The principal river is the Medjerda, rising in Algeria near Suk Ahras and flowing into the Mediterranean near Porto Farina. It is 228 m. long; its chief affluent is Wad Mellegue, which joins it on the plains of Suk-el-Arba; Wad Siliana brings it the drainage of central Tunisia. In flood time the volume of the Medjerda may be i,000 cu. metres; in drought it may go down to i cu. metre.
This river has formed large alluvial plains, filling up the ancient Gulf of Utica and joining up a series of shore islets. The rivers of the eastern slope (Wad Zeroud, Wad Merguellil) dry up in basins of the lowland which communicate with the sea only when rains are exceptionally heavy.
The north coast is much dissected with outstanding points: C. Negre, C. Serrat, C. Blanc, Ras Sidi Ali el Mekki. Standing out to sea is the island of Galite; the Lake of Bizerta has kept its depth because the alluvium is deposited in the Garra Aghkel above it. The Lake of Tunis, on the other hand, is very shallow. Beyond the Cap Bon peninsula, the eastern limit of the Gulf of Tunis, the east coast is low and sandy, bordered by lagoons in several places, and shelving slowly into shallow water around the Kerkennah archipelago and Gerba island.
Flora and Fauna.-These are Mediterranean, 1,350 out of 2,000 plant species occurring also in Italy. Forest, scrub and steppe are the characteristic formations. The cork oak and the zean oak are dominant in the north and, in Kroumirie, form com pact blocks (160,000 hectares). The woods of the centre are far less compact, and the Aleppo pine (850,00o hectares) and the ever green oak are the chief forms. In the south one finds, chiefly, the juniper and the wild olive, with some Aleppo pines and pistachio nuts. Wad-Tala has a forest-steppe with gum trees (Acacia tortila), the most northerly occurrence of a species found from Senegal to Arabia. The scrub is usually degraded forest, and its most characteristic tree is Zizyphus lotus, the spiny jujube tree. The steppe is covered by grass-like types such as the alfa. Of the Salsolaceae alfa covers about 1,500,000 hectares.
The mammalian fauna is mainly eurasiatic, but among reptiles and fishes some Africano-Brazilian forms persist. In general, the fauna is much like that of Algeria, with European species, espe cially in the forests of cork oak. Cervus elaphus barbarus (stag) is found in Kroumirie and the sleeved mouflon in the mountains.
People.-The population (1931 census) is 2,410,692, of whom 2,159,151 are Muslim, 56,248 are Jews and 195,293 Europeans. Almost everyone, native and European, lives in towns or on the coast ; the interior is almost empty. The Muslim are mostly Berber mixed with Arab, but Berber speech has died out, though it survives in Morocco, Algeria and Tripolitania. The population of Gerba belong to the same Muslim group as the Mozabites of Algeria, that of the Kharedjites or Ibadhites. Of the Muslim population between one-fifth and one-quarter are probably tent dwellers, something less than one-third live in gourbis, and roughly one-fourth in houses. The Matmatas are troglodytes, dwelling in caves or rhorfas cut in rock or clay (say about ioo,o0o). The na tive element in the towns is much stronger than in Algeria. Apart from rural folk who have become urban, the towns contain some primarily urban elements such as the Andalusian Moors and the Jews. Europeans include 91,427 French (48,334 of them born in Tunisia) ; 91,178 Italians (probably about 50,00o born in Tunisia) ; 8,643 Maltese; and 4,045 other Europeans. In 1911 the
number of French was 46,000, against 88,000 Italians. By a law of 1923, children born in Tunis of parents who were born in Tunis too become French on attaining their majority, whatever their ultimate origin, unless they definitely choose otherwise. For Mal tese an extra generation is needed, and individual naturalization. of Italians is possible only in virtue of the terms of the Franco Italian convention of 1896. Under the new legislation about 5,000 Maltese and 5,000 Italians have acquired French nationality. The Tunisian towns have 140,616 European inhabitants, or about 72% of the total, nearly 45% being in Tunis itself.
Towns.-Tunis (q.v.) is the chief city, with 205,405 people (118,200 native and 87,205 European). With its suburbs, the total population would probably be somewhere around 225,000. Sfax, the capital of the south, has within its walls 39,969 people (8,177 Europeans), but in the olive groves near the town an additional 45,900 or so raises the real population of the agglomer ation to about 85,000. Susa has 25,324 people (8,354 Europeans), Bizerta 23,206 (7,971 Europeans), besides 5,227 Europeans at the arsenal at Ferryville. Qairwan has 21,532 people (794 Europeans), Beja 11,612 (2,071 Europeans). Another type of agglomeration is the large agricultural village: Msaken (18,525), Moknine (13, 165), Kalaa Kebira (13,736). Still another type is that of the southern oases, Qabes (15,598), Mafta (13,004), Tozeur (i 1, 630), Zarzis (7,157), El-Hamma (5,162) and Gerba (4,973)• Government and Administration.-Tunisia became a pro tectorate of France by the Treaty of Bardo (May 12, 1881), whose rights were defined by this treaty and by the convention of June 8, 1883. A resident-general of France, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, sits beside the native bey and controls all the public services. The army, education, finance, public works and agriculture have French directors; the native ministers, under French supervision, are the minister of State and the minister of justice. The budget is examined by the Grand Council of Tunisia, constituted under decrees of July 13, 1922, with elected members, some French and some native. There are also five regional coun cils (Bizerta, Kef, Tunis, Susa, Sfax), and also caidate councils. Municipalities have been established in the most important towns. Native administration is based upon the division of the population into caidates and sheikhates. French officials called controleurs civils are stationed beside the cal:cis, and play the same role with regard to them as does the resident with the bey. Tunisia is divided into 19 controles civils and 37 cafdats. The south forms military territories administered by officers of native affairs. The principal direct taxes are the capitation tax (istitan), the tax upon olive trees and date-palms (canour), upon cereals (achour), upon vineyards, and upon cattle; the chief indirect taxes are the customs dues, postal duties, registration, etc. To these must be added the revenues from monopolies, the receipts from postages and transfers of domanial. The budget amounts to 38o million fr. of receipts and expenditure. There are two tribunals of first instance, those of Tunis and of Susa, with reference to the court of appeal of Algiers, and 15 justices of the peace. For natives, the cadi is judge in all matters concerning personal matters and real estate, when Europeans are not involved ; other affairs are judged by the caids, or regional tribunals.