Casablanca, Morocco
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Casablanca |
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|---|---|
| City | |
 |
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| Nickname(s): Kaẓa | |
 Casablanca
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| Coordinates: 33°32′N 7°35′W / 33.533°N 7.583°W | |
| Country |
 Morocco
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| Administrative region | Casablanca-Settat |
| First settled | 7th century BC |
| reconstructed | 1756 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Abdelaziz El Omari |
| Area | |
| • City | 230 km2 (90 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 0 to 150 m (0 to 492 ft) |
| Population (2014) | |
| • City | 3,359,818 |
| • Rank | 1st in Morocco |
| • Metro | 6,861,739 |
| Demonym(s) |
Casablancais Casawis, beidawi |
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | WEST (UTC+1) |
| Postal code | 20000-20200 |
| Website | www |
Casablancais
Casablanca (Arabic: الدار البيضاء, ad-Dār al-Bayḍā’; Berber: ⴰⵏⴼⴰ, Anfa; local informal name: Kaẓa) is the largest city in Morocco, located in the central-western part of the country bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It is the largest city in the Maghreb, as well as one of the largest and most important cities in Africa, both economically and demographically.
Casablanca is Morocco's chief port and one of the largest financial centers on the continent. The 2012 census (adjusted with recent numbers) recorded a population of about 4 million in the prefecture of Casablanca. Casablanca is considered the economic and business center of Morocco, although the national political capital is Rabat.
The leading Moroccan companies and international corporations doing Moroccan business have their headquarters and main industrial facilities in Casablanca. Recent industrial statistics show Casablanca retains its historical position as the main industrial zone of the country. The Port of Casablanca is one of the largest artificial ports in the world, and the second largest port of North Africa, after Tanger-Med 40 km east of Tangier. Casablanca also hosts the primary naval base for the Royal Moroccan Navy.
The original name of the city was Anfa, in Berber language, by at least the seventh century BC. After the Portuguese took control of Anfa in the 15th century AD, they rebuilt it, changing the name to Casa Branca. It derives from the Portuguese word combination meaning "White House" (branca "white", casa "house"). The present name, which is the Spanish version (pronounced: [kasaˈβlaŋka]), came when the Portuguese kingdom was integrated to the Spanish kingdom. During the French protectorate in Morocco, the name remained Casablanca (pronounced: [kɑzɑblɑ̃kɑ]). In the 18th century, an earthquake destroyed most of the town. It was rebuilt by the Sultan who changed the name into the local Arabic which is Ad-dar Al Baidaa', although Arabic also has its own version of Casablanca (كازابلانكا, Kāzāblānkā). The city is still nicknamed Casa by many locals and outsiders to the city. In many other cities with a different dialect, it is called Ad-dar Al-Bida, instead.
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Wikipedia