M E STU 10 Lecture 6: Tunisia_ The Birthplace of Arab Uprisings

• School: Berkeley
• Department: Middle Eastern Studies
• Course: M E STU 10
• Professor: Mahmood Monshipouri

Document Summary

Steven a. cook: life is significantly different for more than nine million people (out of a population of 11 million) who live outside tunis and its environs. Many of the people of inland tunisia live in squalid towns and villages. In kasserine (thala), the security forces went on their worst rampage, killing 22 people. Population: based on the most recent estimates, the current population is 11,571,864 million. Major religion: islam (2% are christians and jews) Life expectancy: 73 years (men) and 77. 8 years (women) Main exports: agricultural products, textiles, and oil. Occupied over the centuries by phoenicians, romans, arabs, spaniard, ottoman turks, and finally by the french. French invasion in 1881 and the creation of a protectorate. Tunisia gained its independence in 1956 by the french. The country"s first president, habib bourguiba (1956-1987), dominate the country for 31 years, repressing islamic fundamentalism and establishing rights for women unmatched by any other arab nation.