The city of Carthage (/ˈkɑrθɪdʒ/; Arabic: قرطاج‎ Qarṭāj) is a city in Tunisia that was once the centre of the ancient Carthaginian civilization. The city developed from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC into the capital of an ancient empire. The area of Carthage was before inhabited by Berber people who also became the bulk of Carthage's population and constituted a significant part of its army, economy and administration.