Berkane
Berkane ( ber, translit=Berkane, ⴱⴻⵔⴽⴰⵏ) is a city in northeastern Morocco, in the tribal area of Aït Iznasen, limited by the Mediterranean to the north, the Kis river (Moroccan-Algerian border) and Oujda Province in the east, Nador ...
Province
(Berber: Aberkan, ⴱⴻⵔⴽⴰⵏ, Arabic: بَركان) is located in northeastern
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
in the area of Aït Iznasen. It is bounded by the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
to its north, the Kiss Oued (Moroccan-
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
n border) and
Oujda Prefecture in the east,
Nador Province
Nador is a province in the Oriental Region of Morocco. Its population in 2014 was 564,943.
It is situated east from Driouch Province and west from Berkane Province.
Major cities and towns
The major cities and towns are:
* Al Aaroui
* Beni E ...
to the west, and
Taourirt Province
Taourirt is a province in the Oriental Region of Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atla ...
in the south. The Berkane Province includes under its jurisdiction the towns of
Saïdia
Saïdia ( ar, السعيدية, translit=Al-sa'idiyya; ber, ⴰⵊⵔⵓⴷ, ''Ajrud''), known as the ''"Blue Pearl"'', is a beach town in northeastern Morocco near Berkane, in the great area of Beni Znassen. It is located in the province Berkan ...
and
Ahfir
Ahfir (, ) is a town in Berkane Province, Oriental, Morocco, adjacent the border with Algeria. According to the 2004 census, it has a population of 19,482. The name Ahfir refers to the stone quarry which was exploited in this village founded by H ...
. The population of the city is 80,012 as of the 2004 census. The population originates primarily from Aït Iznasen, a major tribe which consists of
Berber
Berber or Berbers may refer to:
Ethnic group
* Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa
* Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages
Places
* Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile
People with the surname
* Ady Berber (1913–196 ...
clans. The tribe's descendants are spread widely over the rest of eastern
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
, usually in cities like
Ahfir
Ahfir (, ) is a town in Berkane Province, Oriental, Morocco, adjacent the border with Algeria. According to the 2004 census, it has a population of 19,482. The name Ahfir refers to the stone quarry which was exploited in this village founded by H ...
,
Saïdia
Saïdia ( ar, السعيدية, translit=Al-sa'idiyya; ber, ⴰⵊⵔⵓⴷ, ''Ajrud''), known as the ''"Blue Pearl"'', is a beach town in northeastern Morocco near Berkane, in the great area of Beni Znassen. It is located in the province Berkan ...
and
Oujda
Oujda ( ar, وجدة; ber, ⵡⵓⵊⴷⴰ, Wujda) is a major Moroccan city in its northeast near the border with Algeria. Oujda is the capital city of the Oriental region of northeastern Morocco and has a population of about 558,000 people. It ...
. Due to recent immigration originating from all over
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
, the eastern dialect of
Moroccan Arabic
Moroccan Arabic ( ar, العربية المغربية الدارجة, translit=al-ʻArabīya al-Maghribīya ad-Dārija ), also known as Darija (), is the dialectal, vernacular form or forms of Arabic spoken in Morocco. It is part of the Maghrebi ...
is spoken by most of the citizens, although
Berber
Berber or Berbers may refer to:
Ethnic group
* Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa
* Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages
Places
* Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile
People with the surname
* Ady Berber (1913–196 ...
is still spoken by many of the adults.
Berkane is considered the capital of the
citrus
''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...
fruit industry
The horticulture industry embraces the production, processing and shipping of and the market for fruits and vegetables. As such it is a sector of agribusiness and industrialized agriculture. Industrialized horticulture sometimes also includes the ...
of Morocco, and high-quality fresh fruit and vegetables are plentiful year round. It is known for its farms of clementines mostly owned by the pro French protectorate Algerians such as Belhaj or Belhaj Bouabdallah family, also a large statue of an orange is at the center of town. It is very close to Saïdia, a popular beach resort town on the Mediterranean, as well as
Tafoughalt
Tafoughalt or Taforalt (Berber: ⵜⴰⴼⵓⵖⴰⵍⵜ) is a town in Berkane Province, Oriental, Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks ...
, a small village in the nearby mountains known for its healthy air and herb markets. Berkane is also famous for being the birthplace of the Olympic athlete
Hicham El Guerrouj
Hicham El Guerrouj ( ar, هشام الݣروج, Hishām l-Garrūj; ber, ⵀⵉⵛⴰⵎ ⴻⵍ ⴳⴻⵔⵔⵓⵊ, Hisham El Gerruj; born 14 September 1974) is a retired Moroccan middle-distance runner. El Guerrouj is the current world record ho ...
, who holds the world record for the fastest mile but he has never been a major social player in the development of his native town.
Berkane is a sprawling city centered on Avenue Mohammed V, a commercial and business strip, and boulevard Ibn Sina/Rue Dehb or Alhob (meaning "The Street of Gold and or street of love"). This boulevard is lined with many of the most popular cafés and jewelry shops. The city sprawls into the hillsides and connects via bridge to a small neighboring town named
Sidi Slimane, giving the impression that it is much larger than the census claims.
The major cities and towns are
*
Ahfir
Ahfir (, ) is a town in Berkane Province, Oriental, Morocco, adjacent the border with Algeria. According to the 2004 census, it has a population of 19,482. The name Ahfir refers to the stone quarry which was exploited in this village founded by H ...
*
Ain Erreggada
Ain Erreggada is a town in Berkane Province, Oriental, Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the At ...
*
Aklim
Aklim is a town in Berkane Province, Oriental, Morocco. According to the 2004 census, it has a population of 8,969.
Nearby is one of the sites considered for the European Extremely Large Telescope (ELT).
Notable people
*Mohammed Chaouch
Moh ...
*
Berkane
Berkane ( ber, translit=Berkane, ⴱⴻⵔⴽⴰⵏ) is a city in northeastern Morocco, in the tribal area of Aït Iznasen, limited by the Mediterranean to the north, the Kis river (Moroccan-Algerian border) and Oujda Province in the east, Nador ...
*
Bouhdila
Bouhdila is a neighbourhood of Berkane, the capital of Berkane Province in Oriental, Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterrane ...
*
Madagh
''Madagh'' is an Armenian custom of commemorating victims through requiem services, most often associated with the annual remembrance of the Armenian genocide. ''Madagh'' is typically celebrated with community gatherings sponsored by churches, whi ...
*
Saïdia
Saïdia ( ar, السعيدية, translit=Al-sa'idiyya; ber, ⴰⵊⵔⵓⴷ, ''Ajrud''), known as the ''"Blue Pearl"'', is a beach town in northeastern Morocco near Berkane, in the great area of Beni Znassen. It is located in the province Berkan ...
*
Sidi Slimane Echcharraa
Sidi Slimane Echcharraa is a town in Berkane Province, Oriental, Morocco. According to the 2004 census, it has a population of 22,904. It is considered as a suburb of Berkane
Berkane ( ber, translit=Berkane, ⴱⴻⵔⴽⴰⵏ) is a city in north ...
Etymology
The province is named after its largest city,
Berkane
Berkane ( ber, translit=Berkane, ⴱⴻⵔⴽⴰⵏ) is a city in northeastern Morocco, in the tribal area of Aït Iznasen, limited by the Mediterranean to the north, the Kis river (Moroccan-Algerian border) and Oujda Province in the east, Nador ...
. The name of the city comes from the word "aberkan" which means "black" in the
Berber language
The Berber languages, also known as the Amazigh languages or Tamazight,, ber, label=Tuareg Tifinagh, ⵜⵎⵣⵗⵜ, ) are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They comprise a group of closely related languages spoken by Berber commun ...
.
Subdivisions
The province is divided administratively into the following:
References
Berkane
Berkane ( ber, translit=Berkane, ⴱⴻⵔⴽⴰⵏ) is a city in northeastern Morocco, in the tribal area of Aït Iznasen, limited by the Mediterranean to the north, the Kis river (Moroccan-Algerian border) and Oujda Province in the east, Nador ...
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