protectorate. Tunisia enjoyed certain benefits from French rule; however, the desire for self-governance remained and in 1910 Ali Bach Hamba and Bechir Sfar created the group of young Tunisians which led to the 1920 group called the “Destour” (constitution) party. Keeping the new movement under control led the French to use a combination of carrot-and-stick tactics that worked well but did not halt the momentum for independence. In 1934, a younger, more fervent element of the Destour party called the Neo-Destour emerged, with Habib Bourguiba, Dr Mahmoud Materi, Tahar Sfar and Bahri Guiga as their leaders. This new party was immediately declared illegal by the French administration, but received strong support from the fascist organizations of the Tunisian Italians.[1] Habib Bourguiba spent a great deal of time in French prisons. However, this did little to stem his influence or halt the momentum for change. The Second World War played into Bourguiba’s hands as he was moved from Vichy French prisons to Rome, and then to Tunisia as the Axis powers courted his influence in Tunisia. Bourguiba never endorsed these requests. He did manage relocation to Tunisia and two months after this, the Allies claimed Tunisia. In the following ten years, the struggle for independence continued and gained momentum. Bourguiba was again incarcerated from 1952 – 1954, which in turn caused an outbreak of guerrilla attacks by supporters. In 1954, things changed abruptly when Pierre Mendes-France became the leader of the French government and pursued a policy of pulling out from burdensome French colonies, with Tunisia in this category. This resulted in the April 1955 agreement which handed internal autonomy to Tunisian hands while international relations were managed by France, a similar situation to the Turkish Bey method of governance in pre-1881. The Neo-Destour were now in control, but Bourguiba refused to take the helm until the French relinquished all control over Tunisia. He did not have to wait long, as the terrible Algerian War of Independence changed the French desire for colonialism, leading to the abolition of the Treaty of Bardo and Tunisia gaining full independence in March 20, 1956. Bourguiba became Prime Minister and, after 1957, the first president of the Republic of Tunisia as the constitutional role of the Bey was abolished. [edit] Present-day politics Main article: Politics of Tunisia Tunisia is a republic with a strong presidential system dominated by a single political party. President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has been in office since 1987, the year he deposed Habib Bourguiba in a bloodless coup. The constitution has been changed twice to allow Ben Ali to remain in power: initially from two to three terms, then from three to five. The ruling party, the Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD), was the sole legal party for 25 years, known previously as the Socialist Destourian Party (PSD). The RCD still dominates political life. Facing virtually no opposition, the President is elected to 5-year terms. He appoints a Prime Minister and cabinet, who play a strong role in the execution of policy. Regional governors and local administrators also are appointed by the central government. Largely consultative mayors and municipal councils are elected. There is a unicameral legislative body, the Chamber of Deputies, which has 182 seats, 20% of which are reserved for the opposition parties. It plays a growing role as an arena for debate on national policy but never originates legislation. The Chamber virtually always passes bills presented by the executive with only one minor change. The judiciary is nominally independent but responds to executive direction, especially in political cases. The military is professional and does not play a role in politics. Tunisia is noteworthy for its lack of public political discourse. Tunisia's precise political situation is hard to determine due to a strong level of silence and lack of transparency maintained by the government. There is compelling evidence that dissidents are routinely arrested, for crimes as minor as viewing banned web sites. There are currently six legal opposition parties all with their own newspapers. However, the Committee to Protect Journalists, in its 2005 country report on Tunisia, details a persistent record of harassment, persecution, imprisonment, and physical harm perpetrated on journalists critical of the government. Even Western journalists, when writing on Tunisian soil, are not spared this fate.[2] Despite official proclamations, the Tunisian government imposes significant restrictions on freedom of speech and human rights. As such Tunisians are noticeably insecure when discussing political matters. The internet, however, is the most immediately apparent sign of the pervasiveness of state control. In fact the growth of the internet has been a major issue for Tunisia. As tourism (mainly from Europe) has expanded in Tunisia, so has the number of Internet Cafes. Tunisian internet access is invariably censored. This censorship is targeted at material deemed pornographic as well as press or chat room commentary that is critical of the government. For example, the website of the Al Arabiya satellite channel is officially censored and thereby inaccessible from any computer in Tunisia. Tunisia is also one of two Muslim countries (Azerbaijan is the other), that prohibits the hijab in government buildings. By government edict, women that insist on wearing the hijab must quit their job. Dissenters are forced to sign a document admitting to having committed a crime punishable by law and, in cases of recidivism, are jailed. Women who insist on keeping their veils despite all threats become the subject of negative propaganda disseminated by the Tunisian authorities on all state and private media.[citation needed] Underground opposition from Islamic Fundamentalists has an obvious but shadowy existence in Tunisia.[citation needed] Under former president Bourguiba, Islamic Fundamentalists were allowed to serve as a counterweight to more left-leaning movements.[citation needed] Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, however, has followed an aggressive policy regarding the Fundamentalists, though the extent of government success is difficult to judge in a nation where so much is secret.[citation needed] While Tunisia has a repressive political system,[citation needed] standards of living are among the best in the developing world.[citation needed] This can be evidenced by two compelling economic observations: the level to which Tunisia has become self-sufficient in material goods, and the extent of real estate development in the cities and major towns of the country. Put simply, the mid-level retail outlet will typically offer goods more than 90% of which are home produced. As to the rise of the building and construction industry, a fleeting visit to any of Tunisia's smaller towns (let alone the cities) will confirm that development is rampant: many projects, especially hotels, are newly opened, and many more stand as skeleton buildings, ready to be developed as soon as demand - and capital funds - are available to bring them to completion. Tunisia remains an autocratic regime, but one where starvation, homelessness, and disease, problems seen in much of Africa and Asia, are rare.[citation needed] See also: Foreign relations of Tunisia The following is an excerpt from the The World Factbook about Tunisia; Following independence from France in 1956, President Habib BOURGUIBA established a strict one-party state. He dominated the country for 31 years, repressing Islamic fundamentalism and establishing rights for women unmatched by any other Arab nation. In recent years, Tunisia has taken a moderate, non-aligned stance in its foreign relations. Domestically, it has sought to defuse rising pressure for a more open political society. [edit] Governorates Governorates of Tunisia Main articles: Governorates of Tunisia and Delegations of Tunisia Tunisia is subdivided into 24 governorates, they are: Ariana Béja Ben Arous Bizerte Gabès Gafsa Jendouba Kairouan Kasserine Kebili Kef Mahdia Manouba Medenine Monastir Nabeul Sfax Sidi Bou Zid Siliana Sousse Tataouine Tozeur Tunis Zaghouan The governorates are divided into 262 "delegations" or "districts" (mutamadiyat), and further subdivided into municipalities (shaykhats).[3] [edit] Geography Topographic map of Tunisia. Main article: Geography of Tunisia Tunisia is a country situated on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa, midway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Nile Valley. It is bordered by Algeria in the west and Libya in the south-east. An abrupt southern turn of its shoreline gives Tunisia two faces on the Mediterranean. Despite its relatively small size, Tunisia has great geographical and climactic diversity. The Dorsal, an extension of the Atlas Mountains, traverses Tunisia in a northeasterly direction from the Algerian border in the west to the Cape Bon peninsula. North of the Dorsal is the Tell, a region characterized by low, rolling hills and plains, although in the northwestern corner of Tunisia, the land reaches elevations of 1,050 meters. The Sahil is a plain along Tunisia's eastern Mediterranean coast famous for its olive monoculture. Inland from the Sahil, between the Dorsal and a range of hills south of Gafsa, are the Steppes. Much of the southern region is semi-arid and desert. See also: List of cities in Tunisia [edit] Economy Main article: Economy of Tunisia Tunisia has a diverse economy, with important agricultural, mining, energy, tourism, petroleum, and manufacturing sectors. Governmental control of economic affairs, while still heavy, has gradually lessened over the past decade with increasing privatization, simplification of the tax structure, and a prudent approach to debt.[citation needed] Real growth averaged 5.0% in the 1990s, and inflation is slowing. Increased trade and tourism have been key elements in this steady economic growth.[citation needed] Tunisia's association agreement with the European Union (EU), the first such accord between the EU and a Mediterranean country, entered into force on March 1, 1998. Under the agreement Tunisia will gradually remove barriers to trade with the EU over the next decade. Broader privatization, further liberalization of the investment code to increase foreign investment, and improvements in government efficiency are among the challenges for the future of Tunisia. According to the British Philip's university atlas of 2000, Tunisia also possesses major phosphate reserves in the middle section of the country. Tunisia is ranked most competitive economy of Africa in the 2007 edition of the Global Competitiveness Report that is released by the World Economic Forum. It also ranks first in the Arab World and 29th globally. [edit] Demographics Main article: Demographics of Tunisia Traditional Tunisian bread being made The majority (98%[4]) of modern Tunisians are Arab,[5] and are speakers of Tunisian Arabic. However, there is also a small (1% at most[6]) population of Berbers located in the Jabal Dahar mountains in the South East and on the island of Jerba. The Berbers primarily speak Berber languages, often called Shelha. The other long-established community in the country is Jewish (today mainly in the capital Tunis and on Jerba), much reduced in number since independence from France. One study indicates that the majority of the genetic material in Tunisia did not arrive with the Arabs (no more than 20% was found to come from the Middle East, and most of this presumably was added by Phoenicians/Carthaginians or as even early as the neolithic several millennia B.C. rather than during the Arab conquest). Another study, which does not compare Tunisian genetics with those of the Middle East, states that what it calls the Arab subhaplotype Va was found at a relatively high frequency in Tunisia at 50.6%.[2], but also states that this group in fact "probably correspond to a heterogeneous group representing various ethnicities", rather than just Arabs. Yet another finds that "the Tunisian genetic distances to European samples are smaller than those to North African groups" (these groups being from the Moroccan Atlas and the Siwa oasis in Egypt). This suggests a fairly significant European input to Tunisian genetics. The first people known to history in what is now Tunisia were the Berbers. Numerous civilizations and peoples have invaded, migrated to, and been assimilated into the population over the millennia, with varying influxes of population via conquest and settlement from Phoenicians/Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Arabs, Ottoman Turks, and French. Additionally, after the Reconquista and expulsion of non-Christians and Moriscos from Spain, many Spanish Moors and Jews also arrived at the end of the 15th century. Presently, nearly all Tunisians (98% of the population) are Muslim.[7] In addition to the aforementioned Jewish population there is also a small Christian population, mainly related to the descendants of the European colonists (French and Tunisian Italians)[8] Small nomadic indigenous minorities have been mostly assimilated into the larger population. [edit] Language Advert primarily in Tunisian Arabic Standard Arabic is Tunisia's official language. However, as is the case in other Arab countries, a vernacular of Arabic is spoken. In Tunisia, the dialect is Tunisian Arabic, which is closely related to Maltese.[9] There is also a small minority of speakers of Shelha, a Berber language.[10] French also has a major role in the country, despite having no official status. It is used widely in education (for example being the medium of instruction in the sciences in secondary school), the press, and in business, and most educated Tunisians are able to speak it. Many Tunisians, particularly those residing in large urban areas, readily mix Tunisian Arabic with French. [edit] Education Prior to 1958 education in Tunisia was only available to a privileged minority (14%). It is now given a high priority and accounts for 6% of GNP. A basic education for children between the ages of 6 and 16 has been compulsory since 1991. While children generally acquire Tunisian Arabic at home, when they enter school at age 6, they are taught to read and write in Standard Arabic. From the age of 8, they are taught French while English is introduced at the age of 10. Main article: List of universities in Tunisia Colleges and universities in Tunisia include: Ecole Polytechnique de Tunisie International University of Tunis Université Libre de Tunis University of Aviation and Technology, Tunisia [edit] Miscellaneous topics Communications in Tunisia Cuisine of Tunisia History of the Jews in Tunisia Tunisian Italians Military of Tunisia Transportation of Tunisia Les Scouts Tunisiens Gay rights in Tunisia Islam in Tunisia Music of Tunisia Tunisian Arabic In the movie Star Wars IV, the scenes on the planet Tatooine were filmed in Tunisia[11]. The skeleton of a krayt dragon, in the background of one of the scenes, is still there. [edit] References ^ Moustapha Kraiem. Le fascisme et les italiens de Tunisie, 1918-1939". Cahiers du CERES. Tunis, 1969. pag 96 ^ Committee to Protect Journalists 2005 Report on Tunisia. CPJ (2005). Retrieved on 2006-11-30. ^ Tunisia Governorates ^ CIA ^ Columbia Gazetteer ^ CIA ^ CIA — The World Factbook — Tunisia. Retrieved on 2007-01-13. ^ TUNISIE — Ils ont choisi le christianisme (French) (2005-07-07). Retrieved on 2006-09-09. ^ Borg and Azzopardi-Alexander Maltese (1997:xiii) "The immediate source for the Arabic vernacular spoken in Malta was Muslim Sicily, but its ultimate origin appears to have been Tunisia. In fact Maltese displays some areal traits typical of Maghrebine Arabic, although during the past eight hundred years of independent evolution it has drifted apart from Tunisian Arabic." ^ Gabsi, Zouhir (2003) 'An outline of the Shilha (Berber) vernacular of Douiret (Southern Tunisia)' [1] ^ Krayt dragon - Wookieepedia, the Star Wars Wiki [edit] External links The external links in this article may not follow Wikipedia's content policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links. Find more about Tunisia on Wikipedia's sister projects: Dictionary definitions Textbooks Quotations Source texts Images and media News stories Learning resources Tunisia travel guide from Wikitravel (French) Tunisia Government official site (Arabic) Tunisia Chamber of Deputies official site The North Africa Journal business news Tunisia Media Online government-sourced (French) (Arabic) (English) News and Views of the Maghreb AllAfrica.com — Tunisia news headline links BBC News Country Profile — Tunisia Encyclopedia Britannica, Tunisia — Country Page Tunisia on arab.net CIA World Factbook — Tunisia Open Directory Project — Tunisia directory category (French) (Arabic) (English) country info & who's who Tunisia.com guide to Tunisia Tunisia on Wookieepedia, a Wikia wiki Tunisland The Biggest Video Website For Everything Tunisian Everything about Tunisia Nawaat Tunisian online demonstration as protest against dictatorship For the liberation of Political Prisoners in Tunisia TunisiaOnline The tunisian law from Jurispedia Tunisia Daily (French) List of catholic marriages in Tunisia 1801 – 1949 (French) Tunisia Today Tunisian Community Center (the Organization of Tunisian-Americans)   Geographic locale v • d • e Countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea      Albania  Algeria  Bosnia and Herzegovina  Croatia  Cyprus  Egypt  France  Gibraltar  Greece  Israel  Italy  Lebanon  Libya  Malta  Monaco  Montenegro  Morocco  Spain  Slovenia  Syria  Tunisia  Turkey For dependent and other territories, see Dependent territory and List of unrecognized countries. v • d • e Countries of Africa West Africa Benin · Burkina Faso · Cape Verde · Côte d'Ivoire · The Gambia · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Liberia · Mali · Mauritania · Niger · Nigeria · Senegal · Sierra Leone · Togo North Africa Algeria · Egypt1 · Libya · Mauritania · Morocco · Sudan · Tunisia · Western Sahara Central Africa Angola · Burundi · Cameroon · Central African Republic · Chad · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Equatorial Guinea · Gabon · Republic of the Congo · Rwanda · São Tomé and Príncipe East Africa Burundi · Comoros · Djibouti · Eritrea · Ethiopia · Kenya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mauritius · Mozambique · Rwanda · Seychelles · Somalia · Tanzania · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe Southern Africa Botswana · Lesotho · Namibia · South Africa · Swaziland Dependencies British Indian Ocean Territory (UK) · Mayotte (France) · Réunion (France) · St. Helena2 (UK) Unrecognized Canary Islands (Spain) · Ceuta (Spain) · Madeira (Portugal) · Melilla (Spain) · Socotra (Yemen) · Puntland · Somaliland · Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic 1 Partly in Asia.  2 Includes the dependencies of Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha. v • d • e Countries and territories of the Middle East Bahrain · Egypt · Gaza Strip · Iraq · Iran · Israel · Jordan · Kuwait · Leban