Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima

Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima
طنجة - تطوان - الحسيمة
Region

Location in Morocco
Coordinates: 35°10′N 5°15′W / 35.16°N 5.25°W / 35.16; -5.25Coordinates: 35°10′N 5°15′W / 35.16°N 5.25°W / 35.16; -5.25
Country  Morocco
Created September 2015
Capital Tangier
Government
 • President Ilyas El Omari
Area[1]
 • Total 15,090 km2 (5,826 sq mi)
Population (1 September 2014)[1]
 • Total 3,556,729
 • Density 240/km2 (610/sq mi)
Time zone WET (UTC+0)
 • Summer (DST) WEST (UTC+1)

Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima (Arabic: طنجة - تطوان - الحسيمة‎‎) is one of the twelve regions of Morocco. It covers an area of 15,090 km² and recorded a population of 3,556,729 in the 2014 Moroccan census.[1] The capital of the region is Tangier.[2]

Geography

Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima is the northernmost of Morocco's twelve regions. In the north it faces the Strait of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea and borders the Spanish exclave of Ceuta. It also borders the Moroccan regions of Rabat-Salé-Kénitra to the southwest, Fès-Meknès to the southeast and Oriental to the east. The Rif rises in the eastern part of the region and is the location of Al Hoceima National Park and Talassemtane National Park. The land near the Atlantic coast in the west is less rugged, and the fertile southwestern corner of the region is drained by the Loukkos River.

History

Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima was formed in September 2015 by adding Al Hoceima Province, formerly part of Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate region, with the former Tangier-Tetouan region.[2]

Government

Ilyas El Omari, a member of the Authenticity and Modernity Party, was elected as the regional council's first president on 14 September 2015.[3]

Subdivisions

Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima comprises two prefectures and six provinces:[2]

Economy

Agriculture is a major economic activity in the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region. Major crops include cereals, pulses, olives and sugarcane. Animal husbandry and fishing are also important contributors to the economy.[4] Various free economic zones have been set up in the area surrounding the Tanger-Med container port, one of Africa's busiest, to promote industrial growth and foreign investment.[5] The region is also heavily reliant on tourism.[6]

Infrastructure

The A1 expressway connects Tangier with the national capital Rabat. There are also two shorter expressways in the region: the A4 bypasses Tangier and links the A1 expressway to the Tanger-Med port, and the A6 connects Tetouan with M'Diq and Fnideq. National Route 2 connects Tangier and Tetouan with Al Hoceima via an inland route, while National Route 16 provides a coastal route between the same cities. National Route 13 branches off the N2 near Chefchaouen and runs south via Ouezzane to Meknes and beyond.

Tangier's Ibn Battouta Airport is the busiest airport in the region. Al Hoceima's Cherif Al Idrissi Airport and Tetouan's Sania Ramel Airport also receive commercial flights.[7]

The first phase of a projected Casablanca–Tangier high-speed rail line is currently under construction between Tangier and Kenitra and is expected to open in early 2018.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Law, Gwillim. "Regions of Morocco". Statoids. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "Décret fixant le nom des régions" (pdf). Portail National des Collectivités Territoriales (in French). 20 February 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  3. ↑ "Ministère de l'Intérieur : l'élection des présidents des Conseils des régions s'est déroulée dans de bonnes conditions et dans un climat de transparence" [Ministry of the Interior: the regional council presidential elections took place under good conditions and in an air of transparency] (Press release) (in French). Maghreb Arabe Press. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  4. ↑ "General information on the agricultural sector". Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  5. ↑ "Tanger Med Zones". Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  6. ↑ "Regions of Morocco: Tangier-Tetouan". Centre marocain de conjoncture. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  7. ↑ "Région Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima: Plus de 743.000 passagers ont transité via les aéroports à fin octobre 2015". La Vie Éco (in French). 26 November 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  8. ↑ Briginshaw, David (8 July 2015). "Moroccan high-speed line to open in spring 2018". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 12 December 2015.

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