Abdelaziz: Moroccan geography. Map. Regions. Towns and cities.

Bottom	Vote for me	Abdelaziz's newsletter	Home page

Data	History	Pictures	Links

Moroccan geography

Map of Morocco

Moroccan geography

The most important plateaus and plains (Abda, Gharb, Shawya) and also the largest rivers (Sebu, Oum Rabiaa) gather in Atlantic Morocco that has a Mediterranean-type climate and where most people (about 19 millions) live. The Rif Mountains stand at its north and overhang the Mediterranean Sea and Eastern Morocco, which has a dry climate and is made of the high plateaus and the valley of the Moulouya River, both of them poorly populated. East and south of Atlantic Morocco stretches the Atlas mountain range: Middle Atlas, High Atlas (Big Atlas in Arabic, highest mountain: Jebel Toubkal, 4 165 m) and Anti-Atlas (Little Atlas in Arabic) that delimits the south of the Souss Valley, where live the Amazigh Berbers. South of Anti-Atlas extends Moroccan Sahara that is strewn with oases (Smara), seasonal rivers (Draa), little inland towns and modern and big coastal cities (Laayoune); that part of the country, the widest one, is mainly populated by nomadic Saharan tribes and emigrants from other regions of the Kingdom.

Agadir

In Arabic, sometimes called Aghadir. Wilaya and county town of the Region Souss-Massa-Draa, between High Atlas and Anti-Atlas, Agadir in Berber means "high town" and is the Amazigh Berbers capital. Populated by almost 110 000 Gadiris, this port on the Atlantic Ocean was built by the Portuguese in 1505 and called Santa Cruz de Aguer. An earthquake destroyed most of the town on February 29 1960 and the dead were 15 000. When France took over Meknes, Fez and Rabat, German emperor Guillaume II protested and bombarded Agadir in 1911.

Anfa

Little port on the Atlantic Ocean built by the Barghwatian probably in the 10^th or the 11^th c. Nowadays, it's a quarter of Casablanca and its main prefecture. In 1943, sultan Mohamed V obtained the American support for Morocco independence in the Anfa conference.

Casablanca

In Arabic, Ad-Dar Al-Baidaa. It's the economic capital, a wilaya and a region of the Kingdom. Casablanca is the biggest (2.6 mill. inhabitants, "Grand Casablanca": 5 mill.) and the most modern city of Morocco and its suburbs are continuously widening. Most of financial institutions establish their headquarters in it and Casablanca Stock Exchange (BVC) is among the most dynamic ones in Africa and the Arab World, and even the most modern one. Casablanca also gathers most of Moroccan economy: trade, services and light, heavy and processing industries. During the French protectorate, "general resident" Lyautey modernized the port of Anfa, which development was anarchic, and that is still standing nowadays around the ancient medina.

El Jadida

Former Mazagan. Province of the Region Doukkala-Abda, south of Casablanca, El Jadida counts 160 000 inhabitants. Occupied in 1513 by the Portuguese under the reign of the Wattassides, the town was freed only in 1769 by Alaouite sultan Mohamed III.

Fez

In Arabic, Fas. Wilaya and county town of the Region Fez-Boulemane, Fez and its suburbs are inhabited by more than 1 mill. people. Founded in 808 by Idriss II over the River Fez, the town had been from then the religious and spiritual capital of Morocco, notably because of the University Al Qarawiyyin, built between the 9^th and the 12^th c; it had welcomed emigrants from Eastern Maghreb (Tunisia) and Andalucy. The craft of Fez and its medina is famous worldwide: leathers, carpets, zellidjes, chiseled metals, sculpted plasters and woods...

Kenitra

Former Port-Lyautey. Province and county town of the Region Gharb-Chrarda-Beni Hsen, Kenitra and its suburbs are populated by 450 000 people. Fifty km north of Rabat, the town is not far from the port of Mehdia on the River Ouerma. The town gathers several industries: metal and canning factories, extraction of agar-agar from river-weeds.

Laayoune

Formerly written El Aiún. Province and county town of the Region Laayoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra, in the Moroccan Sahara, Laayoune counts 100 000 inhabitants and is the most modern and the most developed town of the Sahara. On November 6 1975, 350 000 volunteers freed peacefully the town from Spanish occupation; this was called the "Green March".

Marrakech

Wilaya and county town of the Region Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz, near the Sahara. The town counts 500 000 inhabitants and its suburbs 1 mill. ones. Marrakech was founded in 1062 by Youssef ibn Tachfine to gather all the trade, it became the capital of the Almoravides and later, of the Saadians who embellished it with the Palace Badii as well as their mausoleum. Next, the Almohads founded the Koutoubia Mosque the same time than the Giralda in Ichbilia (Seville). Tourism is now the town's major industry since it gathers wonderful places: gardens of Agdal, Menara and Majorelle, mosques of Bab Doukkala and Al Mansour, palaces of Bahia and Dar Si Saïd, gates of Bab Jedid and Bab Agnaou (erected in 1150). South of Marrakech stands a huge palm plantation with nearly 45 000 date palms. The surroundings of the town are magical as well: valley of the Ourika, winter resort at the Oukaïmeden Mountain, in High Atlas (3 200 m), gorges of Moulay Brahim...

Meknes

In Arabic, Maknas. Wilaya and county town of the Region Meknes-Tafilalt, between the Rif Mountains and Middle Atlas, the town is populated by 320 000 people. Meknes always was an important trade place and became the capital of alaouite sultan Ismaïl; it used to try being Fez-like and often succeeded. There are still many monuments like the gate of Bab Mansour. The town also hosts several industries like craft and processing ones, and famous olive plantations and oil factories.

Mellilia

It is a town of the Region Oriental (East) hosting 60 000 inhabitants. From the 9^th c, Mellilia had great influence, notably during the Kingdom of Nakkour, before being taken over by the Spaniards in 1497 under the Wattasside reign. Many attempts to free the town failed, including the one Mohamed III led in 1774, and Morocco still calls Spain for a compromise over Mellilia and Sebta.

Mohammedia

The town was formerly known as Fedala, a port on the Atlantic Ocean built north of Anfa by the Barghwatian, between the 10^th and the 11^th c. The harbor was an important place of exportation of agricultural products, mainly wheat. Nowadays, Mohammedia town is a prefecture of the wilaya and Region Casablanca, it counts 100 000 inhabitants and the port is used to import coal and oil, which is refined there by the only oil refinery of the Kingdom. The thermal power plant of Mohammedia provides most of energy supplies of the wilaya of Casablanca.

Oualili

Oualili is an ancient flourishing Berber town, near Meknes. It became an important place under Tingitanian Mauretania during the 1^st c AD. The town was next the first one in which the Idrissides established in 788. Nowadays, only ruins remain from Oualili since this archaeological site was massively looted during the last century.

Oujda

Pronounced Wjda in Arabic. Wilaya and county town of the Region Oriental (East), near the present borders with Algeria, the town is inhabited by 500 000 people. The region of Oujda is particularly affected by drought; however, it developed in the past thanks to smuggling.

Rabat

Ar-Ribat in Arabic. Rabat is the administrative capital of Morocco, a wilaya and the county town of the Region Rabat-Sale-Zemmour-Zaër. Flanked by several satellite towns (Sale, Temara), it hosts about 1 mill. inhabitants. First, Rabat was a fortified monastery (Ribat) of Muslim warriors, founded in the 10^th c on the Rock of the Oudayas. However, the town had been actually developed by the Almohads from 1150 at the mouth of the Oued Bouregreg, now separating Rabat from Sale. The city has many monuments: Tour Hassan (12^th c), Kasbah of the Oudayas and its Andalucian garden, mortuary city of Shella.

Sale

In Arabic, Sala or Sla. Prefecture of the Region Rabat-Sale-Zemmour-Zaër and a suburb of Rabat, from which it is separated by the Oued Bouregreg, it gathers 300 000 inhabitants. The Barghwatian made an important trade place of the town, before the Almohads developed it even more, as well as Rabat. Medersa of Abou Al-Mansour, built in 1341.

Sebta

Ceuta in Spanish. Town of the Region Tangier-Tetouan, on the Straits of Gibraltar (Jabal Tariq), with 60 000 inhabitants. The Berbers had probably founded Sebta that had a great influence in religion, civilization and culture, with an early Islamic State in the 10^th c; but the importance of the town began decreasing when Fez was founded. The history of the town is just made of conquests: because of its strategic position, it had been taken over by most of Moroccan dynasties and finally occupied by the Portuguese in 1415. The Moroccan sovereigns failed to recover it (attempt of Alaouite sultan Yazid in 1790) and Portugal later gave the town to Spain. Morocco still calls Spain for a compromise over occupied towns Mellilia and Sebta.

Shella

Shalla or Shallah in Arabic. It is an ancient Roman town called then Sala. Merinide sultan Abou Al-Hassan, alias Sultan Noir, founded a new town in the same site and gave it its present name. Nowadays, Shella is a mortuary city and a historical site surrounded by ramparts, between Rabat and Sale.

Tangier

Tanja in Arabic. Wilaya and county town of the Region Tangier-Tetouan, on the Straits of Gibraltar (Jabal Tariq), with 300 000 inhabitants. According to mythology, giant Antaeus, son of Poseidon, had founded the town; named anyway Tingis, it was the county town of Tingitanian Mauretania in 42 AD. It was an important trade place and had been strongly coveted because of its strategic position. Conquered by the Vandals and then converted to Islam, it had been occupied by the Portuguese, the Spaniards and the British, declared international zone and finally recovered by Morocco on May 29 1956.

Taroudant

Town and province of the Region Souss-Massa-Draa, east of Agadir, Taroudant was a trading post on the way of caravans coming from Saharan provinces (Ghana, Sudan, Mali). Thanks to its gold and silver mines, the town developed remarkably in the 11^th c and it had indeed a great influence over Moroccan civilization.

Tetouan

Titwan or Tittawn in Arabic. Town and wilaya of the Region Tangier-Tetouan, it hosts 400 000 inhabitants. After the collapse of the Idrissides, it became a flourishing city-state that exerted cultural and religious influence on Northern Morocco. On the Mediterranean coast, many resorts established near Tetouan, like Smir (about fifteen seaside resorts), as well as little satellite towns like M'diq (fishing port), F'nideq (smuggling) and Martil (tourism).

Top	Vote for me	Abdelaziz's newsletter	Home page

Data	History	Pictures	Links

Abdelaziz: Take a minute to know me!
Contents: Abdelaziz's homesite contents.

Morocco data: All the data...
Moroccan history: The country history, from prehistory until now.
Pictures from Morocco: Splendid pictures of landscapes and monuments, with an useful picture-index and comments.
Helpful links on Morocco: A lot of links helping you to know more about this beautiful country.

Computers and Hi-Tech: The latest news and the best stuff in the everyday-changing world of computers, hi-tech and the Internet, weekly updated by Abdelaziz.
Using HTML: Now you can type out your own HyperText Markup Language files and optimize them. So get rid of non-efficient software.
Cars, cars...: This huge gallery offers you the car picture you've always been looking for. So take a look! Also links to manufacturers websites and the latest automotive news brought to you by Abdelaziz.
The ENSEM page: Know more about my school, the "Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Electricité et de Mécanique".
Some literature: If you are a French literature reader, you must get in because I am too.
Vote for me: Vote for Abdelaziz's homesite in the web sites Top50, Jan Peterson Web Top50, and help it rise...
Abdelaziz's newsletter: Get the latest issue of my weekly newsletter. Subscribe FREELY to it and get the latest news in the fields you are interested in directly in your mailbox!
My links: Make a tour in Abdelaziz's best Internet addresses and links review.
French version: This page in French...
E-mail me: Just send me a mail to ask me about anything...
Home page: Abdelaziz's site home page.

Best experienced with

This page was last updated on Thursday March 25 1999 at 13:20 GMT