| Low, flat Djerba, its highest point 50 meters (165 feet) above sea level, is none other than the ancient Phoenician, then Roman, island of Meninx: the mythical «Island of the Lotus-eaters» that Ulysses was so reluctant to leave. Despite frequent foreign incursions, the population, consisting of Berbers and heterodox Muslims (the Kharidjites) in addition to one of the oldest Jewish communities in North Africa, has managed to maintain a special identity and a balance that are now under threat. With its international airport and causeway linking it with the continent, this mecca of Tunisian tourism (the largest in the Maghreb region) has become a leisure factory, while its traditional activities of fishing and farming have stagnated. The Djerbians, who earn only a small amount of the money spent by tourists, tend to emigrate to the large urban centers of the area where they run their business. In addition, this exceptionally beautiful place is beginning to be affected by the oil pollution that extends into the Gulf of Gabès, and from Bizerte to the Gulf of Tunis. Exodus and pollution are a common price to pay for rampant tourism. |
.&title2=Lagoon on the island of Djerba, Governorate of Medenine, Tunisia (33°42’N, 10°59’E).&title3=Laguna en la isla de Djerba, Gobernación de Medenine, Túnez (33°42’N - 10°59’e). "download in wallpaper")
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