Addax - Tunisia

Tunisia is the northern most country in Africa and the smallest in the Maghreb region, an area also referred to as the Barbary States. In 1998, Tunisia became the first African country to enter into an “Association Agreement” with the European Union. Since then several other African countries have also joined the program. 

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Addax nasomaculatus - Also known as the white antelope, the addax once ranged throughout the desert regions of Northern Africa. They had adapted well to their arid environments. An addax can go indefinitely without water by restricting water loss and absorbing additional liquids through their food and lapping up the dew found on plants. The white coat helps to reflect heat. The density and shape of the coat can also regulate body temperature as it changes through the seasons. The addax is critically endangered.

Doum Palm - Tunisia

Hyphaene thebaica - The doum palm, also referred to as the gingerbread tree, is native to the Arabian Peninsula and Northern Africa. It can tolerate hot and dry regions with access to groundwater; wadis and oases offer ideal environments. The palm produces a fruit covered in a edible rind with a gingerbread taste, a reflection of its English name. The fronds are woven together by the local population for wide variety of uses; sleeping mats, baskets, wicker furniture, and roof thatching.

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Tunisia had been ruled as an autonomous and semi-independent state within the Ottoman Empire and enjoyed the ability to self-govern itself. In an attempt to modernize Tunisia through social and economic reforms, Muhammad III as-Sadiq established closer ties with Europe. Borrowing heavily from European banks, he brought on a financial crisis in 1869 and forced Tunisia into bankruptcy. France invaded Tunisia in 1881 and created a protectorate lasting until 1956, when Tunisia became independent.