Libya vs Tunisia

Why people mix them up

Libya and Tunisia are neighbours on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa, both Arabic-speaking and both part of the Maghreb. Their capitals even sound alike: Tripoli and Tunis, both starting with "T" and both on the coast. Both flags are mostly red or feature a white crescent and star, so on quizzes people often swap them, and many are surprised at how different they are in size.

How to tell them apart

• Libya is more than ten times the size of Tunisia, about 1.76 million km² against roughly 163,000 km².
• Tunisia's flag is red with a white disc holding a red crescent and star; Libya's has horizontal red, black and green stripes with a white crescent and star on the black band.
• The capitals are Tripoli (Libya) and Tunis (Tunisia). Tunis lies on the Gulf of Tunis, close to the ruins of ancient Carthage.
• Tunisia is the northernmost country in Africa, with Cape Angela near Bizerte as the continent's northernmost point.
• Libya is mostly Sahara desert; Tunisia has a greener, more fertile north and the Atlas Mountains' eastern end.
• Libya borders Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Niger and Algeria; Tunisia borders only Algeria and Libya.

Memory hook

Tunisia is the Tiny one tucked in at the Top; Libya is the Large block of desert below and to the east. Both capitals start with T, but only Tunis shares its country's name.

On the map

Find the Mediterranean coast between Algeria and Egypt. The small country pointing north towards Sicily, squeezed between Algeria and the sea, is Tunisia. The huge, roughly square country to its southeast, running along the coast all the way to Egypt, is Libya. If the country you are tapping touches Egypt or Chad, it is Libya.