Casablanca

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Casablanca

Casablanca (in Arabic

Arabic language

Arabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages languages such as Hebrew language and Aramaic language....
: ????? ??????? ad-Dar al-Bay?a'; Spanish for white (blanca) house (casa) ; nicknamed by locals: Casa [kaza] / ????; Antique name in Amazigh

Berber languages

The Berber languages are a group of closely related languages spoken in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, as well as by Berber people communities in parts of Niger and Mali....
: Anfa / ???? / ????) is a city

City

A city is an urban area with a high population density and a particular administrative, legal, or historical status.Large industrialized cities generally have advanced systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, house, and transportation and more....
in western Morocco

Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 34 million and an area just under 447,000 km2....
, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Greater Casablanca region.

With a population

Population

File:Population density.pngIn biology, a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular species; in sociology, a collection of human beings....
of 3.1 million (3.85 million in the "greater Casablanca" (September 2005 census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population....
), Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port

Port

||-||-|-||-||-||-||-||-||-|}A port is a facility for receiving ships and transferring cargo. They are usually found at the edge of an ocean, sea, river, or lake....
.

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History

Before the French Protectorate

The area which is today Casablanca was settled by Berbers

Berber people

Berbers are the indigenous ethnic groups of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are discontinuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River....
by at least the 7th century. A small independent kingdom, in the area then named Anfa

Anfa

Anfa is the area which is today Casablanca, Morocco. It was originally settled by Berber people in the 7th century. The area, which they named Anfa, became a small, independent monarchy, which rejected the muslim rule that surrounded it until it was conquered by the Almoravids in 1068....
, arose in the area around that time in response to Arab Muslim

Muslim

:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits "....
rule, and continued until it was conquered by the Almoravids in 1068. During 14th century, under the Merinids, Anfa rose in importance as a port. In the early 15th century, the town became an independent state once again, and emerged as a safe harbour for pirates and privateers, leading to it being targeted by the Portuguese, who destroyed the town in 1468.

The Portuguese used the ruins of Anfa to build a military fortress in 1515. The town that grew up around it was called "Casa Branca", meaning "White House" in Portuguese.

Between 1580-1640, Casa Blanca was part of Spain, and later it became part of Portugal again. The European Colonists eventually abandoned the area completely in 1755 following an earthquake

Earthquake

Sultan

Sultan is an Islamic honorifics, with several historical meanings. Originally it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", or "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ???? sulah, meaning "authority" or "power"....
Mohammed ben Abdallah (1756-1790), the grandson of Moulay Ismail and ally of George Washington. The town was called ????? ??????? ad-Dar al-Bay?a' (white house) in Arabic and Casa Blanca in Spanish.

In the 19th century, the area's population began to grow as Casablanca became a major supplier of wool to the booming textile industry in Britain

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
and shipping traffic increased (the British, in return, began importing Morocco's now famous national drink, gunpowder tea

Gunpowder tea

Gunpowder tea is a form of green Chinese tea produced in Zhejiang of China in which each leaf has been rolled into a small round pellet. It is believed to take its English name from the fact that the tea resembles gunpowder pellets used for cannon ....
). By the 1860s, there were around 5,000 residents, and the population grew to around 10,000 by the late 1880s. Casablanca remained a modestly-sized port, with a population reaching around 12,000 within a few years of the French conquest and arrival of French colonialists

French colonial empires

The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule from the 1600s to the late 1960s. In terms of land area, the Empire reached its height of 12,347,000 km? after World War One....
in the town, at first administrators within a sovereign sultanate, in 1906. By 1921, this was to rise to 110,000, largely through the development of bidonvilles
Shanty town

Shanty towns are settlements of poverty people who live in improvised dwellings made from scrap materials—often plywood, Corrugated galvanised iron, and sheets of plastic....
.

French rule

In June 1907, the French attempted to build a light railway

Light railway

Light railway refers to a railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail". This usually means the railway uses lighter weight track, and is more steeply graded and tightly curved to avoid civil engineering costs....
near the port and passing through a graveyard. Residents attacked the French workers, and riots ensued. French troops were landed in order to restore order, which was achieved only after severe damage to the town. The French then took control of Casablanca. This effectively began the process of colonialisation, although French control of Casablanca was not formalised until 1910.

The famous 1942 film Casablanca
Casablanca (film)

Casablanca is an Cinema of the United States romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre....
underlined the city's colonial status at the time -- depicting it as the scene of a power struggle between competing European powers, carried out with little reference to the local population. The film's vast cosmopolitan cast of characters (American, French, German, Czech, Norse, Bulgarian, Russian and some other nationalities) includes only a single (uncredited) Arab character, "Abdul" the doorman whose role is marginal.

During the 1940s and 1950s, Casablanca was a major centre of anti-French rioting. A terrorist bomb on Christmas Day of 1953 caused many casualties.

The Casablanca Conference

Casablanca was an important strategic port during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
and hosted the Casablanca Conference

Casablanca Conference (1943)

The Casablanca Conference was held at the Anfa Hotel in Casablanca, Morocco, then a French protectorate, from January 14 to January 24, 1943, to plan the European Theatre of World War II of the Allies of World War II during World War II....
in 1943, in which Churchill

Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, Order of the Garter, Order of Merit, Order of the Companions of Honour, Territorial Decoration, Fellow of the Royal Society, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Queen's Privy Council for Canada was a Politics of the United Kingdom known chiefly for his leadership of the United King...
and Roosevelt discussed the progress of the war. Casablanca was the site of a large American air base, which was the staging area for all American aircraft for the European Theater of Operations

European Theater of Operations

The European Theater of Operations , is the term used in the United States to refer to US operations north of Italy and the Mediterranean coast, in the European Theatre of World War II....
during World War II

World War II

Since independence

Morocco regained independence from France on the 2nd of March, 1956.

In 1930, Casablanca hosted a Grand Prix. The race was held at the new Anfa Racecourse

Ain-Diab Circuit

The Ain-Diab Circuit was a Formula One road circuit built in 1957, south west of Ain-Diab in Morocco, using the existing coast road and the main road from Casablanca to Azemmour....
. In 1958, the race was held at Ain-Diab circuit - (see Moroccan Grand Prix
Moroccan Grand Prix

The Moroccan Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor racing event begun in 1925 in Casablanca, Morocco with the official denomination of "Casablanca Grand Prix"....
). In 1983, Casablanca hosted the Mediterranean Games

Mediterranean Games

The Mediterranean Games are a multi-sport games held every four years, mainly for nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea, where Europe, Africa and Asia meet....
.

The city is now developing a tourism

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from...
industry. Casablanca has become the economic and business capital of Morocco, while Rabat

Rabat

Rabat , population 2 million , is the Capital of the Morocco. It is also the capital of the Rabat-Sal?-Zemmour-Zaer region.The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the river Bou Regreg....
is the political capital.

In March 2000, women's groups organised demonstrations in Casablanca proposing reforms to the legal status of women in the country. 40,000 women attended, calling for a ban on polygamy

Polygamy

The term polygamy is used in related ways in social anthropology, sociobiology, and sociology. Polygamy can be defined as any "Types of marriages in which a person [has] more than one spouse."...
and the introduction of divorce law

Talaq (Nikah)

A Talaq is the Islamic term for divorce and is used to end a marriage, or Nikah .The rules for talaq vary among the major fiqh. Most importantly Shia and Sunni Muslims have different rules for performing a talaq....
(divorce being a purely religious procedure at that time). Although the counter-demonstration attracted half a million participants, the movement for change started in 2000 was influential on King Mohammed VI

Mohammed VI of Morocco

King Mohammed VI is the present King of Morocco. He was born on 21 August 1963 and ascended to the throne in July 1999....
, and he enacted a new Mudawana
Mudawana

Mudawana is the Family law of Morocco. Based on the Maliki Madhab of Sunni Islam, the code has been praised by human rights activists for its social and religious Islamic Reformation....
, or family law, in early 2004, meeting some of the demands of women's rights activists.

On May 16, 2003, 33 civilians were killed and more than 100 people were injured when Casablanca was hit by a multiple suicide bomb attack

2003 Casablanca bombings

The 2003 Casablanca bombings were a series of suicide bombings on May 16, 2003, in Casablanca, Morocco. The attacks were the deadliest terrorism attacks in the country's history....
carried out by Moroccans and claimed by some to have been linked to al-Qaeda

Al-Qaeda

Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida and sometimes al-Qa'ida, is an international Sunni Islam Islamist Extremism movement founded sometime between August 1988 and late 1989/early 1990....
.

A string of suicide bombings struck the city in early 2007. A suspected militant blew himself up at a Casablanca internet cafe on March 11, 2007. On April 10, three suicide bombers blew themselves up during a police raid of their safe house. Two days later, police set up barricades around the city and detained two more men who had escaped the raid. On April 14, two brothers blew themselves up in downtown Casablanca, one near the American Consulate, and one a few blocks away near the American Language Center. Only one person was injured aside from the bombers, but the Consulate was closed for more than a month.

Climate

Casablanca has a Mediterranean climate

Mediterranean climate

A Mediterranean climate is one that resembles the climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, which includes over half of the area with this climate type world-wide....
with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters.

Economy

The Greater Casablanca region is considered the locomotive of the development of the Moroccan economy

Economy of Morocco

Morocco's economy is considered a relatively liberal economy governed by the Supply and demand. Since 1993, the country has followed a policy of privatization of certain economic sectors which used to be in the hands of the Politics of Morocco....
. It attracts 32% of the country’s production units and 56% of industrial labor. The region uses 30% of the national electricity production. With MAD 93 billion, the region contributes to 44% of the Industrial production of the Kingdom. 33% of national industrial exportations, MAD 27 billions, which is comparably with US $ 3.6 billion, come from the Greater Casablanca. 30% of Moroccan banking network is concentrated in Casablanca.

One of the most important Casablancan exports is phosphorate. Other industries include fishing, fish canning, sawmilling, furniture making, building materials, glass, textiles, electronics, leather work, processed food, beer, spirits, soft drinks, and cigarettes.

The Casablanca

Port of Casablanca

Mohammedia

Mohamm?dia is a port city located 15 miles northeast of Casablanca in western Morocco. It has a population of 188,619 . The city was originally named Fedala, but was renamed in 1959 in honor of King Muhammad V....
seaports activity represent 50% of the international commercial flows of Morocco.

Almost the entire Casablanca coast is under project, mainly the construction of huge entertainment centres between the port and Hassan 2nd Mosque, the Anfa Resort project near Megarama cinema which is a business, distraction and living centre, Morocco Mall, a giant distraction mall, and finally a complete renovation of the walkway coast to be finished in June 2009. The Sindbad park is planned to be totally renewed by rides, games and distraction services.

Demographics

The population of Grand Casablanca was estimated in 2005 at 3.85 million. 98% of them live in urban areas. Around 25% of them are under 15 and 9% are over 60 years old. The population of the city is about 11% of the total population of Morocco

Demographics of Morocco

This article is about the demographics features of the population of Morocco, including population density, Ethnic group, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
. Greater Casablanca is also the largest urban area

Urban area

An urban area is an area with an increased Population density of human-created structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be city, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlet ....
in the Maghreb

Maghreb

The Maghreb , also rendered Maghrib , meaning "place of sunset" or "western" in Arabic, is a region in North Africa. The term is generally applied to all of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, but in older Arabic usage pertained only to the area of the three countries between the high ranges of the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea....
. The number of inhabitants is however disputed by the locals, who point to a number between 5 and 6 million, citing recent drought years as a reason for many people moving into the city to find work.

Judaism in Casablanca

There was a Sephardic

Sephardi Jews

Sephardi Jews are a subgroup of Jews originating in the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa, usually defined in contrast to Ashkenazi or Mizrahi Jews....
Jewish

Judaism

Judaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts....
community in Anfa

Anfa

Anfa is the area which is today Casablanca, Morocco. It was originally settled by Berber people in the 7th century. The area, which they named Anfa, became a small, independent monarchy, which rejected the muslim rule that surrounded it until it was conquered by the Almoravids in 1068....
up to its destruction by the Portuguese in 1468. Jews were slow to return to the town, but by 1750 the Rabbi Elijah Synagogue

Synagogue

A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer.Synagogues usually have a large hall for prayer , smaller rooms for study and sometimes a social hall and offices....
was built as the first Jewish temple in Casablanca. It was destroyed along with much of the town in the earthquake

Earthquake

An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes are recorded with a seismometer, also known as a seismograph....
of 1755.

By the beginning of the 20th century, Casablanca was home to about 6,000 Jews - more than a quarter of the population. Since the beginning of the 20th century, Casablanca has been associated with Judaism more than any other city in North Africa

North Africa

North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa.Geopolitically, the United Nations subregion of Northern Africa includes the following seven countries or territories:...
. The Jewish population snowballed in the mid 20th century, partly because of the development of social support structures for Jewish incomers and partly, after the European Holocaust, because of an increased desire of some Jews for the protection of a large Jewish community.

Between the 1940s and 1960s, the Jewish population of Casablanca was around 70,000. Emigration

Emigration

Emigration is the act of leaving one's native country or region to Settler in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin....
to France, Canada, the United States and Israel

Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
from Casablanca has been substantial since then, however. Large numbers of expatriate

Expatriate

An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently Residency in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing or legal residence....
s retain Moroccan citizenship and a Moroccan identity. Fewer than 5,000 Jews remain in the city today. Here is a list of a few synagogues in Casablanca:

Council of Moroccan Jewish Communities, (Conseil des Communautés Israélites du Maroc), 1, rue Adrienne Lecouver
Synagogue Beth-El - 67, Verlet-Hanus
Synagogue Téhila Le David - Bd du 11 Janvier
Synagogue Benarrosh - Rue de Lusitania
Synagogue Em-Habanime - Rue de Lusitania

An Israel

Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
i theatre play, extremely popular in the 1950s and 1960's and later made into a film, was called Casablan, depicting the difficult life in a Jaffa

Jaffa

File:Jaffa StPeter church.jpgJaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world.Jaffa is located south of Tel Aviv, Israel on the Mediterranean Sea....
slum of the eponymous young Morrocan Jewish immigrant, evidently originating from Casablanca

Notable physical landmarks

The French period New Town of Casablanca was designed by the French architect Henri Prost and was a model of a new town at that time. The main streets of the New Town (Ville Nouvelle in French) radiate south and east from Place des Nations Unies, where the main market of Anfa

Anfa

Anfa is the area which is today Casablanca, Morocco. It was originally settled by Berber people in the 7th century. The area, which they named Anfa, became a small, independent monarchy, which rejected the muslim rule that surrounded it until it was conquered by the Almoravids in 1068....
had been. The New Town is possibly the most impressive in Morocco. Former administrative buildings and modern hotels populate the area. Their style is a combination of Hispano-Mauresque

Islamic architecture

Islamic architecture encompasses a wide range of both secular and religious styles from the History of Islam to the present day, influencing the design and construction of buildings and structures in Islamic culture....
and Art Deco

Art Deco

Art Deco was a popular international design movement from 1925 until 1939, affecting the decorative arts such as architecture, interior design, and industrial design, as well as the visual arts such as fashion, painting, the graphic arts and film....
styles.

Casablanca is home to the Hassan II Mosque

Hassan II Mosque

The Hassan II Mosque is a mosque located in Casablanca, Morocco. Designed by the France architect Michel Pinseau and built by Bouygues, it is the second largest in the world ....
, designed by the French architect Michel Pinseau

Michel Pinseau

Michel Pinseau was a French people architect. He is known for his conception of the tallest minaret in the world, Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco....
. It is situated on a promontory

Promontory

Promontory may refer to:*Promontory, a prominent mass of land which overlooks lower lying land or a body of water*Promontory, Utah, the location where the United States first Transcontinental Railroad was completed...
looking out to the Atlantic

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres . It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface....
, which can be seen through a gigantic glass floor with room for 25,000 worshippers. A further 80,000 can be accommodated in the mosque's courtyard. Its minaret

Minaret

Minarets are distinctive architectural features of Islamic mosques. Minarets are generally tall spires with onion dome, usually either free standing or much taller than any surrounding support structure....
is the world's tallest at 210 metres.

Work on the mosque was started in 1980, and was intended to be completed for the 60th birthday of the former Moroccan king, Hassan II

Hassan II of Morocco

King Hassan II ????? ??????)}}, class. pron. [s?hibu l-jal?lati l-m?liku] l-hasan uth-th?n?, dial. [s?hibu l-jal?la el-m?lik] el-hasan ett?ni); July 9, 1929?July 23, 1999) was Monarch of Morocco from 1961 until his death in 1999....
, in 1989. However, the building was not inaugurated until 1993. Authorities spent an estimated $800 million in the construction of the building.

The Parc de la Ligue Arabe (formally called Lyautey) is the city's largest public park. On its edge is situated the Cathédrale Sacré-Coeur, which is disused, but is a splendid example of Mauresque
Moorish Revival

Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of the Romanticist Orientalism....
architecture.

The Old Medina (the part of town pre-dating the French protectorate

Protectorate

A protectorate, in international law, is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity, in exchange for which the protectorate usually accepts specified obligations, which may vary greatly, depending on the real nature of their relationship....
) attracts fewer tourists than the medinas

Medina quarter

A medina quarter is a distinct city section found in many North African cities. The medina is typically walled, contains many narrow and maze streets, and was built by Arabs as far back as the 9th century Common Era....
of other Moroccan towns, such as Fes

Fes, Morocco

Fes or Fez is the fourth largest city in Morocco, after Casablanca, Rabat and Marrakech with a population of 946,815 . It is the capital of the F?s-Boulemane Region....
and Marrakech

Marrakech

Marrakesh or Marrakech , known as the "Red City", is an important city/Wiktionary:medina in Morocco. It has a population of 1,036,500 , and is the capital of the mid-southwestern economic region of Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz , near the foothills of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains....
. However, it has undergone some restoration in recent years. Included in this project have been the western walls of the medina, its skala, or bastion

Bastion

A 'bastion' is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , with the shape of a sharp point, facilitating active defense against assaulting troops....
, and its colonial-period clock tower.

The city is served by Anfa Airport and Mohammed V International Airport

Mohammed V International Airport

Mohammed V International Airport The airport is the hub of Morocco's flag carrier Royal Air Maroc and Jet4you. The airport was named after King Mohammed V of Morocco and is town twinning with the Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and Yaser Arafat International Airport....
, and its port is one of the largest artificial ports in the world.

List of notable landmarks

Port of Casablanca
Port of Casablanca

The Port of Casablanca refers to the collective facilities and Dock that conduct maritime trade handling functions in Casablanca's harbours and which handle Casablanca's shipping....
Cathédrale Sacré-Coeur (Catholic Cathedral)
City Hall (Casablanca)
Casablanca Technopark
Casablanca Technopark

Casablanca Technopark is an information technology Business cluster complex located at Casablanca, Morocco. It was inaugurated in October 2001....
Casablanca Twin Center
Casablanca Twin Center

The Casablanca Twin Center is a complex of two skyscrapers located at Casablanca, Morocco. The two structures, the West Tower and the East Tower have 28 floors each....
Hassan II Mosque
Hassan II Mosque

The Hassan II Mosque is a mosque located in Casablanca, Morocco. Designed by the France architect Michel Pinseau and built by Bouygues, it is the second largest in the world ....
Lycée Lyautey
Lycée Lyautey (Casablanca)

Lyc?e Lyautey is the name of a high school belonging to the French Mission in Casablanca, Morocco.Short presentation The Lyc?e has been named after Marshal Louis Hubert Gonzalve Lyautey who was the Resident General in Morocco from 1912 to 1925....
Mohammed V International Airport
Mohammed V International Airport

Mohammed V International Airport The airport is the hub of Morocco's flag carrier Royal Air Maroc and Jet4you. The airport was named after King Mohammed V of Morocco and is town twinning with the Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and Yaser Arafat International Airport....

Transport

Trains

Casablanca is served by two rail stations run by the national rail service, the ONCF

ONCF

ONCF or ONCFM is Morocco's national railway operator. The Office employs around 9,767 employees and has a network of 1,907 km, all 1,435 mm standard gauge....
. The main long haul station is Casa-Voyageurs, from which trains run south to Marrakech

Marrakech

El Jadida

El Jadida is a port city on the Atlantic Ocean coast of Morocco, in the province of El Jadida . It has a population of 144,440 and is the port for Marrakech, 110 miles to the south....
and north to Rabat

Rabat

Tangier

Meknes

Meknes is a city in northern Morocco, located 130 kilometres from the capital Rabat and 60 kilometres from Fes. It is served by the A2 expressway between those two cities and by the corresponding railway....
, Fes

FES

Fes may refer to:* Fes, Morocco, also known as Fez, a city in Morocco* Persona 3 FES, an 'add-on' disk for Shin Megami Tensei:Persona 3.FES is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:...
,Taza and Oujda

Oujda

Oujda is a city in eastern Morocco with an estimated population of half a million. The city is located about 15 kilometers west of Algeria and about 60 kilometers south of the Mediterranean Sea....
. A dedicated airport shuttle service to Mohammed V International Airport

Mohammed V International Airport

Mohammed V International Airport The airport is the hub of Morocco's flag carrier Royal Air Maroc and Jet4you. The airport was named after King Mohammed V of Morocco and is town twinning with the Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and Yaser Arafat International Airport....
also has its primary in-city stop at this station, for connections on to further destinations.

The second station, Casa-Port, serves primarily commuter trains running the Casablanca - Kenitra

Kenitra

Kenitra is a city in Morocco, formerly known as Port Lyautey. It is a port on the Sebou River, has a population of approximately 374,041 , and is the Capital of the Gharb-Chrarda-B?ni Hssen region....
corridor, with some connecting trains with running on to Gare de Casa-Voyageurs. www.oncf.ma

Coaches

CTM

CTM is an initialism that may stand for:...
coaches (intercity buses) and various private lines run services to most notable Moroccan towns as well as a number of European cities. These run from the Gare Routière on Rue Léon l'Africain in downtown Casablanca.

Air

Casablanca's main airport is Mohammed V International Airport
Mohammed V International Airport

Mohammed V International Airport The airport is the hub of Morocco's flag carrier Royal Air Maroc and Jet4you. The airport was named after King Mohammed V of Morocco and is town twinning with the Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and Yaser Arafat International Airport....
, Morocco's busiest airport. Regular domestic flights serve Marrakech

Marrakech

Rabat

Agadir

Agadir is a major city in southwest Morocco, capital of the Agadir province and the Sous-Massa-Draa economic region ....
, Oujda

Oujda

Tangier

Tangier or Tangiers [#Notes] is a city of northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel....
, Laayoune as well as other cities.

Casablanca is well served by international flights to Europe, especially French and Spanish airports, and has regular connections to North American, Middle Eastern and sub-Saharan African destinations. New York, Dakar

Dakar

Dakar is the capital city of Senegal, located on the Cap-Vert, on the country's Atlantic Ocean coast. It is Senegal's largest city. Its position, on the western edge of Africa , is an advantageous departure point for trans-Atlantic and European trade; this fact aided its growth into a major regional seaport....
and Dubai

Dubai

Dubai is one of the seven Emirates of the United Arab Emirates and the most populous city of the United Arab Emirates . It is located along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula....
are important primary destinations.

The older, smaller Casablanca Anfa airport to the west of the city which served certain destinations including Damascus

Damascus

Damascus is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is List of oldest continuously inhabited cities and its current population is estimated at about 4,000,000....
, and Tunis

Tunis

Tunis is the Capital of the Tunisian Republic and also the Tunis Governorate, with a population of 1 200,000 in 2008 and over 3,980,500 in the municipal area....
is scheduled to close to civilian traffic in 2006.

Taxis

Registered taxis

Taxicab

A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of public transport for a single passenger, or small group of passengers, typically for a non-shared ride....
in Casablanca are coloured red

Red

Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 625?740 Nanometer....
and known as petits taxis (small taxis), or coloured white and known as grands taxis (big taxis). As is standard Moroccan practice, petits taxis, typically small-four door Fiat Uno

Fiat Uno

The Fiat Uno is a supermini car produced by the Italy manufacturer Fiat. The Uno was launched in 1983 and built in its homeland until 1995, with production still taking place in other countries....
or similar cars, provide metered cab service in the central metropolitan areas. Grands taxis, generally older Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coach es, and trucks. It is currently a division of the parent company, Daimler AG , after previously being owned by Daimler-Benz....
sedans, provide shared mini-bus like service within the city on pre-defined routes, or shared inter-city service. Grands Taxis may also be hired for private service by the hour or day, although typically only foreigners do so.

Metro (planned)

An underground railway system is currently being projected, which when constructed will potentially offer some relief to the problems of traffic congestion and poor air quality. The metro will not be ready before 2017, having a length of 10 kilometers (6 miles) and costing 9 million dirhams .

Tram (planned)

A tram system is currently in the project phase.

Casablanca's administrative divisions

Casablanca is a commune, part of the Region of the Greater Casablanca. The commune is divided into 8 districts (prefectures ??????), which are themselves divided into 16 subdivisions (arrondissements ?????) and 1 municipality.

Districts

**Administrative divisions of the Casablanca City**
Districts (fr: Préfectures d'arrondissement, ar: ????? ?????)	Subdivisions (fr: Arrondissements, ar: ?????)	Municipalities (fr: Municipalités, ar: ?????? )	Superficy	Population (2004)
??? ???? Aïn Chock	??? ???? Aïn Chock		28.89 km²	inhabitants
??? ????? ???? ??????? Aïn Sebaâ-Hay Mohammadi	??? ????? Aïn Sebaâ		26.7 km²	inhabitants
	???? ??????? Hay Mohammadi
	?????? ??????? / ??? ???? Roches Noires (Assoukhour Assawda)
???? Anfa	???? Anfa		37.5 km²	inhabitants
	???????? Maârif
	???? ????? Sidi Belyout
?? ???? Ben M'sick	?? ???? Ben M'sick		10.27 km².	inhabitants
?? ???? Ben M'sick	????? Sbata		10.27 km².	inhabitants
????) ??????) (Sidi) Bernoussi	????) ??????) (Sidi) Bernoussi		38.59 km²	inhabitants
????) ??????) (Sidi) Bernoussi	???? ???? Sidi Moumen		38.59 km²	inhabitants
?????? - ??? ??????? Al Fida-Mers Sultan	?????? Al Fida	?????? Mechouar	17.9 km²	inhabitants
?????? - ??? ??????? Al Fida-Mers Sultan	??? ??????? Mers Sultan		17.9 km²	inhabitants
???? ?????? Hay Hassani	???? ?????? Hay Hassani		25.91 km²	inhabitants
????? ???? Moulay Rachid	????? ???? Moulay Rachid		13.38 km²	inhabitants
????? ???? Moulay Rachid	???? ????? Sidi Othmane		13.38 km²	inhabitants

Neighborhoods

(the list of neighborhoods is indicative and not complete)

Ain Sebaa
Belvédère
2 Mars
Bouchentouf
Bourgogne
Centre Ville (downtown)
Californie
C.I.L.
Derb Gallef
Derb Sultan Al Fida
Derb TAZI
Hay Dakhla ("Derb Lihoudi") (quartier Martinet)
El Hank

El Hay El Mohammadi

Hay Farah

Gauthier

Habous

Hay Moulay Rachid

La Gironde

La Colline

Laimoun (Hay Hassani)

Lissasfa

Maarif

Old Madina (Mdina Qdima)

Mers Sultan

Nisaam

Oasis

Oulfa

Polo

Racine

Riviera

Roches Noires

Sbaata

Sidi Bernoussi

Sidi Moumen

Sidi Moumen is a commune in the suburbs of Casablanca, Morocco. Inhabited by 170 000 inhabitants, the commune is infamous for its shanty towns, from where the terrorists of the 2003 Casablanca bombings and 2007 Casablanca bombing bombings came, mainly Karian Thoma....

Sidi Maarouf

Sidi Othman

International relations

Sister cities Algiers

Algiers

Algiers Nicknamed El-Bahdja or Alger la Blanche for the glistening white of its buildings as seen rising up from the sea, Algiers is situated on the west side of a bay of the Mediterranean Sea....
, Algeria

Algeria

Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country located in North Africa. It is the largest country of the Mediterranean sea, second largest in the Arab World, and the second largest on the African continent and the eleventh-largest country in the world in terms of land area....
Bordeaux

Bordeaux

is a Port city on the Garonne in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its aire urbaine at a 2008 estimate. It is the Capital of the Aquitaine regions of France, as well as the Prefectures in France of the Gironde Departments of France....
, France (since 1988) Chicago, U.S. (since 1982) Jakarta

Jakarta

Jakarta is the Capital and largest city of Indonesia. It also has a List of urban areas by population than any other city in Southeast Asia. It was formerly known as Sunda Kelapa , Jayakarta , Batavia, Dutch East Indies , and Djakarta ....
, Indonesia

Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur , is the largest city of Malaysia. The city proper, making up an area of , has an estimated population of 1.6 million in 2006. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million....
, Malaysia

Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
Montreal

Montreal

Montreal, or Montr?al, is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada of Quebec and the List of largest cities and second largest cities by country List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population....
, Canada Shanghai, People's Republic of China (since 1986) Izmir

Izmir

Izmir, also once called Smyrna, is Turkey's third most populous city and the country's largest port after Istanbul. It is located along the outlying waters of the Gulf of Izmir, by the Aegean Sea....
, Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
(1999) Sosnowiec

Sosnowiec

Sosnowiec is a city located in the south of Poland. It is a county capital neighbouring Katowice as well as the mining and industrial region. It is one of the largest cities in the Silesian Voivodeship and Upper Silesian Industry Area....
, Poland

Partner cities Paris, France (since 2004)

Education

Colleges and Universities

École Hassania des Travaux Publics
École Hassania des Travaux Publics

The ?cole Hassania des Travaux Publics , or Ehtp, is one of the Moroccan's oldest engineering school and remains to this day one of the most prestigious Moroccan Grande Ecole in engineering....
ISCAE
ISCAE

The ISCAE is a Business schools in Casablanca, Morocco. It was founded in 1971 to improve business education in Morocco....

K through 12

Nelson C. Brown High School
Babar land
Lycée Lyautey
Lycée Lyautey (Casablanca)

Lyc?e Lyautey is the name of a high school belonging to the French Mission in Casablanca, Morocco.Short presentation The Lyc?e has been named after Marshal Louis Hubert Gonzalve Lyautey who was the Resident General in Morocco from 1912 to 1925....

Sports

Raja Casablanca
Raja Casablanca

Raja Casablanca or Rajah is a sports club with sections in many different disciplines in Casablanca, Morocco. Raja was founded in 1949 as part of the political struggle against French rule by nationalists who aimed to create a focus for working-class young Moroccans....
Wydad Casablanca
Wydad Casablanca

Wydad Athletic Club is a Morocco athletics club based in Casablanca, Morocco, best known for its football team....

People born in Casablanca

Salaheddine Bassir
Salaheddine Bassir

Salaheddine Bassir is a former Morocco football player.He played for a few clubs, including Raja Casablanca, Al Hilal and Deportivo La Coru?a in Spain....
- Moroccan footballer.
Larbi Benbarek
Larbi Benbarek

Larbi Benbarek or Larbi Ben Barek was a Moroccan Football . He was the first player to bear the nickname of Black Pearl....
- Moroccan footballer.
Jean-Paul Bertrand-Demanes
Jean-Paul Bertrand-Demanes

Jean-Paul Bertrand-Demanes is a former football goalkeeper from France, who earned eleven international caps for the French national team during the 1970s....
- French footballer.
Merieme Chadid
Merieme Chadid

Merieme Chadid is a Morocco astronomer and researcher at Dome C, Concordia Station in Antarctica. She is considered the first astronomer in the world to have been committed to install a large astronomical observatory in Antarctica....
- Moroccan astronomer.
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, also known as JC/DC, born 28 November 1949 in Casablanca, Morocco, is a fashion designer. As the Marquess de Castelbajac, he is a French people Nobility....
- French fashion designer.
Nawal El Moutawakel
Nawal El Moutawakel

Nawal El Moutawakel is a Morocco Hurdling, who won the inaugural women's 400 m hurdles event at the 1984 Summer Olympics, thereby becoming the first Islam and first African female Olympic champion....
- Olympic champion.
Shatha Hassoun
Shatha Hassoun

Shatha Amjad Hassoun Alshamery simply known as Shatha Hassoun is a Iraqi singer who rose to fame as the winner of a popular pan-Arab TV talent show Star Academy Lebanon; she was the first female to win the competition....
- Moroccan/Iraqi singer.
Hicham Mesbahi
Hicham Mesbahi

Hicham Mesbahi is a Boxing from Morocco who, as of 2008, has participated in three Olympics. He was born in Casablanca....
- Moroccan boxer.
Mostafa Nissaboury
Mostafa Nissaboury

Mostafa Nissaboury is a poet and one of the pioneers of modern Moroccan poetry.Nissaboury was one of the co-founders of the magazine Anfas/Souffles , an avant-garde bilingual quarterly that published essays, poetry, and fiction....
- Moroccan poet.
Hakim Noury - Moroccan film director.
Maurice Ohana
Maurice Ohana

Maurice Ohana was a France composer of Sephardic Jewish origin.Ohana was born in Casablanca, Morocco. He was a British citizen until 1976, as his father had been born in Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory....
- French composer.
Jean Reno
Jean Reno

'Jean Reno' is a C?sar Award-nominated France actor. Working in both French and English, he has appeared not only in numerous successful Hollywood productions such as Godzilla , The Da Vinci Code , Mission: Impossible and Ronin , but also European productions such as L?on and the 2005 Italian film The Tiger and the Snow...
- French Hollywood actor.
Alain Souchon
Alain Souchon

Alain Souchon is a French people singer, songwriter and actor. He has released 15 albums and has played roles in seven films....
- French songwriter.
Sidney Taurel
Sidney Taurel

Sidney Taurel is chairman and a former chief executive officer for Eli Lilly and Company. He became chief executive officer in July 1998 and chairman of the board of directors on January 1, 1999....
- Naturalized American CEO of Eli Lilly and Company from 1998 to 2008
Richard Virenque
Richard Virenque

Richard VirenqueRichard Virenque's name is pronounced Ree-shah Vee-rahnk. Virenque considers himself a man of the South but pronounces his name in standard French....
- French cyclist.
Abdallah Zrika
Abdallah Zrika

Abdallah Zrika is one of the most famous Arabic poetrys of Morocco. His poetry is free, based on spoken language and unrivalled in contemporary Arabic literature in its spontaneity ....
- Moroccan poet.
Gad Elmaleh
Gad Elmaleh

Gad Elmaleh is a Morocco-France one man show humorist and actor. His latest show is called Papa est en haut ....
- Moroccan-French One man show humorist/Actor.

Casablanca in fiction

Casablanca is the setting of Casablanca (film)
Casablanca (film)

Casablanca is an Cinema of the United States romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre....
the 1942 starring Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart

Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an United_States_of_America actor and cultural icon. In 1997, Entertainment Weekly magazine named him the number one movie legend of all time....
and Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman

was a Swedish people three-time Academy Award-winning and two-time Emmy Award-winning Actor. She also won the Tony Award for Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play in the 1st Tony Awards in 1947....
. The film has achieved worldwide popularity since then, having also won three Oscars and been nominated in five additional categories.
The city is featured in The Mysterious Caravan
The Mysterious Caravan

The Mysterious Caravan is Volume 54 in the original The Hardy Boys book series published by Grosset & Dunlap....
, Volume 54 in the original Hardy Boys
The Hardy Boys

The Hardy Boys is a series of juvenile criminal detection books, chronicling the fictional adventures of teenage brothers Frank Hardy and Joe Hardy ....
series.
Casablanca is one of the key locations in the 2006 video game Dreamfall
Dreamfall

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey is an adventure game video game with elements of action-adventure game. It was released for the Microsoft Windows and Xbox platforms on 17 April 2006 by Norway developer Funcom....
, as it is where the primary protagonist of the game, Zoë Castillo, lives.
A Night in Casablanca
A Night in Casablanca

A Night in Casablanca was the twelfth Marx Brothers' film. The film stars Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, and Harpo Marx. It was directed by Archie Mayo and written by Joseph Fields and Roland Kibbee....
(1946) was the twelfth Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers

The Marx Brothers were a popular team of sibling comedians who appeared in vaudeville, stage plays, film, and television....
' movie. The film stars Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, and Harpo Marx. It was directed by Archie Mayo and written by Joseph Fields and Roland Kibbee. The film contains the song "Who's Sorry Now?" with music by Ted Snyder and lyrics by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. It is sung in French by Lisette Verea playing the part of Beatrice Rheiner, and then later sung in English (see image). Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 is played twice, once by Chico on piano as an intro to the Beer Barrel Polka, and again by Harpo on the harp.

Casablanca

History

Before the French Protectorate

French rule

The Casablanca Conference

Since independence

Climate

Economy

Demographics

Judaism in Casablanca

Notable physical landmarks

List of notable landmarks

Transport

Trains

Coaches

Air

Taxis

Metro (planned)

Tram (planned)

Casablanca's administrative divisions

Districts

Neighborhoods

International relations

Education

Sports

People born in Casablanca

Casablanca in fiction

Images

See also

External links