Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima ( ar, طنجة - تطوان - الحسيمة, ṭanja - tiṭwān - al-ḥusayma; ber, ⵟⴰⵏⵊⴰ ⵜⵉⵟⵡⴰⵏ ⵍⵃⵓⵙⵉⵎⴰ, ṭanja tiṭwan lḥusima) is the northernmost of the twelve regions 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 Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

. It covers an area of 15,090 km² and recorded a population of 3,556,729 in 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.Tangier Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the cap ...

Geography

Tanger Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the cap ...

Tétouan Tétouan ( ar, تطوان, tiṭwān, ber, ⵜⵉⵟⵟⴰⵡⴰⵏ, tiṭṭawan; es, Tetuán) is a city in northern Morocco. It lies along the Martil Valley and is one of the two major ports of Morocco on the Mediterranean Sea, a few miles so ...

Al Hoceima Al Hoceima ( ber, translit=Lḥusima, label= Riffian-Berber, ⵍⵃⵓⵙⵉⵎⴰ; ar, الحسيمة; '' es, Alhucemas'') is a Riffian city in the north of Morocco, on the northern edge of the Rif Mountains and on the Mediterranean coast. It i ...

is the northernmost of Morocco's twelve regions. In the north it faces the

Strait of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar ( ar, مضيق جبل طارق, Maḍīq Jabal Ṭāriq; es, Estrecho de Gibraltar, Archaic: Pillars of Hercules), also known as the Straits of Gibraltar, is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Medi ...

and the

Mediterranean Sea 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 ea ...

and borders the Spanish

exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territorie ...

. It also borders the Moroccan regions of

Rabat-Salé-Kénitra Rabat-Salé-Kénitra ( ar, الرباط-سلا-القنيطرة, ar-ribāṭ salā al-qunayṭira; ber, ⴻⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ-ⵙⵍⴰ-ⵇⵏⵉⵟⵔⴰ, eṛṛbaṭ sla qniṭra) is one of the twelve administrative regions of Morocco. It is ...

to the southwest,

Fès-Meknès Fès-Meknès or Fez-Meknes ( ar, فاس-مكناس, fās maknās; ber, ⴼⴰⵙ-ⵎⴽⵏⴰⵙ, fas mknas) is among the twelve Regions of Morocco. It has a population of 4,236,892 (2014 census). Its capital is Fez. Its current president is M ...

to the southeast and

Oriental The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of ''Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the ...

to the east. The

Rif 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 ...

rises in the eastern part of the region and is the location of

Al Hoceima National Park Al Hoceima National Park (, Tarifit: Afrag Anamur n Lhusima) is a national park located outside the town of Al Hoceima in Morocco. It covers an area of , including of sea. The park was created in 2004 and is managed by the ''Haut-Commissariat des ...

and

Talassemtane National Park Talassemtane National Park is a national park in the Rif region of Northern Morocco. The park was created in October 2004 to conserve the last of Morocco's threatened fir forests. Talassemtane is part of the Transcontinental Biosphere Reserve ...

. The land near the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

coast in the west is less rugged, and the fertile southwestern corner of the region is drained by the

Loukkos River The Loukkos River (واد لوكوس) (Spanish:Río Luco) is a major river in northern Morocco. Although it is relatively short (about 100 km), the river is the third largest in Morocco with an average flow of 50 m³/s. The Loukkos river's s ...

History

Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima was formed in September 2015 by adding Al Hoceima Province, formerly part of

Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate ( Berber: ⵜⴰⵣⴰ ⵜⴰⵖⵣⵓⵜ ⵜⴰⵡⵏⴰⵜ, ar, تازة الحسيمة تاونات) was formerly one of the sixteen regions of Morocco from 1997 to 2015. It was situated in northern Morocco. It cover ...

region, to the former

Tangier-Tetouan Tangier-Tétouan ( Berber: ''Tanja-Tiṭṭawin'', ⵜⴰⵏⵊⴰ-ⵜⵉⵟⵟⴰⵡⵉⵏ; ) was formerly one of the sixteen regions of Morocco from 1997 to 2015. It covered an area of 11,570 km² and had a population of 3,157,075.2014 cens ...

region.

Government

Ilyas El Omari Ilyas El Omari ( ar, إلياس العماري; born 1967 in Bni Bouayach) is a Moroccan politician. He head Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, and headed the Akhir Saâ press group and was too General Secretary of Authenticity and Modernity Pa ...

, a member of the

Authenticity and Modernity Party The Authenticity and Modernity Party ( ar, حزب الأصالة والمعاصرة, translit=ḥizb al-ʾaṣāla wa-l-muʿāṣira; zgh, ⴰⵎⵓⵍⵍⵉ ⵏ ⵜⴰⵥⵖⵓⵕⵜ ⴷ ⵜⴰⵎⵜⵔⴰⵔⵜ, translit=amulli n taẓɣoṛt ...

, was elected as the regional council's first president on 14 September 2015. Mohamed El Yaacoubi was appointed governor (''wali'') of the region on 13 October 2015. On 18 February 2019, Mohamed Mhidia, former wali of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region and governor of Rabat Prefecture, was appointed wali of the region. Fatima El Hassani was elected as president of the Regional Council of Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima on 28 October 2019, which makes her the second Moroccan woman to assume such a position.

Subdivisions

Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima comprises two prefectures and six provinces: * Al Hoceima Province *

Chefchaouen Province Chefchaouen is a province in the Moroccan economic region of Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima. According to the 2014 national census in Morocco, the province has more than 457,432 inhabitants. The population is 87.45% rural. The major cities and towns ...

Fahs-Anjra Province Fahs-Anjra is a province located in the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Region of Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Se ...

Larache Province Larache is a province in the Moroccan region of Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima. Its population in 2004 was 472,386. The major cities and towns are: * Khemis Sahel * Ksar el Kebir * Larache Subdivisions The province is divided administratively into th ...

M'diq-Fnideq Prefecture M'diq-Fnideq (, Berber: ⵜⴰⵖⵎⴰⵟ - ⴼⵏⵉⴷⵇ) is a prefecture in Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Morocco. It covers an area of and recorded a population of 209,897 in the 2014 Moroccan census. The seat of the prefecture is M'diq. Geo ...

Ouezzane Province Ouezzane is a province in the Moroccan region of Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima. It was created in 2009 from parts of Chefchaouen Province and Sidi Kacem Province, and recorded a population of 300,637 in the 2014 Moroccan census The 2014 Moroccan c ...

Tangier-Assilah Prefecture The prefecture of Tangier-Asilah ( ar, إقليم طنجة أصيلة, links=no, Berber: ⵟⴰⵏⵊⴰ - ⴰⵣⵉⵍⴰ) is a largely urban subdivision of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region of Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the K ...

* Tetouan Province

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. Various

free economic zone Free economic zones (FEZ), free economic territories (FETs) or free zones (FZ) are a class of special economic zone (SEZ) designated by the trade and commerce administrations of various countries. The term is used to designate areas in which co ...

s have been set up in the area surrounding the

Tanger-Med Tanger Med (in Arabic: طنجة المتوسط ) is a Moroccan industrial port complex, located 45 km northeast of Tanger and opposite of Tarifa, Spain (15 km north) on the Strait of Gibraltar, with handling capacities of 9 million containers, one ...

container port A container port or container terminal is a facility where cargo containers are transshipped between different transport vehicles, for onward transportation. The transshipment may be between container ships and land vehicles, for example train ...

, one of Africa's busiest, to promote industrial growth and foreign investment. The region is also heavily reliant on tourism.

Infrastructure

The

A1 expressway A list of roads designated A1, sorted by alphabetical order of country. * A01 highway (Afghanistan), a long ring road or beltway connecting Kabul, Kandahar, Herat and Mazar * A1 motorway (Albania), connecting Durrës and Kukës * A001 highwa ...

connects Tangier with the national capital

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...

. 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 Rincón, M'Diq or Mediek, in , meaning 'the'Strait'') is a Mediterranean town in northern Morocco located between Fnideq and Tétouan. It borders Mellaliyine in the south and Allyene in the west. It is the seat of M'diq-Fnideq Prefecture. M ...

and

Fnideq Fnideq ( Berber: ⴼⵏⵉⴷⵇ, ar, الفنيدق) is a town in northern Morocco, on the Mediterranean coast of M'diq-Fnideq Prefecture, north of the city of Tétouan. The town is also known under the Spanish name Castillejos. It is the close ...

. 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 Chefchaouen ( ar, شفشاون, Shafshāwan, ), also known as Chaouen (), is a city in northwest Morocco. It is the chief town of the province of the same name and is noted for its buildings in shades of blue, for which it is nicknamed the "Blu ...

and runs south via

Ouezzane Ouazzane (also Ouezzane) ( Berber: ⵡⴰⵣⵣⴰⵏ, ar, وزان) is a town in northern Morocco, with a population of 59,606 recorded in the 2014 Moroccan census. The city is well known in Morocco and throughout the Islamic world as a spirit ...

Meknes Meknes ( ar, مكناس, maknās, ; ber, ⴰⵎⴽⵏⴰⵙ, amknas; french: Meknès) is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco, located in northern central Morocco and the sixth largest city by population in the kingdom. Founded in the 11th c ...

and beyond. Tangier's

Ibn Battouta Airport Tangier Ibn Battuta Airport (french: link=no, Aéroport de Tanger-Ibn Battouta, ar, مطار طنجة ابن بطوطة) is an international airport serving Tangier (''Tanger'' in French), the capital city of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima regi ...

is the busiest airport in the region. Al Hoceima's

Cherif Al Idrissi Airport Cherif Al Idrissi Airport ( ar, مطار الشريف الإدريسي) is an airport serving Al Hoceima, Morocco. It is the second-busiest airport in the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region of northern Morocco. The airport is named after the 12th c ...

and Tetouan's

Sania Ramel Airport Sania Ramel Airport ( ar, مطار تطوان سانية الرمل, french: link=no, Aéroport Tétouan – Sania R'mel) is an airport serving Tétouan, a city in the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region in Morocco. It is also the closest air ...

also receive commercial flights. The first phase of the Casablanca–Tangier high-speed rail line was opened between Tangier and

Kenitra Kenitra ( ar, القُنَيْطَرَة, , , ; ber, ⵇⵏⵉⵟⵔⴰ, Qniṭra; french: Kénitra) is a city in north western Morocco, formerly known as Port Lyautey from 1932 to 1956. It is a port on the Sebou River, Sebou river, has a popul ...

in November 2018.

References

External links

{{Regions of Morocco