The flattest country in the Maghreb with contrasting relief
This seahorse-shaped country has its belly facing the sea, its head in the greenery and its tail buried in the sand. In terms of the Maghreb region as a whole, Tunisia looks like a flat country with its back to the sea, while the high plains of Algeria are separated from it by a mountainous barrier. Its average altitude of 600 m contrasts with that of Algeria (900 m) and Morocco (800 m). A double mountain range (the Tellian Atlas and the Saharan Atlas) converges in the northeast of the country. The Saharan Atlas slopes down towards Cap Bon and the Gulf of Hammamet. The Tellian Atlas descends steadily along the northern coastline and the Medjerda valley, until it reaches Tunisia's eastern coastline between Cap Blanc and Ghar el Melh. Here we find the small Kroumirie mountain perched at an altitude of 1,000 m, the Nefza (600 m) and Mogods (500 m) mountains. Tunisia's highest point is Jebel Chambi, at 1,544 meters, located in the far west of the country. Some winters, snow covers the peaks. A few mountainous islands, south of the Atlas Mountains, are scattered over the plains: djebel Salloun (1,373 m), djebel Mrhila (1,378 m). "Djebel" is the name given to the massifs or mountains of North Africa.
Between these mountain ranges and the coast, there are three contrasting types of relief and climate. The Haut Tell, green on the west and east coasts, covers the entire northern part. From west to east as far as Cap Bon, limestone mountain ranges alternate with steep plateaus: Mont de Tébessa (1,385 m), Djebel Serj (1,357 m), Djebel Semmama (1,314 m), Djebel Zaghouan (1,295 m) and Djebel Sidi Abd er-Rahmane in Cap Bon (637 m).
Central Tunisia, a region of high and low steppes, ends at the coast with the Sahel. Finally, southern Tunisia, bordered to the north by the region of salt lakes known as "chotts", is a land of wide-open deserts, but also of lush palm groves huddled around rare waterholes.
A seaside coastline but also wild
The Tunisian coastline extends over 1,298 kilometers, including 600 kilometers of beaches. There are over 36,000 hectares of coastal dunes, most of which are located in the north and northeast of the country. The eastern part of the coastline (from Hammamet to Djerba) is the most popular with tourists. From Hammamet to Sousse, the long sandy beaches are home to increasingly important seaside resorts, such as Hergla (1,200 ha north of Sousse, with limited accommodation capacity, but with entertainment and thalassotherapy centers, a golf course and a traditional village...), Yasmine Hammamet and Mahdia. As you'd expect, the coast is not wild and much damaged...
From Sousse to Sfax lies the Sahel region: a kingdom of olive and almond trees. In the north of Tunisia, on the coast from Bizerte to Tabarka, the landscape is wilder, hemmed in by cliffs and beaches. Called the "Coral Coast" in the Tabarka region, this is the realm of underwater fishing.
There are five main gulfs in Tunisia. The Gulf of Tunis stretches for almost 150 kilometers between Cap Sidi Ali El Mekki and Cap Bon. The wide Gulf of Hammamet, south of the Cap Bon peninsula, is bounded to the south by Monastir and to the north by Cap Ras Maamoura, not far from the town of Hammamet, from which it takes its name. The tourist towns of Hammamet, Nabeul, Sousse and Monastir border this gulf. Just beyond the Gulf of Hammamet, in central-eastern Tunisia, the crescent-shaped Gulf of Monastir stretches for some forty kilometers. Narrow, it shelters a rich and fragile ecosystem with a vast aquatic fauna. The Kuriats archipelago is located here. Fishing is very active here. The 90-kilometer Gulf of Gabès stretches from Chaffar, south of Sfax, to Djerba (Cap Ras Tourgueness). Finally, the 50,000-hectare Gulf of Boughrara resembles a lagoon, as it is almost entirely enclosed by Djerba to the north. However, it is in fact a gulf, as a double passage between the peninsulas of Jorf (to the west) and Zarzis (to the east) links it to the Mediterranean Sea.
Rivers, wadis and water bodies
Tunisia's two major rivers are the Oued El Kebir, which becomes the Oued Meliane as it crosses the Fah plain before flowing into the Gulf of Tunis, and above all the Medjerda, the country's main waterway. Born in Algeria, it flows for 350 kilometers through Tunisia.
These two major waterways, whose course is regulated by dams, supply power stations and irrigate the fertile Tell plains (Kef and Kasserine regions). There are, of course, other watercourses known as "oueds", temporary torrents. They flow not into the sea, but into closed basins called "sebkhas", forming a lake which, when the water evaporates, is nothing more than a flat expanse covered with a thick layer of salt. Chott El-Jérid, in the south-west of the country, is Tunisia's largest salt lake, dry most of the year. A straight road (the GP16), some 100 km long, from Tozeur to Kebili, crosses this lunar desert, where you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of mirages.
Water from the north is the country's main source, while the Sahel region to the south is arid. The sebkha Sidi El Hani is endoreic, meaning that it does not flow into a sea, but remains enclosed. In this part of Tunisia, which accounts for 62% of the country's surface area, only 16% of water resources are delivered. Nevertheless, it is here that underground resources are found.
Among the main bodies of water (lakes, lagoons, sebkhas) are Lac de Bizerte (12,000 ha), Lac Ichkeul (10,000 ha), the Ghat El Melh lagoon and the Ariana sebkha, a 5,000-hectare basin north of Lake Tunis, separated by the La Soukra plain and cut off from the Gulf of Tunis by a coastal dune between Raoued and Gammarth, Sebkha Séjoumi (basin 3,900 ha west of Tunis).
The Sahara, fascinating desert
The south of Tunisia plunges into the Sahara, of which it encompasses a small part. From a landscape point of view, this is the most fascinating part of Tunisia. If you decide to forgo the comforts of your seaside hotel for a few days to follow an expedition into the desert, you'll understand that its three, four or five stars are nothing compared to the myriads of stars that the magical desert sky has in store for you. A landscape of shifting dunes shaped by the wind and rocky areas, the desert leaves no one indifferent. Numerous travel agencies (both in Tunisia and in France) offer 4x4 excursions, stays in nomad camps and even camel treks, most of which are organized from Douz. In the desert, the simoun (or semoum) blows in strong gusts. It pushes back the limits of the desert, sending up sprays of sand. When it catches a caravan on the move, it forces the camels to baraquer (lie down) and the men to seek shelter from their animals and take refuge under their chèche (long cotton scarf). Never venture into the desert alone.
Emotion guaranteed at the sight of an oasis
The rustle of water running through the seguias, the freshness of an unexpected garden - the greenery of oases is always welcome. This spontaneous plant formation, nestled in the hollow of a wadi, offers a striking contrast between the bare space of the desert, seemingly stretching to infinity, and this fine green trickle. At first glance, all oases look alike, but they're not. Each one has its own specificity, even if they are all built on the same model. Most villages live outside the oasis, traditionally reserved for fruit and vegetable growing. The palm grove is the other unforgettable aspect of the Tunisian desert: spread along the oasis water table, it requires constant irrigation. The largest oases are found in Nefta, Gabès and Tozeur. But there are also important oases in Douz, Gafsa, Tamerza... If oasis rhymes with sand and desert, there are several exceptions in southern Tunisia. Clinging to the sides of mountains, their strangeness is worth the detour: Chébika, Tamerza and Midès, three little paradises perched high above the sea. As for Gabès, it's the only place in Tunisia to combine oasis, desert, sea and mountains. Thanks to its privileged location, this town should soon enjoy the same fate as its tourist counterparts... Let's make the most of its authenticity while there's still time!
