Today there is little if anything left at all of ancient Carthage. And these days the only invaders are European tourists. Still, benefiting as all people do whose history is deeply textured, the Tunisians are proud of their past life as Carthagians, and further maintain a culture that reveals the threads of all invading forces. The French were the last to arrive and the last to leave, which has meant that Tunisia harbors some substantial French influences. A modern democratic country with two official languages, French and Arabic, the people of Tunisia nevertheless view themselves as Africans, as well as Arabs.

Since its days as Carthage, Tunisia has had a great many occupiers, and the best of their cultures has infused Tunisia with its beauty, grace, and uncommon hospitality. Furthermore, Tunisia is a nation with a vision. In recent history the Tunisian government has made concerted efforts toward a humanist approach to social realities. According to enlightened and progressive, but hardly original interpretations of Islam, Tunisia supports the values of openness and the human right to live and choose their beliefs. In Tunisia, journalists are allowed to do their work, women to pursue self-reliance, and Tunisia’s Christian and Jewish communities to follow their respective religions.

Tunisia is the active host of the arts. Festivals of international film, traditional and contemporary music, and Tunisian culture and history take place each year to the delight of the many local and international attendees. The cultural and intellectual life of the country is promoted through these and as well by Tunisia’s many museums, academies, and universities, which welcome the research and participation of artists and scholars throughout the world. Famed among such institutions is the Bardo Museum at El Djem, which houses one of the finest collections of Roman art in existence.

Tunisa is bordered by Algeria and Libya, and contains some heavily populated urban centers: a southern tip that points toward the Sahara desert, and mountainous areas inhabited by nomadic farmers. Both land and people attract a good number of Western visitors each year. After agriculture, tourism makes up the larger portion of the Tunisian economy.

Perched between sea and sky, the sun bleached towns and villages of Tunisia hug the coastal edge of northern Africa, and invite visitors to paint themselves onto an already dazzling canvas of bright blue doors, flowering red geraniums and purple bougainvilleas.