Tunisia is the smallest country in North Africa. It is a Maghreb country bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia has an association agreement with the European Union and is a member of the Arab Maghreb Union, the Arab League, and the African Union. Tunisia has established close relations with France in particular, through economic cooperation, industrial modernization, and privatisation programs. Tunisia's climate is temperate in the north, with mild rainy winters and hot, dry summers. The south of the country is desert, while in the north it is mostly mountainous.