-- Photo courtesy of Manfred Leiter.

Tunisia is considered to be one of the most liberal nations in the Islamic world, especially in terms of the rights accorded to women. The country has been influenced throughout its history by waves of immigrants - primarily Phonecian, Arab, Berber, African, Turkish, and European -- giving rise to a unique Tunisian culture. The official language of Tunisia is Arabic, although the use of French is widespread, reflecting the country's French colonial history.
A number of international festivals are held annually in Tunisia, celebrating music, dancing, film, and history. In addition, numerous archaeological sites and museums are located throughout the country, including ruins at the ancient Roman city of Carthage. The prestigious Bardo Museum in Tunis houses an impressive collection of Tunisia's world-renowned mosaics.

-- Photo courtesy of Manfred Leiter.

Although it is the smallest country in North Africa, Tunisia has a remarkable range of geographical variety, from Mediterranean coastline, to the fertile mountain region, to the Sahara desert. One of Tunisia's six National Parks is a UNESCO-protected biosphere reserve. The country is a favorite destination for European tourists.
More than 20 percent of the Tunisian government's annual budget goes to education. After a major reorganization of the university system in 1988, Tunisia now houses seven universities: The University of Tunis I, II, and III, the University of the South, the University of the Center, Ezzitouna Islamic University, and the University of Manouba.

Since 1981, 43 Fulbright grants, including nine renewals, have been awarded to U.S. scholars to lecture and/or conduct research in Tunisia. Previous Fulbright Scholars to Tunisia have been involved in the fields of American literature, law, physics, astronomy, political science, linguistics, business administration, medical science, communications and journalism.

CIES encourages interested applicants to make use of the following links to complement their research into potential opportunities available in Tunisia. Please also feel free to use the contact information to get in touch with CIES program personnel.

U.S. Embassy in Tunis, Tunisia
http://usembassy.state.gov/tunis/
The U.S. Embassy in Tunisia website includes information on trade between the U.S. and Tunisia, an American Citizen Services section, and links to current events articles in English, Arabic, and French

Contact information for the Embassy of Tunisia in the U.S.
http://www.worldrover.com/entry/tunisia_embassy.html
Contact information for the Tunisian Embassy in Washington D.C. Also includes links to vital statistics, a map, and a brief history.

Embassy World website
http://www.embassyworld.com/maps/Maps_Of_Tunisia.html
Links to a variety of standard and interactive maps of Tunisia.

Tunisia Online
http://www.tunisiaonline.com/ (in English) or http://www.tunisie.com/ (in French)
Site with information and statistics on Tunisia's history, government, society, culture, economy, women's issues, and extensive news updates.

Tourism Tunisia
http://www.tourismtunisia.com/
Site of the Tunisian National Tourism Office. Contains information on Tunisia's museums, festivals, artwork, as well as city-specific information.

Arab Net - Tunisia
http://www.arab.net/tunisia/tunisia_contents.html
Information on Tunisia's history, geography, business, culture, government, transportation, and tourist industry.

The Africa Guide
http://www.africaguide.com/country/tunisia/index.htm
Visitor information, with good information on books related to Tunisia.

Lonely Planet
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/africa/tunisia/
Traveler's information on Tunisia, including sections on events, activities, culture, and history.

World Travel Guide
http://www.worldtravelguide.net/data/tun/tun.asp
Travel site including information on Tunisia's history and government, and the country's social profile and business profile.

U.S. Department of State
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/bgn/index.cfm?docid=5439
Background information on Tunisia including political conditions, foreign relations, relations with the U.S., history, people, government, economy, and business.

Higher Education in Tunisia
http://www.universites.tn/
In English, French, and Arabic. Includes information on Tunisia's 7 universities, as well as research trends, higher education statistics, and the Tunisian Ministry of Education.

The Tunisian Scientific Society
http://pami.uwaterloo.ca/~karray/tss.html
Information on the Tunisian Scientific Society (TSS), including conferences, activities, newsletters, and publications.

American Institute for Maghrib Studies
http://www.la.utexas.edu/research/mena/aims/index.html
A U.S. based institute with overseas research centers in Tunis, Tunisia and Tangier, Morocco, dedicated to the study of North Africa. Link to an online version of The Journal of North African Studies.

La Presse (in French) and Essahafa (in Arabic)
http://www.tunisieinfo.com/indexpresse.html
Online daily newspapers from Tunisia

La Télévision Tunisienne
http://www.tunisiatv.com
Downloadable news stories, variety programs, and sports news from Tunisian television, in Arabic, French, and English.

Radio Tunis
http://radiotunis.com/
Live audio broadcasts and music from Tunisian radio, as well as downloadable news and radio programs.

Réalités
http://www.tunisieinfo.com/indexrealites.html
In French. Online news magazine from Tunisia.

All Africa
http://allafrica.com/tunisia/
Top news stories from a variety of sources pertaining to Tunisia.

Al Shaab
http://alarabnews.com/alshaab/
In Arabic. Online newspaper covering regional news.

Asharq Al-Awsat
http://www.asharqalawsat.com/pcdaily/06-11-2001/
In Arabic. The Arabic international newspaper.

Tunisia Find
http://www.tunisiafind.com/
In French. Website with links to chat rooms, bulletin boards, announcements, and other information about Tunisia.

Arab Chat
http://chat.arab.net/
Chat server with public and private chat rooms for Online discussions in Arabic or English.

The Countries and Peoples of Arabia Message Boards
http://www.hejleh.com/countries/poll.html
Very active message boards and a link to Arabia Chat.

Tunisia Travel Pictures
http://www.tropicalisland.de/tunisia.html
Photographs of various destinations in Tunisia.

Africa Focus - Sights and Sounds of a Continent
http://africafocus.library.wisc.edu/
An Online collection of photographs and digitized sound recordings from every country in Africa, hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries and the University of Wisconsin-Madison African Studies Program.

Arab Social Science Research
http://www.assr.org/
A collection of Online research sources for the Arab World indexed by country, sources, and topics. Includes virtual libraries and links to social science research centers throughout the world.

BBC Arabic Service
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/arabic/news/
In Arabic. BBC news with audio feed.

U.S. Department of State - Middle East and North Africa
http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/nea/nea.htm
U.S. news, reports, and policy relating to the Middle East and North Africa. Also includes links to numerous Online journals.

The Countries and Peoples of Arabia
http://www.hejleh.com/countries/index.html
A huge list of links pertaining to the Arab world, including very active Message Boards.

Islamic Studies
http://www.uga.edu/islam A well-balanced site with articles and resources pertaining to Islam, drawn primarily from scholarly research and regional Islamic sources. Contains information on Islam's history, sacred texts, art, architecture, and place in the modern world.