While the vast majority of modern Tunisians identify themselves as Arabs, they are mainly the descendants of Berbers, and to a lesser extent of Semitic peoples (Phoenicians/Canaanites, Arabs): less than 20% of the genetic material (Y-chromosome analysis) comes from the Middle East [1]. In addition people from numerous civilizations that have invaded, migrated to, and been assimilated into the population over the millennia. The Arabs (Arabic: عرب) are a heterogeneous ethnic group who are predominantly speakers of the Arabic language, mainly found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. ... The Berbers (also called Imazighen, free men, singular Amazigh) are an ethnic group indigenous to Northwest Africa, speaking the Berber languages of the Afroasiatic family. ... Phoenicia was an ancient civilization in the north of ancient Canaan, with its heartland along the coastal plain of what is now Lebanon and Syria. ... For other uses, see Canaan (disambiguation). ... The Arabs (Arabic: عرب ) are an ethnic group found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...

Recorded history in Tunisia begins with the arrival of Phoenicians, who founded Carthage and other North African settlements in the 8th century BC. Carthage became a major sea power, clashing with Rome for control of the Mediterranean until it was defeated and captured by the Romans in 146 B.C. The Romans ruled in North Africa until the 5th century when the Roman Empire fell and Tunisia was invaded by European tribes, including the Vandals. The Muslim conquest in the 7th century transformed Tunisia culturally and linguistically, with settlements from around the Arab and Ottoman world, including numbers of Spanish Moors and Jews at the end of the 15th century. Tunisia became a center of Arab culture and learning and was assimilated into the Turkish Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. It was a French protectorate from 1881 until independence in 1956, and retains close political, economic, and cultural ties with France. Phoenician sarcophagus found in Cadiz, Spain; now in Archaeological Museum of Cádiz. ... Ruins of Roman-era Carthage For other uses, see Carthage (disambiguation). ...  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent. ... The Roman Empire is the name given to both the imperial domain developed by the city-state of Rome and also the corresponding phase of that civilization, characterized by an autocratic form of government. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century and created a state in North Africa, centered on the city of Carthage. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... The Arabs (Arabic: عرب) are a heterogeneous ethnic group who are predominantly speakers of the Arabic language, mainly found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. ... Motto: دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem: Ottoman imperial anthem At the height of its power (1683) Capital Söğüt (1299-1326) Bursa (1326-1365) Edirne (1365-1453) Constantinople (Istanbul) (1453-1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 Osman I  - 1918–1922 Mehmed VI... Moorish Ambassador to Queen Isabella I of Castile The Moors were the medieval Muslim inhabitants of al-Andalus (the Iberian Peninsula including present day Spain and Portugal) and the Maghreb and western Africa, whose culture is often called Moorish. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Nearly all Tunisians (98% of the population) are Muslim. There has been a Jewish population on the southern island of Djerba for 2000 years, and there remains a small Jewish population in Tunis which is descended from those who fled Spain in the late 15th century. There is a small indigenous Christian population.[2] Small nomadic indigenous minorities have been mostly assimilated into the larger population. Djerba [1] (also transliterated as Jerba, Jarbah or Girba جزيرة جربة) is the largest island off North Africa, located in the Gulf of Gabes off the coast of Tunisia. ... A Christian is a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, referred to as the Christ. ... Communities of nomadic people move from place to place, rather than settling down in one location. ...

Demographics of Tunisia, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

Population: 10,074,951 (July 2005 est.) Image File history File links File links The following pages link to this file: Demographics of Tunisia ... Image File history File links File links The following pages link to this file: Demographics of Tunisia ... Possible meanings: Faro Airport (Portugal) Federation of Astrobiology Organizations Financial Aid Office Food and Agriculture Organization This page expands a three-character combination which might be any or all of: an abbreviation, an acronym, an initialism, a word in English, or a word in another language. ...

Age structure:
0-14 years: 25.3% (male 1,316,308; female 1,234,309)
15-64 years: 68.1%(male 3,437,880; female 3,418,591)
65 years and over: 6.6% (male 321,287; female 346,576) (2005 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.99% (2005 est.)

Birth rate: 15.5 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate: 5.09 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 24.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.89 years
male: 73.2 years
female: 76.71 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.75 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Tunisian(s)
adjective: Tunisian

Ethnic groups: Arab and Berbers 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1%

Religions: Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1%

Languages: Tunisian Arabic (Modern Standard Arabic is official); French (especially in commerce); several Berber languages are also spoken: Shelha, Ghadamès, Nafusi, Sened (may be extinct) and Djerbi; according to the 1998 Ethnologue report, about 26,000 Berbers in Djerba and Matmata speak Djerbi Tunisian Arabic is a Maghrebi dialect of the Arabic language, spoken by some 9 million people. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Berber languages (or Tamazight) are a group of closely related languages mainly spoken in Morocco and Algeria. ... Shelha is a native language spoken by the Berbers in Tunisia, particularly in the southern region. ... Sened is a small town in central Tunisia northwest of Gabes, and is also the name of the extinct Berber language that was spoken there and at the nearby town of Tmagourt until the mid-twentieth century. ... Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International (formerly known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics), a Christian linguistic service organization which studies lesser-known languages primarily to provide the speakers with Bibles in their native language. ... Djerba [1] (also transliterated as Jerba, Jarbah or Girba جزيرة جربة) is the largest island off North Africa, located in the Gulf of Gabes off the coast of Tunisia. ... For the New Zealand town, see Matamata The Hotel Sidi Driss, a traditional Berber troglodyte underground building in the village of Matmata, Tunisia. ...

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 74.2%
male: 84%
female: 64.4% (2003 est.)