Population: 10,074,951 Capital: Tunis Size: 63,170 sq. mi. Ethnic Groups: Arab-97%, Berber-2%, Other-1% Languages: Arabic, French Chief Religion: Muslim-98%

Bedouin, Sahel - The Bedouin people traditionally come from the Arabian desert, but some groups of them migrated into northern Africa. Today there are 2,158,000 living in Tunisia. They primarily occupy the southern part of the country but some live along the coast.

There are two basic social classes, one is known as the “true” Bedouin, who are nomadic shepherds, while the other is a group who embrace farming and are know as the “fellahin”. The fellahin live a more settled life on the edge of the desert. The “true” Bedouin have been known for raiding caravans as they cross paths while journeying across the barren desert. Most of the Sahel Bedouins are of this fellahin type. The speak Badawi or more commonly known as Bedouin Arabic.

Almost 100% of the Sahel Bedouins in Tunisia are Sunni Muslims. The hold strongly to the Islamic teachings, preserving their people by only marrying those inside their own group. It is a male-dominated culture. Evangelization efforts among them are challenging due to their harsh and unsettled nature. Currently there are no missions agencies working among them, but some Christian broadcasts are aired in their Badawi language.

Tunisian Arab - The Tunisian Arabs number 6,812,000 in Tunisia. The Tunisian Arab have three distinguishing characteristics: a large middle class, which is a rarity among Arabs; and extremely youthful population; and their unique Tunisian Arabic language which is used in everyday communications. The Tunisian Arabs are mostly farmers and they raise mainly fruits and cereals by using primitive farming methods. Those who live in the rural areas dwell in natural caves and underground dwellings they create. The advantage of these dwellings is being warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

In the past twenty years, women’s status has changed dramatically, for instance they no longer wear veils in public. Their staple food is couscous. It consists of steamed semolina served over a vegetable stew. The family eats from a common bowl, and they neither use utensils nor individual plates. They speak colloquial Arabic. They adhere to the teachings of the Koran and observe the five pillars of Islam. They also believe in “jinnis” or evil spirits. They believe the jinni can assume human or animal forms and exercise influence over people. They believe the spirit can possess a human by entering through the brain and can only be removed in ceremonies performed by a seer skilled in “jinn-lore”.