Tunisia is the northern point of Africa. Its coastline on the Mediterranean Sea made it the subject of many empires throughout history. The Phoenicians founded Carthage in Tunisia in the 8th century BC. Carthage became a major world power fighting Rome in the Punic Wars until they were finally defeated in 146 BC. The area then became a Roman province for over 500 years.
In the 7th century the Arabs invaded Tunisia and brought with them the religion of Islam. Today nearly 99% of Tunisians are Muslim. Tunisia remained a center of Arab culture and became part of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. Then in 1881, the French took control and remained in control until Tunisia became an independent country in 1956.
