(1.52) 23.6
(0.93) 12.9
(0.51) 4.0
(0.16) 7.1
(0.28) 56.3
(2.22) 47.7
(1.88) 54.8
(2.16) 75.2
(2.96) 471.6
(18.58)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 8.6 8.1 8.0 5.5 3.1 1.7 0.6
1.3 3.5 6.1 5.9 8.1 60.5
Average relative humidity (%) 76 74 73 71 68 64 62 64 68
72 74 77 70
Mean monthly sunshine hours 145.7 159.6 198.4 225.0 282.1 309.0 356.5 328.6 258.0
217.0 174.0 148.8 2,802.7
Mean daily sunshine hours 4.7 5.7 6.4 7.5 9.1 10.3 11.5 10.6 8.6
7.0 5.8 4.8 7.7
Source 1: Institut National de la Météorologie (precipitation days/humidity/sun
1961–1990)[40][41][42][note 1]
Source 2: NOAA (precipitation days/humidity/sun 1961–1990),[44] Meteo Climat
(record highs and lows)[45]
Politics
Capital

Kasbah Square comprising the finance ministry and the prime ministry of Tunisia
Tunis has been the capital of Tunisia since 1159. Under Articles 43 and 24 of the
Constitution of 1959,[46] Tunis and its suburbs host the national institutions: the
Presidential Palace, which is known as Carthage Palace, residence of the President
of Tunisia, the Chamber of Deputies and the Chamber of Advisors and parliament, the
Constitutional Council and the main judicial institutions and public bodies. The
revised Tunisian Constitution of 2014 similarly provides that the National Assembly
is to sit in Tunis (article 51) and that the Presidency is based there (article
73).[47]

Municipality
Institutions

City Hall
Photo of Souad Abderrahim.
Souad Abderrahim, mayor of Tunis since 2018.
Following the municipal elections of 6 May 2018, Ennahdha obtained 21 seats out of
60. Nidaa Tounes came second with 17 seats. On 3 July 2018, the head of the
Ennahdha list Souad Abderrahim was elected by the council as the new mayor of the
capital.

Before 2011, unlike other mayors in Tunisia, the mayor of Tunis is appointed by
decree of the President of the Republic from among the members of the City Council.

Budget
The 2008 budget adopted by the City Council is structured as follows: 61.61 million
dinars for operations and 32,516 million dinars for investment.[48] It reflects the
improved financial situation of the municipality, the year 2007 was a year
registering a surplus in resources that allowed the settlement of debts of the
municipality and the strengthening of its credibility with respect its suppliers
and public and private partners.

Revenues are generated by the proceeds of taxes on buildings and vacant lots, fees
for the rental of municipal property, income from the operation of the public,
advertising, and that the fact that the municipality has capital shares in some
companies. On the expenditure side, provision is made for the consolidation of
hygiene and cleanliness, the state of the environment and urban design,
infrastructure maintenance, rehabilitation and renovation of facilities, and
strengthening the logistics and means of work and transport.[48]

Administrative divisions

Map of the arrondissements of Tunis - 1, Médina; 2, Sidi El Béchir; 3, Sijoumi; 4,

Bab Souika; 5, El Omrane; 6, Bab Bhar; 7, El Menzah; 8, El Omrane Supérieur; 9,
Ettahrir; 10, Bardo; 11, Ezzouhour; 12, El Ourdia; 13, Jebel Jelloud; 14, Kabaria;
15, Cité El Khadra; 16, El Bouhaira; 17, La Marsa; 18, Carthage; 19, La Goulette;
20, Hrairia; 21, Sidi Hassine.
The city of Tunis, whose size has increased significantly during the second half of
the 20th century, now extends beyond the Tunis Governorate into parts of the
governorates of Ben Arous, Ariana and Manouba.

The municipality of Tunis is divided into 15 municipal districts:[49] These include

El Bab Bhar, Bab Souika, Cité El Khadra, Jelloud Jebel El Kabaria, El Menzah, El
Ouardia, Ettahrir, Ezzouhour, Hraïria, Medina, El Omrane, El Omrane Higher Séjoumi,
Sidi El-Bashir and Sidi Hassine.

Demography

Tunis

Muslims in Tunis attend the mosque in 1899.

A souk shopkeeper
Year Municipality Metropolitan area
1891 114,121
1901 146,276
1911 162,479
1921 171,676 192,994
1926 185,996 210,240
1931 202,405 235,230
1936 219,578 258,113
1946 364,593 449,820
1956 410,000 561,117
1966 468,997 679,603
1975 550,404 873,515
Sources: Sebag (1998)
Old man in Tunis
In the years following independence, the population of the metropolitan area
continued to grow: by 21.1% from 1956 to 1966 and by 28.5% from 1966 to 1975 (55.6%
between 1956 and 1975).[50] This steady growth was accompanied by changes which
affected the nature of the settlement of the capital. Decolonization led to the
exodus of some European minorities whose numbers dwindled every year. The gaps
created by their departure were filled by Tunisians who emigrated to Tunis from
other parts of the country.

At the beginning of the 21st century, the city of Tunis exceeds 2,000,000
inhabitants. After independence, the Tunisian government implemented a plan to cope
with population growth of the city and country, a system of family planning, to
attempt to lower the rate of population growth. However, between 1994 and 2004, the
population of the governorate of Tunis grew more than 1.03% per annum. It
represents, in the 2004 census, 9.9% of the total population of Tunisia.[51] As in
the rest of Tunisia, literacy in the region of Tunis evolved rapidly during the
second half of the 20th century and has reached a level slightly higher than the
national average. The education level is only exceeded by the neighbouring
governorate of Ariana which has many institutions of education.

Economy
Ambox current red.svg
Parts of this article (those related to the city's economy) need to be updated.
Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.
(August 2017)
Overview

The former headquarters of the Banque Internationale Arabe de Tunisie, now

demolished.

The Africa Hotel in the heart of the city

Headquarters of Tunis channel

Products include textiles, carpets, and olive oil. Tourism also provides a
significant portion of the city's income.

Because of the concentration of political authority (headquarters of the central

government, presidency, parliament, ministries and central government) and culture
(festivals and mainstream media), Tunis is the only nationally ranking metropolis.
Tunis is the heartland of the Tunisian economy and is the industrial and economic
hub of the country, home to one third of Tunisian companies—including almost all
the head offices of companies with more than fifty employees, with the exception of
the Compagnie des Phosphates de Gafsa, headquartered in Gafsa—and produces a third
of the national gross domestic product.[52] Tunis attracts foreign investors (33%
of companies, 26% of investments and 27% of employment), excluding several areas
due to economic imbalances. According to the Mercer 2017 Cost of Living Rankings,
Tunis has the lowest cost of living for expatriates in the world.[53] The urban
unemployment rate of university graduates is increasing and the illiteracy rate
remains high among the elderly (27% of women and 12% of men).[52] The number of
people living below the poverty line, falling at the national level, remains higher
in urban areas. In addition, unemployment is high in young people aged 18 to 24,
with one in three unemployed as compared to one in six at the national level. In
Greater Tunis, the proportion of young unemployed is at 35%.[52]

Gulf finance house or GFH has invested $10 billion in order for the construction of
tunis financial harbor, that will transform Tunisia as the gateway to Africa from
Europe. The project hopes to boost the economy of Tunisia as well as increase the
number of tourists visiting Tunisia annually. Currently the project is going
through planning.

Sectors
The economic structure of Tunis, as well as that of the country, is overwhelmingly
tertiary industry. The city is the largest financial center in the country hosting
the headquarters of 65% of financial companies – while the industrial sectors are
gradually declining in importance.[52] However the secondary industry is still very
represented and Tunis hosts 85% of industrial establishments in the four
governorates, with a trend towards the spread of specialized industrial zones in
the suburbs.

Primary industry such as agriculture, however, is active in specialized

agricultural areas on the suburbs, particularly in the wine and olive oil
industries. The generally flat terrain and the two main rivers in Tunisia, the
Medjerda to the north and the Milian to the south, the soils are fertile.[54] Tunis
has several large plains, the most productive are in Ariana and La Soukra (north),
the plain of Manouba (west) and the plain of Mornag (south). In addition,
groundwater is easily accessible through the drilling of deep wells, providing
water for the different agriculture crops. The soils are heavy and contain
limestone in the north but are lighter and sandy containing clay in the south.[55]
There is much diversification in the municipality of Tunis, with Durum grown in
Manouba, Olives and olive oil in Ariana and Mornag, wine (Mornag), and fruit,
vegetable and legumes are grown in all regions.