Tunis
Tunis (Arabic: تونس ⓘ) is the capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. As of 2020, it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casablanca and Algiers) and the eleventh-largest in the Arab world.
Tunis
تونس | |
|---|---|
From top, left to right: Avenue Habib Bourguiba, Avenue 14 – Janvier 2011, the statue of Ibn Khaldoun, view of Tunis from Sidi Belhassen mountain, view of Sidi Bou Said, view of Tunis in Night. | |
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Flag Coat of arms | |
| Coordinates: 36°48′23″N 10°10′54″E | |
| Country | Tunisia |
| Governorate | Tunis Governorate |
| Delegation(s) | El Bab Bhar, Bab Souika, Cité El Khadra, Djebel Jelloud, El Kabaria, El Menzah, El Omrane, El Omrane Superieur, El Ouardia, Ettahrir, Ezzouhour, Hraïria, Medina, Séjoumi, Sidi El Bechir |
| Established | 698 AD |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Souad Abderrahim (Ennahda) |
| Area | |
| • Capital city | 104 km2 (40 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 2,668 km2 (1,030 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 41 m (135 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 4 m (13 ft) |
| Population (2023-01-01) | |
| • Capital city | 599,368 |
| • Density | 5,794/km2 (15,010/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 2,671,882 |
| Demonym(s) | Arabic: تونسي Tounsi French: Tunisois |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| Postal code | 1xxx, 2xxx |
| Calling code | 71 |
| ISO 3166 code | TN-11, TN-12, TN-13 and TN-14 |
| geoTLD | .tn |
| Website | Official website |
Situated on the Gulf of Tunis, behind the Lake of Tunis and the port of La Goulette (Ḥalq il-Wād), the city extends along the coastal plain and the hills that surround it. At its core lies the Medina, a World Heritage Site. East of the Medina, through the Sea Gate (also known as the Bab el Bhar and the Porte de France), begins the modern part of the city called "Ville Nouvelle", traversed by the grand Avenue Habib Bourguiba (often referred to by media and travel guides as "the Tunisian Champs-Élysées"), where the colonial-era buildings provide a clear contrast to smaller, older structures. Further east by the sea lie the suburbs of Carthage, La Marsa, and Sidi Bou Said.
As the capital of the country, Tunis is the focus of Tunisian political and administrative life and also the center of the country's commercial and cultural activities.