Taounate Province Taounate ( ar, تاونات) is a province in the Fès-Meknès region. It is situated in northern Morocco, north-east of Fes. It had a population of 668,232 in the 2004 Census.
Largest towns
*Taounate (32,380 inhabitants)
* Bouhouda (26,124)
*Tamed ...
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 ...
. It is located in the
Rif Mountains
The Rif or Riff (, ), also called Rif Mountains, is a geographic region in northern Morocco. This mountainous and fertile area is bordered by Cape Spartel and Tangier to the west, by Berkane and the Moulouya River to the east, by the Mediterrane ...
. As of the
2014 Moroccan census
The 2014 Moroccan census was held in Morocco between 1 September and 20 September 2014. The census was conducted by the High Planning Commission.
History
After being controlled by the Kingdom of Morocco in the previous decades, Ghafsai was within
Spanish 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 ...
from 1912 to 1921, and then the
Rif Republic
The Republic of the Rif ( Tarifit: ''Tagduda n Arrif'', ''Jumhūriyya ar-Rīf''), unofficially The Confederal Republic of the Tribes of the Rif, also recorded as the Riff, was a short-lived republic in northern Morocco that existed between 19 ...
ruled over the Rif region, including Ghafsai, from 1921 to 1926. In the
Rif War
The Rif War () was an armed conflict fought from 1921 to 1926 between Spain (joined by History of France, France in 1924) and the Berbers, Berber tribes of the mountainous Rif region of northern Morocco.
Led by Abd el-Krim, the Riffians at ...
of the 1920s
Interwar Period
In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...
, Ghafsai was within the warzone. After the Rif Republic lost the war, the area returned under Spanish control.
During the
Ifni War
The Ifni War, sometimes called the Forgotten War in Spain (''la Guerra Olvidada''), was a series of armed incursions into Spanish West Africa by Moroccan insurgents that began in October 1957 and culminated with the abortive siege of Sidi I ...
in the 1950s, the
Moroccan Army of Liberation
The Army of Liberation ( ary, جيش التحرير, translit=Jish Etteḥrir; ber, Aserdas Uslelli, script=Latn) was an organization of various loosely united militias fighting for the independence of Morocco from the French-Spanish coalitio ...
used Ghafsai as one of their centers of operations against the Spanish and French.
In January 2016, 18 urban development projects spanning over of land were announced to be in progress. Grants for a house relocation project totaled 8.63 million
Moroccan dirham
The Moroccan dirham ( ar, درهم, translit=dirham, ary, درهم, translit=derhem; ber, ⴷⵔⵀⵎ, translit=drhm; sign: DH; code: MAD) is the official monetary currency of Morocco. It is issued by the Bank Al-Maghrib, the central bank of ...
s, while the cost for a new sewage system was estimated at 47 million dirhams. Construction of a shopping center, a school, a sports complex, car parking area, economic development area, parks, a landfill, and an electrical network overhaul are also planned. In total, all of these new projects are estimated to add up to the cost of over 300 million dirhams.
Geography
Ghafsai is located in the
Rif Mountains
The Rif or Riff (, ), also called Rif Mountains, is a geographic region in northern Morocco. This mountainous and fertile area is bordered by Cape Spartel and Tangier to the west, by Berkane and the Moulouya River to the east, by the Mediterrane ...
in the northern part of Morocco.
Economy
Ghafsai is one of the major producers of
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...
in Morocco, but in recent years other agriculture and beekeeping ventures have developed also.
Faba bean
''Vicia faba'', commonly known as the broad bean, fava bean, or faba bean, is a species of vetch, a flowering plant in the pea and bean family Fabaceae. It is widely cultivated as a crop for human consumption, and also as a cover crop. Varieti ...
s and
barley
Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...