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Tunisia (, in Bereber: Tunis) is the capital of the Republic of Tunisia continuously since the Almohades gave it that title in 1159 and the Hafsidas dynasty confirmed its status in 1228. It is also the capital of the homonymous governorate since its creation in 1956. It is at the centre of the country's industrial, commercial, cultural and political activities. It is located to the north, at the end of the Gulf of Tunisia, following the lake of Tunisia or lake of the Behira, between the coastal plain and the surrounding hills. It is linked by a channel to the port of La Goleta (La Goulette, in French). According to the 2004 census, there are 728,453 inhabitants (about 10 per cent of the state population), called Tunisians, which makes it the most populated city in the country, increasing to 2,380,500 people in its metropolitan area.

To the north of the city is the green mass of the Belvedere, and to the south-west, the hill of the Jellaz cemetery. To the east is the Medina of Tunisia, the center of the city, composed of streets and covered passageways, with many odors and variety of colors from the shops. The modern city (Nouvelle ville) is reached by crossing the gate of France, formerly called the "gate of the sea." It is crossed by the great Bourguiba Avenue (considered by many as the Tunisian Champs Elysées), whose colonial-style buildings of early contrast with the Arab-style architecture of the ancient city, which came to be called the "city of the indigenous."

The patron saint of the city is Sidi Mahrez, who named a mosque in the city.

Toponymy
Tunisia is the transcript in Spanish of the Arabic word that is pronounced as "tunus," "tunes," or "tunis." The three words are quoted by the Arab geographer al-Rumi Yaqout in his Mu'jam al-Bûldan. The word, although it is a transcript that derives from a Berber dialect in French, and means "to rest or to camp," can be transcribed in the sense of "establishing," "lying down" or "spending the night." Taking into account the variations in the precise meaning in time and space, the name of Tunisia possibly means "night camp," "camp" or "stop." In Tunisia there are also references to the Old Rome of names of nearby cities, such as Tuniza (now, El Kala), Thunusuda (now Meskine Sidi), Thinissue (now Bouregba Bir), Thunisa (now Ras Jebel). The city appears in the Peutingerian Tabula as Thuni.

History

Ancient history

The existence of the city is attested by the sources from the al. C. The Berbers founded the people, whose original name was Tunes, in the 2nd millennium a. C. It was occupied by the number, who gave in to Phoenicians from Tyre land near the town, in which they founded the city of Cartago. With the rapid development of this and the annexation of the adjacent territories