Destination Guides & Maps - Tunisia

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Capital City: Tunis (1.8million)

Language: Arabic is the official language, with French still widely spoken. English and German is commonly spoken along the coastal resorts.

Population: 9,705,102

Area: 155,360 sq km (59,984 sq miles)

Currency: 2.06 Tunisian dinars to the pound. One dinar is divided into 1,000 millimes. You cannot buy dinar outside Tunisia, nor can you take it out when you leave. Only 1/3 of the total amount that you have changed into dinar can be changed back into sterling at the end of your trip, so budget accordingly, and keep your exchange receipts.

Traveller's cheques are cashed in banks, hotels, and bureaux de change. A small commission charge is common. Notes are changed in accordance with a fixed exchange rate and no commission should be charged. Reliable banks include the Banque Internationale Arabe de Tunisie (BIAT) and the Banque de l'Habitat.

Credit cards are widely accepted, and the easiest way to withdraw cash is at one of the many 24-hour ATMs, found in all major cities and resorts.

Tipping: A service charge is included in tourist restaurants, but rarely in more out-of-the-way establishments.

Visas: UK citizens do not require a visa for visits of up to three months.

Geography: Cupped by Algeria to the west and Libya to the southeast, Tunisia juts into the Mediterranean, with almost half the country bordering the sea. The most populous area of the country, the coast, is Tunisia's fruit bowl. The most productive area is the Cap Bon peninsula, where oranges, lemons, vineyards, olives and roses can flourish well away from the harsh Saharan winds.

Northwest Tunisia is the most mountainous region of the country, with the highest peak, Djebal Chaâmbi rising 1,544 metres out of a rugged, barren region known as the Grande Dorsal range. Much of the north is forested with pine and cork oak, with the Oued Medjerda river valley providing fertile agricultural land for growing cereal crops.

Central Tunisia is characterised by barren steppe and vast salt lakes (chotts) which dry out in the summer to produce strange mirages. Chott el Jerid, the largest salt lake, has several lush oases and olive groves around the perimeter.

Further south, the tip of the Great Eastern Erg (Grand Erg Oriental) is Tunisia's very own piece of the Sahara - endless rocky wastes interrupted by vast wind-sculpted sand dunes.

Religion: 98% Muslim. 2% Christian, Jewish and other. Alcohol is permitted in tourist restaurants.

Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, is a period of abstinence from sex, food, drink and cigarettes, from dawn to dusk. This period shifts every year, according to the Muslim lunar calendar (begins 6 November in 2002, 27 October in 2003).

Visiting Tunisia during Ramadan will give the tourist a unique insight into the culture, but may also be limiting, as many local bars and restaurants are closed during the day. Resort facilities - restaurants and shops - operate throughout Ramadan. Tunisia is the only Muslim country where observing Ramadan is not a legal obligation.

Dress code: Bikinis, shorts and shoulder-less tops are permitted along the coast, and hotels usually allow topless bathing. Men and women are required to cover their legs and upper arms when visiting religious sites, and you may feel uncomfortable if you travel inland without doing the same.

Time: Tunisia is one hour ahead of the UK from November to February. Otherwise there is no time difference.

Electricity: You will need a two-pin adaptor for all UK electrical appliances.

Emergencies: Police: 197, Fire: 198, Ambulance: 190

Telephone: Dialling from the UK: 00 216 7 + city code + 6 digit number

Dialling mobile phones from the UK: 00 216 98

Tunis city code: 1

Directory Enquiries: 120 (business), 121 (private).

Making calls through the hotel operator will be costly. It is better to go to a kiosk.

Post: Main post offices are open from 8am to 12.30pm, and from 3pm to 6pm. Stamps can be bought at hotels, post offices and tobacconists.

Business hours: Shops generally open from 8am to 1 pm, and then from 3pm to 6pm, Sunday to Thursday. Shops are only open mornings on Friday (holy day) and Saturday. Banks are open 8.30am to 11.30am, and then from 3pm to 4.30pm.

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