Population
With an average population density of 71 residents per km2, Tunisia is one of North Africa's most densely
populated countries. However, regional differences are
significant, and settlements are largely concentrated in the
country's northern coastal areas, while the middle and
southern regions are sparsely populated. Poverty and
unemployment in rural areas have led to significant labor
migration and immigration to the cities in the north since
the 1960s (in 2019, 68 percent of the population lived in
cities). The largest cities are Tunis (747,200 residents,
2014), Sfax (280,700) and Sousse (230,300).
Language
The official language is Arabic. French plays a major
role both in teaching and in mass media. In the spoken
language, the difference between hate speech dialects in the
north and badaw dialects in the south is very large. A small
Berber-speaking minority is found in central Tunisia and
Jarba.
Religion
Almost all Tunisians (99.5%) are Muslims, the vast
majority of whom are Sunni. Islam is the country's state
religion.
Tunisia was reached by Islam in the second half of the
600s. General Uqba ibn Nafi, who was in the service of the
Umayyads, conquered the country and founded the city of
Kairouan 670, a city that after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem
is considered by many Sunni to be the fourth most sacred
city of Islam, making it an important pilgrimage site.
According to
Countryaah data, the country also has a small group (less than half a
percent) of Shia Muslims. Sufic orders play a certain role
in popular piety. Bahai is represented in the country with a
few hundred members, but the government sees it as a
heretical sect in Islam, which means that they are not
allowed to practice their religion publicly but only
privately.
Although the country was a French protectorate for 75
years, the Christian presence remained marginal. The
government recognizes all Christian and Jewish religious
organizations that existed in the country before 1956, the
year when the country became independent. Today, it is
estimated that just under 23,000 of the country's residents
are Christians, the vast majority of whom are born abroad.
The oldest and largest church, with about 20,000 members, is
the Catholic, established in the country in 1219. The
Catholic Church runs twelve churches, nine schools, several
libraries and two clinics. The number of practicing
Protestants is estimated at 2,000. In Tunis there is also a
Reformed church and an Anglican church, each with a few
hundred members. Judaism is the country's third largest
religion with nearly 2,000 members. One third of these live
in and around the capital, while the rest live in Jarba.
According to the constitution, the country must be
faithful to the teachings of Islam. The office of president
is only open to Muslim men. The constitution and other laws
guarantee freedom of conscience and free practice of
religion as long as it does not interfere with public order,
which means attempting to enlist Muslims into another
religion, which is thus prohibited. Despite this ban, it is
permissible for Muslims to convert to another religion. The
government provides financial support to mosques and pays
the wages of the imams. According to a 1988 law, only
persons appointed by the government have the right to
conduct activities in mosques. Prior to January 2011, the
mosques were open only for Friday prayers and approved
religious ceremonies such as wedding ceremonies and
funerals. Nowadays they can be open daily. Likewise, local
conservative groups can replace the imams appointed by the
government with more conservative eg. Salafists. The Jewish
group has the government's permission to practice their
religion freely and the government pays the big-rabbi's
salary. In addition, the government guarantees security
around the country's synagogues, and to a certain extent
provides financial support for their maintenance and repair.
Existing civil law has a French model, but judges often
follow Sharia law regarding customary law in family and
inheritance disputes. Previous restrictions on the wearing
of sectarian clothing have been removed. Nowadays, e.g. the
universities themselves decide to what extent women may or
may not wear niqab. In the public school, which is secular,
the teaching of Islam is compulsory, but at the upper
secondary level there is also teaching in Judaism and
Christianity. The Jews have the right to run private
schools, and the children in them have the right to go in
these half school days, while the other half is to be spent
in a secular school.
The following days are national holidays: Islamic New
Year, Prophet Muhammad's birth, Id al-fitr and Id al-adha.
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