Zembra and Zembretta, Tunisia
Tunisia is situated between 30°10’ and 37°20’ North, and 7°30’ and 11° East. With a total area of 164,250 km2, Tunisia is the smallest of the Maghreb states. The greatest north-south distance is 800 km and the greatest east-west is 320 km. Tunisia marks the most northerly point of the African continent with a Mediterranean coastline of 1,148 km and has frontiers to the west with Algeria and to the east with Libya.
The country can be divided into six bio-geographical regions, each with its own climatic, floral and faunal characteristics: the North-East; the Kroumirie and the Mogods, a forest region of low hills situated in the North-West of the country; the Tunisian Dorsal, a mountain range extending from the Algerian frontier in the South-West to Cape Bon; the central steppes, with high steppes in the West and lower steppes in the East forming a transition zone between the Dorsal and the desert; the South-East, a desert region influenced by the Mediterranean, situated between the Gulf of Gabès and the Matmata mountains; the Sahara desert, a region of the far South in Tunisia which covers more than 2.5 million hectares and includes two main environmental types, the stony "regs" and the great sand dunes of the Great Eastern Erg.
Situated in the sub-tropical Mediterranean zone, the Tunisian climate is typically hot and dry in summer from May to September, with relatively cold and rainy winters. Cooler air in autumn causes damper, stormy weather, while in winter north-westerly airstreams bring wind and rain.
The official language is Arabic, but French is very widely used. In coastal tourist areas, other languages including English, German, Italian and Spanish are often spoken. The population is about 10 million. More details can be found at CIA Factbook.