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53-415: The major cities and towns are: The province is divided administratively into the following: 29°44′34″N 7°58′21″W  /  29.74278°N 7.97250°W  / 29.74278; -7.97250 This Souss-Massa region of Morocco article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Souss-Massa Souss-Massa ( Arabic : سوس ماسة , romanized :  sūs māssa )

106-802: A massacre of working class Moroccans, carried out by Senegalese Tirailleurs in the service of the French colonial army , was instigated just as Sultan Muhammed V was due to make a speech in Tangier appealing for independence. Riots in Casablanca took place from 7–8 December 1952, in response to the assassination of the Tunisian labor unionist Farhat Hached by La Main Rouge —the clandestine militant wing of French intelligence . Then, on 25 December 1953 (Christmas Day), Muhammad Zarqtuni orchestrated

159-682: A "white tower" as a point of reference. The Portuguese mariners calqued the modern Arabic name to "Casa Branca" ( [kazɐ'bɾɐ̃kɐ] White House ) in place of Anfa. The name "Casablanca" was then a calque of the Portuguese name when the Spanish took over trade through the Iberian Union . During the French protectorate in Morocco , the name remained Casablanca ( pronounced [kazablɑ̃ka] ). Today, Moroccans still call

212-478: A bombing of Casablanca's Central Market in response to the forced exile of Sultan Muhammad V and the royal family on 20 August ( Eid al-Adha ) of that year. Morocco gained independence from France in 1956. The post-independence era witnessed significant urban transformations and socio-economic shifts, particularly in neighborhoods like Hay Mohammadi, which were deeply impacted by neoliberal policies and state-led urban redevelopment projects. On 4–7 January 1961,

265-584: A dozen deaths while the UNFP reported more than 1,000. King Hassan II blamed the events on teachers and parents, and declared in a speech to the nation on 30 March 1965: "There is no greater danger to the State than a so-called intellectual. It would have been better if you were all illiterate." On 6 June 1981, the Casablanca Bread Riots took place, which were sparked by a sharp increase in

318-645: A great city founded in the Berber kingdom of Barghawata in 744 AD. He believed Anfa was the most "prosperous city on the Atlantic Coast because of its fertile land." Barghawata rose as an independent state around this time, and continued until it was conquered by the Almoravids in 1068. After the defeat of the Barghawata in the 12th century, Arab tribes of Hilal and Sulaym descent settled in

371-512: A greening trend due to significant winter rains, especially in 2009-2010. Souss-Massa was formed in September 2015 by merging Tata Province , formerly part of Guelmim-Es Semara region, with five provinces of the former Souss-Massa-Drâa region. Brahim Hafidi  [ fr ] of the RNI was elected as the regional council's first president on 14 September 2015. He had previously headed

424-733: A policy of "asymmetrical neutrality" in favour of the Germans. French colonists in Morocco generally supported Pétain, while Moroccans tended to favour de Gaulle and the Allies . Operation Torch , which started on 8 November 1942, was the British-American invasion of French North Africa during the North African campaign of World War II . The Western Task Force, composed of American units led by Major General George S. Patton and Rear Admiral Henry Kent Hewitt , carried out

477-706: A quarry in Roches Noires , passing through the sacred Sidi Belyout graveyard. In resistance to this and the measures of the 1906 Treaty of Algeciras, tribesmen of the Chaouia attacked the locomotive, killing 9 Compagnie Marocaine laborers—3 French, 3 Italians, and 3 Spanish. In response, the French bombarded the city in August 1907 with multiple gunboats and landed troops inside the town, causing severe damage and killing between 600 and 3,000 Moroccans. Estimates for

530-579: Is a major port city in Morocco and also has an international airport . Casablanca Casablanca ( Arabic : الدار البيضاء , romanized :  al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ , lit.   'the White House';, IPA: [adˈdaːru ɫbajdˤaːʔ] ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic coast of the Chaouia plain in

583-541: Is considered the locomotive of the development of the Moroccan economy . It attracts 32% of the country's production units and 56% of industrial labor . The region uses 30% of the national electricity production. With MAD 93 billion, the region contributes to 44% of the industrial production of the kingdom. About 33% of national industrial exports, MAD 27 billion, comes from the Grand Casablanca; 30% of

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636-403: Is one of 12 major African cities ( Abidjan , Alexandria , Algiers , Cape Town , Casablanca, Dakar , Dar es Salaam , Durban , Lagos , Lomé , Luanda and Maputo ) which would be the most severely affected by future sea level rise . It estimates that they would collectively sustain cumulative damages of US$ 65 billion under RCP 4.5 and US$ 86.5 billion for the high-emission scenario RCP 8.5 by

689-404: Is one of the twelve regions of Morocco . It covers an area of 51,642 km² and had a population of 2,676,847 as of the 2014 Moroccan census . The capital of the region is Agadir . Souss-Massa borders the regions of Marrakesh-Safi to the north, Drâa-Tafilalet to the northeast and Guelmim-Oued Noun to the southwest. To the southeast is Algeria 's Tindouf Province . The region faces

742-714: The Anfa Conference (also called the Casablanca Conference ) in January 1943. Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt discussed the progress of the war. Also in attendance were the Free France generals Charles de Gaulle and Henri Giraud , though they played minor roles and didn't participate in the military planning. It was at this conference that the Allies adopted

795-701: The Anfaça , a branch of the Auréba  [ ar ] tribe of the Maghreb , though the sociologist André Adam refuted this claim due to the absence of the third syllable. Nahum Slouschz gave a Hebrew etymology, citing the Lexicon of Gesenius : anâphâh (a type of bird) or anaph (face, figure), though Adam refuted this arguing that even a Judaized population would still have spoken Tamazight . Adam also refuted an Arabic etymology, أنف ( anf , "nose"), as

848-749: The Atlantic Ocean on its western side: much of the coast is protected by Souss-Massa National Park . The interior of the region is dominated by the Anti-Atlas mountain range, while the Sous River runs across the northern part of the region, in the valley between the Anti-Atlas and the High Atlas . The capital Agadir is located at the mouth of the Sous. Toubkal National Park extends into

901-659: The National Union of Popular Forces -affiliated National Union of Moroccan Students, which spread to cities around the country and devolved into riots, started on 22 March 1965, in front of Lycée Mohammed V in Casablanca. The protests started as a peaceful march to demand the right to public higher education for Morocco, but expanded to include concerns of labourers, the unemployed, and other marginalized segments of society, and devolved into vandalism and rioting. The riots were violently repressed by security forces with tanks and armoured vehicles; Moroccan authorities reported

954-582: The Atlantic Ocean. Meanwhile, the southern and southeastern sections of the region, which lie on the northern edge of the Sahara, have a desert climate. In the Souss plain, average precipitation over the last decade has been 2503 mm, while the high plateaus receive between 350 and 400 mm. The southern part of the region, adjacent to the Sahara, is much drier, but since 2005, the desert has been experiencing

1007-505: The Moroccan banking network is concentrated in Casablanca. One of the most important exports of Casablanca is phosphate. Other industries include fishing, fish canning, sawmills, furniture production, building materials, glass, textiles, electronics, leather work, processed food, spirits, soft drinks, and cigarettes. The Casablanca and Mohammedia seaports activity represent 50% of the international commercial flows of Morocco. Almost

1060-585: The Portuguese Casa Branca . In the 19th century, the area's population began to grow as it became a major supplier of wool to the booming textile industry in Britain and shipping traffic increased (the British, in return, began importing gunpowder tea , used in Morocco's national drink, mint tea ). By the 1860s, around 5,000 residents were there, and the population grew to around 10,000 by

1113-471: The Souss-Massa-Drâa regional council. Zineb El Adaoui was appointed governor ( wali ) of the region on 13 October 2015. He was succeeded by Ahmed Hajji in 2017. The current wali of the region since 2023 is Said Amzazi . Souss-Massa comprises two prefectures and four provinces: Agriculture is a major economic activity in the Sous and Massa river basins located in the northwestern part of

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1166-482: The White ). In fact, on a low hill slightly inland above the ruins of Anfa and just to the west of today's city centre, it appears there was a white-washed structure, possibly a Sufi zawiya that acted as a landmark to sailors. The Portuguese cartographer Duarte Pacheco wrote in the early 16th century that the city could easily be identified by a tower, and nautical guides from the late 19th century still mentioned

1219-813: The central-western part of Morocco , the city has a population of about 3.71 million in the urban area , and over 4.27 million in Greater Casablanca , making it the most populous city in the Maghreb region, and the eighth-largest in the Arab world . Casablanca is Morocco's chief port, with the Port of Casablanca being one of the largest artificial ports in Africa , and the third-largest port in North Africa , after Tanger-Med (40 km (25 mi) east of Tangier ) and Port Said . Casablanca also hosts

1272-594: The city , especially the city center near la Fontaine, desiring more significant political reforms. On 1 November 2023, Casablanca along with Ouarzazate joined UNESCO's Creative Cities Network . Casablanca is located on the Atlantic coast of the Chaouia Plains, which have historically been the breadbasket of Morocco. Apart from the Atlantic coast, the Bouskoura forest is the only natural attraction in

1325-659: The city Casablanca or Casa for short, or by its Arabic name, pronounced d-Dār l-Biḍā in Moroccan Arabic or ad-Dāru-l-Bayḍā' in Standard Arabic . The area that is today Casablanca was founded and settled by Berbers by the seventh century BC. It was used as a port by the Phoenicians, then the Romans. In his book Description of Africa , Leo Africanus refers to ancient Casablanca as " Anfa ",

1378-466: The city are 40.5 °C (104.9 °F) and −2.7 °C (27.1 °F), respectively. The highest amount of rainfall recorded in a single day is 178 mm (7.0 in) on 30 November 2010. A 2019 paper published in PLOS One estimated that under Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5 , a "moderate" scenario of climate change where global warming reaches ~2.5–3 °C (4.5–5.4 °F) by 2100,

1431-509: The city hosted an ensemble of progressive African leaders during the Casablanca Conference of 1961 . Among those received by King Muhammad V were Gamal Abd An-Nasser , Kwame Nkrumah , Modibo Keïta , and Ahmed Sékou Touré , Ferhat Abbas . Casablanca was a major departure point for Jews leaving Morocco through Operation Yachin , an operation conducted by Mossad to secretly migrate Moroccan Jews to Israel between November 1961 and spring 1964. The 1965 student protests organized by

1484-451: The city predated the linguistic Arabization of the country, and the term anf was not used to describe geographic areas. Adam affirmed a Tamazight etymology—from anfa "hill", anfa "promontory on the sea", ifni "sandy beach", or anfa "threshing floor"—although he determined the available information insufficient to establish exactly which. The name "Anfa" was used in maps until around 1830—in some until 1851—which Adam attributes to

1537-400: The city. The forest was planted in the 20th century and consists mostly of eucalyptus , palm , and pine trees. It is located halfway to the city's international airport. The only watercourse in Casablanca is oued Bouskoura , a small seasonal creek that until 1912 reached the Atlantic Ocean near the actual port. Most of oued Bouskoura's bed has been covered due to urbanization and only

1590-427: The climate of Casablanca in the year 2050 would most closely resemble the current climate of Tripoli, Libya . The annual temperature would increase by 1.7 °C (3.1 °F), and the temperature of the warmest month by 1.6 °C (2.9 °F), while the temperature of the coldest month would actually decrease by 0.2 °C (0.36 °F). Moreover, according to the 2022 IPCC Sixth Assessment Report , Casablanca

1643-466: The country have their headquarters and main industrial facilities in Casablanca. Recent industrial statistics show that Casablanca is the main industrial zone in the country. Before the 15th century, the settlement at what is now Casablanca had been called Anfa , rendered in European sources variously as El-Anfa, Anafa or Anaffa, Anafe, Anife, Anafee, Nafe, and Nafee. Ibn Khaldun ascribed the name to

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1696-454: The customs office and seize revenue as collateral for loans given by France, that the French holding company La Compagnie Marocaine would develop the port of Casablanca , and that a French-and-Spanish-trained police force would be assembled to patrol the port. To build the port's breakwater, narrow-gauge track was laid in June 1907 for a small Decauville locomotive to connect the port to

1749-425: The demands of women's rights activists. On 16 May 2003, 33 civilians were killed and more than 100 people were injured when Casablanca was hit by a multiple suicide bomb attack carried out by Moroccans and claimed by some to have been linked to al-Qaeda . Twelve suicide bombers struck five locations in the city. Another series of suicide bombings struck the city in early 2007. These events illustrated some of

1802-495: The doctrine of "unconditional surrender", meaning that the Axis powers would be fought until their defeat. Roosevelt also met privately with Sultan Muhammad V and expressed his support for Moroccan independence after the war. This became a turning point, as Moroccan nationalists were emboldened to openly seek complete independence. During the 1940s and 1950s, Casablanca was a major centre of anti-French rioting. On 7 April 1947,

1855-504: The entire Casablanca waterfront is under development, mainly the construction of huge entertainment centres between the port and Hassan II Mosque, the Anfa Resort project near the business, entertainment and living centre of Megarama, the shopping and entertainment complex of Morocco Mall , as well as a complete renovation of the coastal walkway. The Sindbad park was also renewed with rides, games and entertainment services. Casablanca

1908-735: The invasions of Mehdia , Fedhala , and Asfi . American forces captured Casablanca from Vichy control when France surrendered 11 November 1942, but the Naval Battle of Casablanca continued until American forces sank German submarine U-173 on 16 November. Casablanca was the site of the Berrechid Airfield, a large American air base used as the staging area for all American aircraft for the European Theatre of Operations during World War II. The airfield has since become Mohammed V International Airport . Casablanca hosted

1961-460: The late 1880s. Casablanca remained a modestly sized port, with a population reaching around 12,000 within a few years of the French conquest and arrival of French colonialists in 1906. By 1921, this rose to 110,000, largely through the development of shanty towns . The Treaty of Algeciras of 1906 formalized French preeminence in Morocco and included three measures that directly impacted Casablanca: that French officers would control operations at

2014-434: The legal status of women in the country. About 40,000 women attended, calling for a ban on polygamy and the introduction of divorce law (divorce being a purely religious procedure at that time). Although the counter-demonstration attracted half a million participants, the movement for change started in 2000 was influential on King Mohammed VI , and he enacted a new mudawana , or family law, in early 2004, meeting some of

2067-656: The northeastern corner of the region. Three factors influence the semi-arid Mediterranean climate of the region: the topography, the oceanic coastline, and the Sahara Desert. In the northern part, dominated by the Atlas Mountains, the climate shifts from humid to semi-arid as one moves towards the plain. This plain, which stretches from the base of the Atlas and includes the basins of the Souss and Massa rivers, experiences an arid climate despite its broad exposure to

2120-514: The original sense of The White House ). The origins of the name "Casablanca" are unclear, although several theories have been suggested. André Adam mentions the legend of the Sufi saint and merchant Allal al-Qairawani , who supposedly came from Tunisia and settled in Casablanca with his wife Lalla al-Baiḍāʾ ( لالة البيضاء White Lady ). The villagers of Mediouna would reportedly provision themselves at "Dar al-Baiḍāʾ" ( دار البيضاء House of

2173-626: The part south of El Jadida road can now be seen. The closest permanent river to Casablanca is Oum Rabia , 70 km (43.50 mi) to the south-east. Casablanca has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen climate classification Csa ). The cool Canary Current off the Atlantic coast moderates temperature variation, which results in a climate remarkably similar to that of coastal Los Angeles , with similar temperature ranges. The city has an annual average of 72 days with significant precipitation, which amounts to 412 mm (16.2 in) per year. The highest and lowest temperatures ever recorded in

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2226-652: The persistent challenges the city faces in addressing poverty and integrating disadvantaged neighborhoods and populations. One initiative to improve conditions in the city's disadvantaged neighborhoods was the creation of the Sidi Moumen Cultural Center . As calls for reform spread through the Arab world in 2011, Moroccans joined in, but concessions by the ruler led to acceptance. However, in December, thousands of people demonstrated in several parts of

2279-614: The population of Casablanca. A 1937-1938 typhoid fever outbreak was exploited by colonial authorities to justify the appropriation of urban spaces in Casablanca. Moroccans residing in informal housing were cleared out of the center and displaced, notably to Carrières Centrales . After Philippe Pétain of France signed the armistice with the Nazis , he ordered French troops in France's colonial empire to defend French territory against any aggressors— Allied or otherwise—applying

2332-699: The price of necessities such as butter, sugar, wheat flour, and cooking oil following a period of severe drought. Hassan II appointed the French-trained interior minister Driss Basri as hardliner, who would later become a symbol of the Years of Lead , with quelling the protests. The government stated that 66 people were killed and 100 were injured, while opposition leaders put the number of dead at 637, saying that many of these were killed by police and army gunfire. In March 2000, more than 60 women's groups organized demonstrations in Casablanca proposing reforms to

2385-507: The primary naval base for the Royal Moroccan Navy . Casablanca is a significant financial centre , ranking 54th globally in the September 2023 Global Financial Centres Index rankings, between Brussels and Rome . The Casablanca Stock Exchange is Africa's third-largest in terms of market capitalization , as of December 2022. Major Moroccan companies and many of the largest American and European companies operating in

2438-521: The region, mixing with the local Berbers, which led to widespread Arabization . During the 14th century, under the Merinids , Anfa rose in importance as a port. The last of the Merinids were ousted by a popular revolt in 1465. In the early 15th century, the town became an independent state once again, and emerged as a safe harbour for pirates and privateers . The Portuguese consequently bombarded

2491-632: The region. Industries related to the processing of agricultural and seafood products are also concentrated in the same area. Agadir is an important fishing and tourist port. Tiznit is known for its traditional silverwork . The A7 motorway connects Agadir with Marrakesh and Casablanca . The major north–south road through the region is the N1 , while the N10 runs east–west in the Sous River valley, connecting Agadir to Taroudant and Ouarzazate . Agadir

2544-492: The tendency of cartographers to replicate previous maps. When Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah ( c.  1710 –1790) rebuilt the city after its destruction in the earthquake of 1755 , it was renamed " ad-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ " ( الدار البيضاء The White House ), though in vernacular use it was pronounced " Dar al-Baiḍā " ( دار البيضاء literally House of the White, although in Moroccan Arabic vernacular it retains

2597-493: The total casualties are as high as 15,000 dead and wounded. In the immediate aftermath of the bombardment and the deployment of French troops, the European homes and the Mellah , or Jewish quarter, were sacked, and the latter was also set ablaze. As Oujda had already been occupied, the bombardment and military invasion of the city opened a western front to the French military conquest of Morocco . French control of Casablanca

2650-529: The town into ruins in 1468. The town that grew up around it was called Casa Branca, meaning "white house" in Portuguese . The town was finally rebuilt between 1756 and 1790 by Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah , the grandson of Moulay Ismail and an ally of George Washington , with the help of Spaniards from the nearby emporium. The town was called ad-Dār al-Bayḍāʼ (الدار البيضاء), the Arabic translation of

2703-658: The year 2050. Additionally, RCP 8.5 combined with the hypothetical impact from marine ice sheet instability at high levels of warming would involve up to US$ 137.5 billion in damages, while the additional accounting for the "low-probability, high-damage events" may increase aggregate risks to US$ 187 billion for the "moderate" RCP4.5, US$ 206 billion for RCP8.5 and US$ 397 billion under the high-end ice sheet instability scenario. Since sea level rise would continue for about 10,000 years under every scenario of climate change, future costs of sea level rise would only increase, especially without adaptation measures. The Grand Casablanca region

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2756-564: Was formalized March 1912 when the Treaty of Fes established the French Protectorat . Under French imperial control, Casablanca became a port of colonial extraction. Right at the beginning of the twentieth century when Morocco was officially declared a French protectorate, the French decided to shift power to Morocco's coastal areas (i.e. Rabat and Casablanca) at the expense of its interior areas (i.e. Fez and Marrakech). Rabat

2809-437: Was made the administrative capital of the country and Casablanca its economic capital. General Hubert Lyautey assigned the planning of the new colonial port city to Henri Prost . As he did in other Moroccan cities, Prost designed a European ville nouvelle outside the walls of the medina . In Casablanca, he also designed a new " ville indigène " to house Moroccans arriving from other cities. Europeans formed almost half

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