Kerkennah Islands are a group of islands lying off the east coast of Tunisia in the Gulf of Gabes, at34°42′N 11°11′E. The Islands are low-lying being no more than 13 metres (43 feet) above sea level. The main islands are Cherguiand Gharbi. The archipelago has an area of 160 square kilometres (62 sq mi) and a population of 14,400 (2006).
The islands are warm and dry, with strong prevailing winds. This is mainly due to its positioning in the Gulf of Gabes, with strong sea winds (Gharbi), carried over the mainland, making them hot and dry. What little water vapour there is, is lost over cooler Tunisia first. This causes the general ecology of the island to mainly consist of tall xerophytic (and often halophytic) flora, such as palms and saltbushes.
The land is arid, as if desertification was imminent. Agriculture, therefore, is not a key industry of Kerkennah, the islanders rely more on a self-sufficient basis, such as owningchickens and goats for their own personal consumption. Fishing, including a lot of octopus fishing, is also a key industry of Kerkennah, where it is exported to mainland Tunisia and other nearby countries.
Relative to the mainland and as a result of the lack of tourist-attracting "endless" sandy beaches, tourism is limited in Kerkennah. Many mainland Tunisians spend their holidays in Kerkennah, and many more affluent Tunisians often build private second homes on the island. The Kerkennians have a negative view of road building on their island; apart from the main roads linking the port and main towns, there are only dirt tracks, which is how they desire it to stay. This causes a far from homogeneous appearance. There are someBritish and German tourists, but German tourism declined after a severe storm hit Kerkennah one year.[citation needed] Such storms are rare for Kerkennah, but temperatures remain high, with a minimum of 15 °C (59 °F) and often reaching 48 °C (118 °F).
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