“On the 17th of December 2010 Muhammed Bouazizi set himself on fire and precipitated protests that spread throughout Tunisia and then the region. Bouazizi’s protest suicide took place not in Tunis but four hours further south in the small city of Sidi Bouzid. The subsequent protest spread first to another small city, Menzel Bouzayane; demonstrations in Tunis did not start until a week later.”

HERE is a good discussion on this.