Topography

The country has three distinct physical regions: Northern Tunisia, Central Tunisia, and Southern Tunisia.

In the north the Atlas mountains form the Northern Tell and High Tell ranges. They are separated by the wide fertile Medjerda valley, a major agriculture region notable for producing cereals. In places, the mountains with altitudes exceeding 1,000m, are covered with cork oak and pine forests. The highest summits are Mt. Chambi near the Algerian border and Mt. Mrhila southwest of Tunis.

Central Tunisia is semi-arid steppe plateau. The Sahel, a low lying flat westward extension of the coastal plain which extends into Libya, has seasonal salt lakes and olive groves.

Southern Tunisia, which stretches from the Algerian border to the Mediterranean, contains extensive seasonal salt flats and spectacular date palm plantations. The extreme south of Tunisia gives way to the Sahara desert.