Tunisia's list of visitor attractions would do justice to a country twice its size. From the stone-age settlements near the oasis at Kebili to the space-age sets of Star Wars (parts of which were filmed at Matmata), its lush-to-lunar landscapes have seen more action than the New World nations combined. Spend a few days here and you'll agree: daydreaming at the famous Roman ruins of Carthage and El-Jem is almost as good as stepping into Virgil's Aeneid and knocking one back with Dido, while a day's dawdling on the north coast's beaches will leave you wondering why Hannibal ever left.

Tourism remains very low-key throughout most of the country, though if you're looking for resort life you can find that too. Be it Tunis' French-Arab culture collage or the Sahara's unthinkably massive expanse, you're going to be impressed with what you find in Tunisia. After all, they've had 3000 years to prepare for your visit.

Full name : Republic of Tunisia
Capital : Tunis (pop 1.5 million)
Area : 163,610 sq km (63,170 sq mi)
Population : 10.1 million
People : Arab-Berber (98%), European and Jewish
Language : Arabic, French, some English and German
Religion : Islam, Christianity, Judaism
Government : Republic
President : Zine el-Abidine ben Ali
Prime Minister : Mohamed Ghannouchi

GDP : US$82.85 billion
GDP per head : US$8200
Growth rate : 4.2%
Inflation rate : 2.1%
Major industries : Petroleum, mining, tourism, textiles, footwear, food, beverages
Trading partners : EU, North African countries, Asia, US