Geography
Tunisia (the official name of the Tunisian Republic) is located in the northern part of Africa, is part of the Arab Maghreb. The capital of the country – Tunisia – its cultural, political and administrative center. See Tunisia abbreviations.
Tunisia borders Algeria in the west, Libya in the south, and is washed by the waves of the Mediterranean Sea from the north and east. The length of the coastline is about 1300 km, the same amount falls on its land borders.
The highest point is Mount Jebel Hami (1544 m). In the north-east of the country, two mountain ranges are reunited – the Tel and Sahara Atlas. Large bays Tunisia a: Hammamet, Tunisian and Gabes. The main and only river of the country is the Medzhera.
20% of the country’s territory is occupied by arable land, 40% by the Sahara desert and 19% by meadows and pastures.
Climate
According to 800zipcodes, the weather conditions in Tunisia and in most cases depend on the natural objects closest to it (the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea). In the northern part of the country, the climate is temperate, Mediterranean, winters are mild and rainy, and summers are hot and dry. The minimum officially recorded temperature in the north of the country: -9 ° C (in Tell), the absolute maximum: +54 ° C (in Kebili).
Coldest months: January and February. The air temperature these days is kept at around +15 °C, at night it drops to +6… +8 °C, sometimes drops below zero. During these months, snow occasionally falls, but it lies only at night and in the early morning – until the midday rays. The rainy season starts in October and ends in February.
Hot time comes in the summer months (July, August). During this period, the air warms up to +30…+38 °C during the day and up to +20 °C at night. In the central and southern parts of Tunisia, this figure often exceeds +40 ° C.
The ideal time to travel is from May to September. Sea water these days warms up to a temperature of +20 °C.
Main seaports: Sfax, Tunis, Gabes, Bizerte and Sehira, Nabeul, Djerba island, Sousse.
Beach resorts: Tunisia and its suburbs Nabeul and Hammamet, Monastir, Sousse.
Health resorts: Hammamet, Sousse (thalassotherapy).
Tunisian cuisine
The cuisine of Tunisia is closer in its traditions to European than to traditional Arabic. Among the hot spices, harissa is popular here. It is served on a separate dish along with olive oil. It tastes like adjika, but without salt. It is customary to eat harissa by dipping slices of bread into it. At the same time, the spiciness of the dish depends only on how much you soak it with seasoning.
Bread products in Tunisia are presented in two forms: “baguette” (long loaf) and “lavash”. It is not customary to cut bread, it is broken by hand and consumed in large quantities.
Meat in the country is sold in pairs. The assortment includes pieces of lamb and beef. If you wish, you can also taste camel meat. Meat is usually cooked on skewers, skewers or in braziers. An exception is the national dish kebab. For its preparation, the meat is cut into small slices.
Fish and seafood among Tunisians is preferable to meat, despite their high cost. The cheapest dishes are tuna, sardine and mackerel. Eel, shrimp and shellfish dishes are considered more expensive. And the meat of sea cuttlefish or octopus is considered a delicacy.
In Tunisia, it is indecent to look into the face of a person who eats. In addition, it is forbidden to eat while standing or walking.
Fatty foods are washed down with hot tea. Pork is illegal for all Muslims, which is why you won’t find it on most restaurant menus.
Couscous is a traditional Tunisian dish – semolina porridge made from durum wheat varieties. Many people love brik – it looks like a cheburek, but with egg filling. Most soups in Tunisia are pureed. They are made from a wide variety of foods, including melons.
From dairy products you will taste only cheese. It compensates for its deficiency with a wide range of sweets, most of which are made from molasses obtained from dates.
From fruits, you will be offered cactus fruits, pickled olives and much more. Almost all local food products are produced in Tunisian territory.
The national drink is green tea with mint, very hot and very sweet. Tunisians do not drink alcohol, but they are loyal to “drunk” tourists. Moreover, several varieties of wine and beer are produced in the country. As for alcoholic beverages, you will be offered “buhu” – fig vodka, as well as “tibar” – a drink made from dates similar in taste to cognac. There is also a wide selection of imported alcoholic products, but their prices are prohibitively high.
