Casablanca is a
cityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in western
MoroccoMorocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the
Grand CasablancaGrand Casablanca is one of sixteen administrative regions of Morocco. Located in coastal north western Morocco, it is the most densely populated region and covers an area of 1,615 km.² The population at the 2010 census was 7,500,000...
region.
Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief
portA port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
. It is also the biggest city in the
MaghrebThe Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture of Casablanca and 3,631,061 in the region of
Grand CasablancaGrand Casablanca is one of sixteen administrative regions of Morocco. Located in coastal north western Morocco, it is the most densely populated region and covers an area of 1,615 km.² The population at the 2010 census was 7,500,000...
. Casablanca is considered the economic and business center of Morocco, while the political capital city of Morocco is
RabatRabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
.
Casablanca hosts headquarters and main industrial facilities for the leading Moroccan and international companies based in Morocco. Industrial statistics show Casablanca retains its historical position as the main industrial zone of the country. The
Port of CasablancaThe Port of Casablanca refers to the collective facilities and terminals that conduct maritime trade handling functions in Casablanca's harbours and which handle Casablanca's shipping...
is one of the largest artificial ports in the world, and the largest port of
North AfricaNorth Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
. It is also the primary naval base for the
Royal Moroccan NavyThe Royal Navy of Morocco is a branch of the military of Morocco responsible of conducting naval operations.The Royal Moroccan Navy is administratively managed by the Adminsitration of Defence, which is commanded by King Mohammed VI - Mission :The Royal Moroccan Navy is part of the Moroccan Armed...
.
Etymology
The Latinized name of the city is a
SpanishSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
word combination meaning 'White House' (
blanca, 'white;'
casa, 'house'). It is thought that the Spaniards adopted the name from
PortuguesePortuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
Casa Branca. The city is now nicknamed
Casa by many locals.
The
BerberThe Berber languages are a family of languages indigenous to North Africa, spoken from Siwa Oasis in Egypt to Morocco , and south to the countries of the Sahara Desert...
original name, (meaning: "hill" in English), was used by the
localAnfa is the area which is today Casablanca, Morocco. It was originally settled by Berbers in the 7th century. The area, which they named Anfa, became a small, independent kingdom, which rejected the muslim rule that surrounded it until it was conquered by the Almoravids in 1068.From the 14th...
, and Berber-speaking, city dwellers until the French occupation army entered the city in 1907 and adopted the Spanish name, Casablanca. "Anfa" now refers to the original old city quarters of Casablanca.
Legally speaking, Moroccans consider Anfa to be a prefecture (a district) with half a million city dwellers, and is thus a part of the Grand Casablanca.
Casablanca has two airports;
Casablanca-Anfa AirportCasablanca-Anfa Airport is an airport in Morocco , located about southwest of Casablanca. Anfa Airport is one of two airports serving the Casablanca area, the other being the newer and larger Mohammed V International Airport. Anfa Airport, restricted by the urban growth around it, primarily serves...
and
Mohammed V International AirportMohammed V International Airport is an airport operated by ONDA . Located in Province of Nouaceur, a suburb 30 km south-east of Casablanca, it is the busiest airport in Morocco with almost 7.25 million passengers passing through the airport in 2010...
.
Geography
Casablanca is located in the Chawiya plain which has historically been the breadbasket of Morocco.
Apart from the Atlantic coast, the Bouskoura forest is the only natural attraction in the city. The forest was planted in the 20th century and consists mostly of
EucalyptusEucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
and
PinePines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
trees. It is located half way to the city's international airport.
The only watercourse in Casablanca is Oued Bouskoura, a small seasonal creek that until 1912 reached the
Atlantic OceanThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
near the actual port. Most of Oued Bouskoura's bed has been covered due to urbanization and only the part south of El-Jadida road can now be seen. The closest permanent river to Casablanca is
Oum Er-Rbia RiverOum Er-Rbia , is a river in central Morocco. The river is 555 km long and is the longest in the country. With an average water debit of 105 m3/s, Oum Er-Rbia is the second largest river in Morocco after the Sebou River. It takes source in the Middle Atlas and passes through the city of Khénifra and...
70 km (43.5 mi) to the south-east.
History
Before the French Protectorate
The area which is today Casablanca was settled by
BerbersBerbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
by at least the 7th century BC.
It was used as a port by the Phoenicians and later the Romans.
A small independent kingdom, in the area then named
AnfaAnfa is the area which is today Casablanca, Morocco. It was originally settled by Berbers in the 7th century. The area, which they named Anfa, became a small, independent kingdom, which rejected the muslim rule that surrounded it until it was conquered by the Almoravids in 1068.From the 14th...
, arose around late Roman time in response to Arab
MuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
rule, and continued until it was conquered by the Almoravids in 1068.
During the 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, Casablanca was part of Spain, and later it became part of Portugal again. The Europeans eventually abandoned the area completely in 1755 following an
earthquakeAn earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
which destroyed most of the town. See:
1755 Lisbon EarthquakeThe 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon Earthquake, was a megathrust earthquake that took place on Saturday 1 November 1755, at around 9:40 in the morning. The earthquake was followed by fires and a tsunami, which almost totally destroyed Lisbon in the Kingdom of Portugal, and...
.
The town was finally reconstructed by
sultanSultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
Mohammed ben Abdallah (1756–1790), the grandson of Moulay Ismail and ally of
George WashingtonGeorge Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
with the help of Spaniards from the nearby emporium. The town was called
الدار البيضاء ad-Dār al-Bayḍāʼ, the
ArabicArabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
translation of the Spanish
Casa Blanca, meaning "white house".
In the 19th century, the area's population began to grow as it became a major supplier of wool to the booming textile industry in
BritainThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and shipping traffic increased (the British, in return, began importing Morocco's now famous national drink,
gunpowder teaGunpowder tea is a form of green Chinese tea produced in Zhejiang Province 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 blackpowder grains...
). 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 colonialistsThe French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
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
bidonvillesA shanty town is a slum settlement of impoverished people who live in improvised dwellings made from scrap materials: often plywood, corrugated metal and sheets of plastic...
.
French rule
In June 1907, the French attempted to build a
light railwayLight 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, 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 colonization, although French control of Casablanca was not formalised until 1910.
The famous 1942 film
CasablancaCasablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in...
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 cosmopolitan cast of characters (American, French, German, Czech, Norwegian, Bulgarian, Russian and some other nationalities) includes only a single (uncredited) local character, "Abdul" the doorman whose role is marginal.
Europeans formed almost half the population. During the 1940s and 1950s, Casablanca was a major centre of anti-French rioting. A bomb attack on Christmas Day of 1953 caused many casualties.
The Casablanca Conference
Casablanca was an important strategic port during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and hosted the
Casablanca ConferenceThe Casablanca Conference was held at the Anfa Hotel in Casablanca, Morocco, then a French protectorate, from January 14 to 24, 1943, to plan the European strategy of the Allies during World War II. Present were Franklin D...
in 1943, in which
ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
and
RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
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 OperationsThe European Theater of Operations, United States Army was a United States Army formation which directed U.S. Army operations in parts of Europe from 1942 to 1945. It referred to Army Ground Forces, United States Army Air Forces, and Army Service Forces operations north of Italy and the...
during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Since independence
Morocco gained independence from France on March 2, 1956.
In 1930, Casablanca hosted a Grand Prix. The race was held at the new
Anfa RacecourseThe 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 PrixThe 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 GamesThe 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 idea was proposed at the 1948 Summer Olympics by Muhammed Taher Pasha, chairman of the Egyptian Olympic Committee, and they were first...
.
The city is now developing a tourism industry. Casablanca has become the economic and business capital of Morocco, while
RabatRabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
is the political capital.
In March 2000, women's groups organized demonstrations in Casablanca proposing reforms to the legal status of women in the country. 40,000 women attended, calling for a ban on
polygamyPolygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
and the introduction of
divorce lawIn Islam there are separate rules for divorce for men and women under the terms of Islamic law . When a man has initiated a divorce the procedure is called . When a woman has initiated a divorce it is called khula ....
(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 VIMohammed VI is the present King of Morocco and Amir al-Mu'minin . He ascended to the throne on 23 July 1999 upon the death of his father.-Education:...
, and he enacted a new
MudawanaThe Mudawana is the personal status code, also known as the family code, in Moroccan law. It concerns issues related to the family, including the regulation of marriage, polygamy, divorce, inheritance, and child custody. Originally based on the Maliki school of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence, it was...
, 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 attackThe 2003 Casablanca bombings were a series of suicide bombings on May 16, 2003, in Casablanca, Morocco. The attacks were the deadliest terrorist attacks in the country's history. 45 people were killed as a result of these attacks...
carried out by Moroccans and claimed by some to have been linked to
al-QaedaAl-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
.
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 very mild
Mediterranean climateA Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
(
Köppen climate classificationThe Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Csa). Casablanca's climate is strongly influenced by the cool currents of the Atlantic Ocean which tends to moderate temperature swings and produce a remarkably mild climate with little seasonal temperature variation and a lack of extreme heat and cold. Rainfall is negligible from May to September, but for the rest of the year it is adequate for rain-fed farming.
Economy
The
Grand CasablancaGrand Casablanca is one of sixteen administrative regions of Morocco. Located in coastal north western Morocco, it is the most densely populated region and covers an area of 1,615 km.² The population at the 2010 census was 7,500,000...
region is considered the locomotive of the development of the
Moroccan economyMorocco's economy is considered a relatively liberal economy governed by the law of 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 government. Morocco has become a major player in the African...
. 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 come from the Grand Casablanca. 30% of Moroccan banking network is concentrated in Casablanca.
One of the most important Casablancan exports is phosphate. Other industries include fishing, fish canning, sawmills, furniture production, building materials, glass, textiles, electronics, leather work, processed food, spirits, soft drinks, and cigarettes.
The
CasablancaThe Port of Casablanca refers to the collective facilities and terminals that conduct maritime trade handling functions in Casablanca's harbours and which handle Casablanca's shipping...
and
MohammediaMohammedia is a port city on the west coast of Morocco located between Casablanca and Rabat in the region of Greater Casablanca. It hosts the most important oil refinery of Morocco, Samir, which makes it the center of the Moroccan petrol...
seaports activity represent 50% of the international commercial flows of Morocco.
Almost the entire Casablanca waterfront is under development, mainly the construction of huge entertainment centres between the port and Hassan II Mosque, the Anfa Resort project near the business, entertainment and living centre of Megarama, the shopping and entertainment complex of Morocco Mall, as well as a complete renovation of the coastal walkway. The Sindbad park is planned to be totally renewed with rides, games and entertainment services.
Royal Air MarocRoyal Air Maroc is the flag carrier airline of Morocco, headquartered on the grounds of Casablanca-Anfa Airport in Casablanca...
has its head office at the
Casablanca-Anfa AirportCasablanca-Anfa Airport is an airport in Morocco , located about southwest of Casablanca. Anfa Airport is one of two airports serving the Casablanca area, the other being the newer and larger Mohammed V International Airport. Anfa Airport, restricted by the urban growth around it, primarily serves...
. In 2004, it announced that it was moving its head office from Casablanca to a location in
Province of NouaceurNouaceur is a province in the Moroccan region of Grand Casablanca. Its population in 2004 is 236,119. Its major town is Bouskoura, although the administrative centre is Nouaceur....
, close to
Mohammed V International AirportMohammed V International Airport is an airport operated by ONDA . Located in Province of Nouaceur, a suburb 30 km south-east of Casablanca, it is the busiest airport in Morocco with almost 7.25 million passengers passing through the airport in 2010...
. The agreement to build the head office in Nouaceur was signed in 2009.
Demographics
The population of Grand Casablanca was estimated in 2005 at 3.85 million. 98% 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 MoroccoThis article is about the demographic features of the population of Morocco, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
.
Grand CasablancaGrand Casablanca is one of sixteen administrative regions of Morocco. Located in coastal north western Morocco, it is the most densely populated region and covers an area of 1,615 km.² The population at the 2010 census was 7,500,000...
is also the largest
urban areaAn urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
in the
MaghrebThe Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
.
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
SephardicSephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
JewishJudaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
community in Anfa up to its destruction by the Portuguese in 1468. Jews were slow to return to the town, but by 1750 the Rabbi Elijah
SynagogueA synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
was built as the first Jewish synagogue in Casablanca. It was destroyed along with much of the town in the
1755 Lisbon earthquakeThe 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon Earthquake, was a megathrust earthquake that took place on Saturday 1 November 1755, at around 9:40 in the morning. The earthquake was followed by fires and a tsunami, which almost totally destroyed Lisbon in the Kingdom of Portugal, and...
.
Main sights
The French period
Ville Nouvelle (New Town) of Casablanca was designed by the French architect
Henri ProstHenri Prost was a French architect and town planner. He was noted in particularly for his work in Morocco and designed a number of city streets and buildings between 1914 and 1922, including Casablanca, Fès, Marrakech, Meknès and Rabat.He was the co-founder in 1911 of the French Society of...
, and was a model of a
new townA planned community, or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since...
at that time. The main streets radiate south and east from Place des Nations Unies, previously the main market of Anfa. Former administrative buildings and modern hotels populate the area. Their style is a combination of Hispano-Mauresque and
Art DecoArt deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
.
Casablanca is home to the
Hassan II MosqueThe Hassan II Mosque is a religious building in Casablanca, Morocco. It is the largest mosque in the country and the 7th largest mosque in the world. Its minaret is the world's tallest at .It stands on a promontory looking out to the Atlantic...
, designed by the French architect
Michel PinseauMichel Pinseau was a French architect. He is known for his conception of the tallest minaret in the world, Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco.-Career:...
. It is situated on a
promontoryPromontory 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...
on the
AtlanticThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. The mosque has room for 25,000 worshippers inside, and a further 80,000 can be accommodated in the mosque's courtyard. Its
minaretA minaret مناره , sometimes مئذنه) is a distinctive architectural feature of Islamic mosques, generally a tall spire with an onion-shaped or conical crown, usually either free standing or taller than any associated support structure. The basic form of a minaret includes a base, shaft, and gallery....
is the world's tallest at 210 metres. The mosque is also the largest in North Africa, and the third largest in the world.
Work on the mosque was started in 1980, and was intended to be completed for the 60th birthday of the former Moroccan king,
Hassan IIKing Hassan II l-ḥasan aṯ-ṯānī, dial. el-ḥasan ettâni); July 9, 1929 – July 23, 1999) was King 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 the
Casablanca CathedralCasablanca Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Casablanca, Morocco. It was built in 1930. It ceased to function as a church in 1956, after the independence of Morocco, and became a cultural center and is open to visitors....
(Cathédrale Sacré-Coeur). It is no longer in use for religious purposes, but it is open for visitor and a splendid example of
MauresqueMoorish 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 fascination with all things oriental...
architecture.
The Old Medina (the part of town pre-dating the French
protectorateIn history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...
) attracts fewer tourists than the
medinasA medina quarter is a distinct city section found in many North African cities. The medina is typically walled, contains many narrow and maze-like streets...
of cities like
FesFes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....
and
MarrakechMarrakech or Marrakesh , known as the "Ochre city", is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history...
. However, it has undergone some restoration in recent years. Included in this project have been the western walls of the medina, its
skala, or
bastionA bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...
, and its colonial-period clock tower.
A popular site among locals is the small island
Marabout de Sidi Abderrahmane. It is possible to walk across to the rocky island at low tide. This outcrop contains the tomb of Sidi Abderrhamane Thaalibi, a Sufi from
BaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
and the founder of Algiers. He is considered a saint in Morocco. Because of this, many Moroccans make informal pilgrimages to this site "to reflect on life and to seek religious enlightenment". Some believe that the saint possessed magical powers and so his tomb still possesses these powers. People come and seek this magic in order to be cured. Non-Muslims may not enter the shrine.
Other sights
- The Casablanca Technopark
Casablanca Technopark is an information technology Business cluster complex located at Casablanca, Morocco. It was inaugurated in October 2001.-Background:...
is an information technologyInformation technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
Business clusterA business cluster is a geographic concentration of interconnected businesses, suppliers, and associated institutions in a particular field. Clusters are considered to increase the productivity with which companies can compete, nationally and globally. In urban studies, the term agglomeration is used...
complex located at Casablanca, and was inaugurated in October 2001.
Transport
Air
Casablanca's main airport is
Mohammed V International AirportMohammed V International Airport is an airport operated by ONDA . Located in Province of Nouaceur, a suburb 30 km south-east of Casablanca, it is the busiest airport in Morocco with almost 7.25 million passengers passing through the airport in 2010...
, Morocco's busiest airport. Regular domestic flights serve
MarrakechMarrakech or Marrakesh , known as the "Ochre city", is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history...
,
RabatRabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
,
AgadirAgadir is a major city in southwest Morocco, capital of the Agadir province and the Sous-Massa-Draa economic region .-Etymology:...
,
OujdaOujda is a city in eastern Morocco with an estimated population of 1 million. The city is located about 15 kilometers west of Algeria and about 60 kilometers south of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the Oriental Region of Morocco and the birthplace of the current Algerian president,...
, and
TangierTangier, also Tangiers is a city in 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 YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
,
DakarDakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
and
DubaiDubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
are important primary destinations.
The older, smaller
Casablanca-Anfa AirportCasablanca-Anfa Airport is an airport in Morocco , located about southwest of Casablanca. Anfa Airport is one of two airports serving the Casablanca area, the other being the newer and larger Mohammed V International Airport. Anfa Airport, restricted by the urban growth around it, primarily serves...
to the west of the city, that served certain destinations including
DamascusDamascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, and
TunisTunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
, was largely closed to international civilian traffic in 2006. It currently services domestic flights and freight.
Coaches
CTM 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.
Metro
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 km (6.21 mi) and costing 46.7 billion dirhams (approximately 5.8 billion USD). However, it should be noticed that none of the preparatory works for this project have started. In addition, no discussion of it has been observed in the media. The anecdote among Casablanca population is that "water is too near below, that they cannot dig tunnels."
Taxis
Registered
taxisA taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
in Casablanca are coloured red 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 UnoThe Fiat Uno is a supermini car produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat. The Uno was launched in 1983 and built in its homeland until 1995, with production still taking place in other countries.-First series :...
or similar cars, provide metered cab service in the central metropolitan areas.
Grands taxis, generally older
Mercedes-BenzMercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
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.
Trains
Casablanca is served by two rail stations run by the national rail service, the
ONCFONCF or ONCFM is Morocco's national railway operator. The Office employs around 9,767 employees and has a network of 1,907 km, all standard gauge...
. The main long haul station is Casa-Voyageurs, from which trains run south to
MarrakechMarrakech or Marrakesh , known as the "Ochre city", is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history...
or
El JadidaEl Jadida is a port city on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, in the province of El Jadida. It has a population of 144,440...
and north to
MohammediaMohammedia is a port city on the west coast of Morocco located between Casablanca and Rabat in the region of Greater Casablanca. It hosts the most important oil refinery of Morocco, Samir, which makes it the center of the Moroccan petrol...
and
RabatRabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
, and then on either to
TangierTangier, also Tangiers is a city in 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...
or
MeknesMeknes is a city in northern Morocco, located from the capital Rabat and from Fes. It is served by the A2 expressway between those two cities and by the corresponding railway. Meknes was the capital of Morocco under the reign of Moulay Ismail , before it was relocated to Marrakech. The...
,
FesFes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....
, Taza and
OujdaOujda is a city in eastern Morocco with an estimated population of 1 million. The city is located about 15 kilometers west of Algeria and about 60 kilometers south of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the Oriental Region of Morocco and the birthplace of the current Algerian president,...
. A dedicated airport shuttle service to
Mohammed V International AirportMohammed V International Airport is an airport operated by ONDA . Located in Province of Nouaceur, a suburb 30 km south-east of Casablanca, it is the busiest airport in Morocco with almost 7.25 million passengers passing through the airport in 2010...
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 -
KenitraKenitra is a city in Morocco, formerly known as Port Lyautey. It is a port on the Sebou River, has a population in 2004 of 359,142 and is the capital of the Gharb-Chrarda-Béni Hssen region. During the Cold War Kenitra's U.S...
corridor, with some connecting trains with running on to Gare de Casa-Voyageurs. www.oncf.ma
Tram
A tram system is currently under construction should open in December 2012.
Administrative divisions
Casablanca is a commune, part of the Region of the
Grand CasablancaGrand Casablanca is one of sixteen administrative regions of Morocco. Located in coastal north western Morocco, it is the most densely populated region and covers an area of 1,615 km.² The population at the 2010 census was 7,500,000...
. The commune is divided into 8 districts (prefectures عمالات), which are themselves divided into 16 subdivisions (arrondissements دوائر) and 1 municipality (بلدية).
Districts
Administrative divisions of the Casablanca City
| Districts (fr: Préfectures d'arrondissement, ar: عمالة دوائر) |
Subdivisions (fr: Arrondissements, ar: دوائر) |
Municipalities (fr: Municipalités, ar: بلديات ) |
Area |
Population (2004) |
عين الشق
Aïn Chock |
عين الشق
Aïn Chock |
|
28.89 km² (11.2 sq mi) |
inhabitants |
عين السبع الحي المحمدي
Aïn Sebaâ-Hay Mohammadi |
عين السبع
Aïn Sebaâ |
|
26.7 km² (10.3 sq mi) |
inhabitants |
الحي المحمدي
Hay Mohammadi |
|
الصخور السوداء / روش نوار
Roches Noires (Assoukhour Assawda) |
|
أنفا
Anfa |
أنفا
Anfa |
|
37.5 km² (14.5 sq mi) |
inhabitants |
المعاريف
Maârif |
|
|
|style="width:20%;"|بركون
Bargoune>
سيدي بليوط
Sidi Belyout |
|
بن مسيك
Ben M'sick |
بن مسيك
Ben M'sick |
|
10.27 km² (4 sq mi). |
inhabitants |
سباته
Sbata |
|
سيدي) برنوصي)
(Sidi) Bernoussi |
سيدي) برنوصي)
(Sidi) Bernoussi |
|
38.59 km² (14.9 sq mi) |
inhabitants |
سيدي مومن
Sidi Moumen |
|
الفداء - مرس السلطان
Al Fida-Mers Sultan |
الفداء
Al Fida |
المشور
Mechouar |
17.9 km² (6.9 sq mi) |
inhabitants |
مرس السلطان
Mers Sultan |
|
الحي الحسني
Hay Hassani |
الحي الحسني
Hay Hassani |
|
25.91 km² (10 sq mi) |
inhabitants |
مولاي رشيد
Moulay Rachid |
مولاي رشيد
Moulay Rachid |
|
13.38 km² (5.2 sq mi) |
inhabitants |
سيدي عثمان
Sidi Othmane |
|
Twin towns
AlexandriaAlexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
,
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
Algiers' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
,
AlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
AthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
,
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
BordeauxBordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
,
FranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, since 1988
CairoCairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
,
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, USA, since 1982
DubaiDubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
,
United Arab EmiratesThe United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
İstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
,
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
İzmirIzmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
,
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
JakartaJakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
,
IndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
Kuala LumpurKuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
,
Malaysia MontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
,
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, USA, since 1998
ParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
,
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
Saint PetersburgSaint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Russia
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
,
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
ShanghaiShanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
,
People's Republic of ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
(1986)
SosnowiecSosnowiec is a city in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie in southern Poland, near Katowice. It is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a combined population of over two million people located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Brynica river .It is situated in...
,
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Tokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
,
JapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, since 2004
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IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, since 1998
Education
Public Colleges and universities
- Académie Mohammed VI Internationale de l'Aviation Civile (AIAC)
- École Hassania des Travaux Publics
The École 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...
(EHTP)
- École Nationale Supérieure d'Electricité et de Mécanique (ENSEM)
- École supérieure de technologie de Casablanca (EST)
- École nationale des pilotes de ligne (ENPL)
- École supérieure des industries du textile et de l'habillement (ESITH)
- École nationale de commerce et de gestion de Casablanca (ENCGC)
- École supérieure des beaux-arts de Casablanca (ESBAC)
- École royale navale (ERN)
- Institut supérieur d'études maritimes (ISEM)
- Institut supérieur de commerce et d'administration des entreprises (ISCAE)
- University of Hassan II - Ain Chock
- University of Hassan II - Mohammedia
Private high schools and colleges
- American Academy Casablanca
- Casablanca American School
- George Washington Academy
- Lycée Lyautey
Lycée Lyautey is a French Lycée belonging to the French Mission in Casablanca, Morocco. It was named after Marshal Louis Hubert Gonzalve Lyautey who was the Resident General in Morocco from 1912 to 1925...
- Nelson C. Brown High School
- Lycée Louis Massignon
Association football
Casablanca is home to two popular football clubs:
- Raja Club Athletic
- Wydad Athletic Club
Raja's symbol is an eagle. Traditionally, Derb Sultane's neighborhood is where most of its fans live. Wydad's symbol is a goose. Old Medina's neighborhood constitutes the center where most of its supporters reside. This separation of both these clubs by neighborhoods is not necessarily reliable in these days since members of the same families could support Raja or Wydad regardless of the location.
These two popular clubs have produced some of Morocco's best players such as:
Salaheddine Bassir,
Abdelmajid DolmyAbdelmajid Dolmy is a retired Moroccan football defender.Dolmy played club football for Raja Casablanca in the Botola. He also played for the Morocco national football team at the 1984 Summer Olympics...
, Baddou Zaki,
Aziz BouderbalaAbdelaziz Bouderbala El-Idrissi is a former Moroccan footballer. Aziz Bouderbala started his professional career at Wydad Casablanca, before moving to FC Sion, Switzerland and French Olympique Lyon later. the former player worked as a technical director at his first club Wydad Casablanca. He...
and
Noureddine Naybet
There are other football teams on top of these two big teams that are based in the city of Casablanca:
- Rachad Bernoussi
Rachad Bernoussi is a Moroccan football club currently playing in the second division. The club was founded in 1961 and is located in the town of Casablanca. They play in the Complexe Bernoussi, and their president is Ahmed Amor...
- TAS de Casablanca
Tihad Athlétique Sport de Casablanca is a Moroccan football club currently playing in the third division. The club was founded in 1947 and is located in the town of Casablanca.-References:* Wikipedia France...
- Majd Al Madina
- Racing Casablanca
Tennis
Casablanca hosts The
Grand Prix Hassan IIThe Grand Prix Hassan II is an annual tennis tournament on the ATP Tour and is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series. The event is held annually at the Complexe Al Amal in Casablanca, Morocco and is played on clay courts. Between 1986 and 1989 it was part of the Challenger...
, a professional male tennis tournament of the ATP tour. It first began in 1986. It is played on clay courts type at
Complexe Al AmalThe Complexe Al Amal is a tennis complex in Casablanca, Morocco. The complex is the host of the annual ATP Tour stop, the Grand Prix Hassan II. The stadium court has a capacity of 5,500 people.- External links :*...
.
Notable winners of Grand-Prix Hassan II are:
Thomas MusterThomas Muster is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Austria. One of the world's leading clay court players in the 1990s, Muster won the 1995 French Open and at his peak was known as "The King of Clay." In addition, he won eight Masters 1000 series titles, placing him sixth on the all-time list...
in 1990,
Hicham AraziHicham Arazi is a male tennis player from Morocco. He played professionally from 1993 to the end of the 2007. The left-hander reached his highest singles ranking in the ATP Tour on November 5, 2001, when he reached number 22 in the world. During his career, Arazi captured one singles title, in...
in 1997,
Younes El AynaouiYounes El Aynaoui is a professional tennis player from Morocco.He is a five-time singles winner on the ATP Tour and reached his career-high singles ranking of No. 14 in 2003, at the age of 31. His long career has been plagued by injuries and he did not play competitive tennis between September...
in 2002 and
Stanislas WawrinkaStanislas Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player. He also holds German citizenship as his father is German. His career ranking high is no. 9, achieved on 9 June 2008. He considers clay his best surface and his backhand his best shot...
in 2010.
People born in Casablanca
- Salaheddine Bassir - Moroccan footballer
- Larbi Benbarek
Larbi Benbarek or Larbi Ben Barek was a Moroccan football player...
- Moroccan footballer
- Samy Meftoul - Moroccan footballer
- 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 and was part of the French team in the 1978 FIFA World Cup...
- French footballer
- Jean-Charles de Castelbajac
1949: Born on November 28th in Casablanca, son of Louis and Jeanne-Blanche de Castelbajac1968: First collection for Ko and Co, company created at Limoges by his mother Jeanne-Blanche de Castelbajac1969: First show...
- French fashion designer
- Merieme Chadid
Merieme Chadid is a Moroccan astronomer and researcher at Dome C, Concordia Research Station in Antarctica. She is considered the first astronomer in the world to have been committed to install a large astronomical observatory in Antarctica.-References and notes:...
- Moroccan astronomer
- Gad Elmaleh
Gad Elmaleh is a French-Moroccan stand-up comedian and actor. His latest show is called Papa est en haut . He has starred in several feature films, including Coco, Hors de prix, La Doublure and Midnight in Paris.- Early years :Elmaleh was born in Casablanca, Morocco...
- Moroccan-French one man show humorist/actor
- Shatha Hassoun
Shada Amjad Nasser Hassoun Alshamery better known as Shatha Hassoun is an Arabic singer from both Iraqi and Moroccan ancestry, who rose to fame as the winner of the 4th season of the pan-Arab television talent show Star Academy Arab World. She was the first female to win the competition...
- Moroccan/Iraqi singer
- Hicham Mesbahi
Hicham Mesbahi is a boxer from Morocco who, as of 2008, has participated in three Olympics. He was born in Casablanca.In 2000, when Sydney hosted the Summer Olympics, he fell in the second round...
- Moroccan boxer
- Nawal El Moutawakel
Nawal El Moutawakel is a Moroccan hurdler, who won the inaugural women's 400 m hurdles event at the 1984 Summer Olympics, thereby becoming the first female Muslim born on the continent of Africa to become an Olympic champion. She was also the first Moroccan and the first woman from a Muslim...
- Olympic champion
- Mostafa Nissaboury
Mostafa Nissaboury is a Moroccan poet.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 was an Anglo-French 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 the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. He originally studied architecture, but abandoned this in favour of a...
- French composer
- Jean Reno
Jean Reno is a French actor. Working in French, English, Spanish and Italian, he has appeared not only in numerous successful Hollywood productions such as The Pink Panther, Godzilla, The Da Vinci Code, Mission: Impossible, Ronin and Couples Retreat, but also in European productions such as the...
- French Hollywood actor
- Alain Souchon
Alain Souchon is a French singer, songwriter and actor. He has released 15 albums and has played roles in seven films.-Profile:...
- French songwriter
- 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. He was succeeded as chief executive officer by John C...
- Naturalized American CEO of Eli Lilly and Company from 1998 to 2008
- 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. Confusion is caused by the southern habit of pronouncing "en" as "ang" or "eng", making it Vee-rank. But Virenque says Vee-rahnk or...
- French cyclist
- Abdallah Zrika
Abdallah Zrika is one of the most famous poets of Morocco. His poetry is free, based on spoken language and unrivalled in contemporary Arabic literature in its spontaneity....
- Moroccan poet
In fiction
- Casablanca is the setting of the 1942 film of the same name
Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in...
starring Humphrey BogartHumphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
and Ingrid BergmanIngrid Bergman was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films. She won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and the Tony Award for Best Actress. She is ranked as the fourth greatest female star of American cinema of all time by the American Film Institute...
. The film has achieved worldwide popularity since then, having also won three Oscars and been nominated in five additional categories.
- Casablanca is one of the key locations in the 2006 video game Dreamfall
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey is an adventure video game with elements of action-adventure. It was released for the Windows and Xbox platforms on 17 April 2006 by Norwegian developer Funcom...
, as it is where the primary protagonist of the game, Zoë Castillo, lives.
- Casablanca is the setting for several chapters in Doubleshot
DoubleShot, first published in 2000, was the sixth novel by Raymond Benson featuring Ian Fleming's secret agent, James Bond . Carrying the Ian Fleming Publications copyright, it was first published in the United Kingdom by Hodder & Stoughton and in the United States by Putnam...
, a 2000 James BondJames Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
novel by Raymond BensonRaymond Benson is an American author best known for being the official author of the adult James Bond novels from 1997 to 2003. Benson was born in Midland, Texas and graduated from Permian High School in Odessa in 1973...
. In the novel, one of the characters mentions that the 1942 film was shot in Hollywood and not on location.
- The city is featured in The Mysterious Caravan
The Mysterious Caravan is Volume 54 in the original The Hardy Boys Mystery Stories published by Grosset & Dunlap.This book was written for the Stratemeyer Syndicate by Andrew E...
, Volume 54 in the original Hardy BoysThe Hardy Boys, Frank and Joe Hardy, are fictional teenage brothers and amateur detectives who appear in various mystery series for children and teens....
series.
- A Night in Casablanca
A Night in Casablanca was the twelfth Marx Brothers movie, starring Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, and Harpo Marx. The picture was directed by Archie Mayo and written by Joseph Fields and Roland Kibbee, and is generally considered one of the better of the Marx Brothers' later films.-Plot:Set in...
(1946) was the twelfth Marx BrothersThe Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
' movie. The film stars Groucho MarxJulius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
, Chico MarxLeonard "Chico" Marx was an American comedian and film star as part of the Marx Brothers. His persona in the act was that of a dim-witted albeit crafty con artist, seemingly of rural Italian origin, who wore shabby clothes, and sported a curly-haired wig and Tyrolean hat.As the first-born of the...
, and Harpo MarxAdolph "Harpo" Marx was an American comedian and film star. He was the second oldest of the Marx Brothers. His comic style was influenced by clown and pantomime traditions. He wore a curly reddish wig, and never spoke during performances...
. It was directed by Archie MayoArchie Mayo was a movie director and stage actor who moved to Hollywood in 1915 and began working as a director in 1917....
and written by Joseph FieldsJoseph Albert Fields was an American playwright, theatre director, screenwriter, and film producer.-Life and career:Fields was born in New York City, the son of vaudevillean Lew Fields...
and Roland Kibbee. The film contains the song "Who's Sorry Now?"Who's Sorry Now?" is a popular song with music written by Ted Snyder and lyrics by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. It was published in 1923."Who's Sorry Now?" was featured in the Marx Brothers film A Night in Casablanca , directed by Archie Mayo and released by United Artists.The song has been...
", with music by Ted SnyderTheodore Frank Snyder , was a U.S. composer, lyricist, and music publisher . His hits include "The Sheik of Araby" and "Who's Sorry Now?" . In 1970, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame...
and lyrics by Bert KalmarBert Kalmar was a Jewish American lyricist.He was born in New York, New York. He ran away from home at the age of 10 to become a magician at a tent show, and retained an interest in magic all his life. He never got much of an education, but decided to make a career in show business...
and Harry RubyHarry Ruby was a Jewish American songwriter and screenwriter.After failing in his early ambition to become a professional baseball player,...
. It is sung in French by Lisette Verea playing the part of Beatrice Rheiner, and then later sung in English. LisztFranz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
's "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, S.244/2, is the second in a set of 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies by composer Franz Liszt, and is by far the most famous of the set. Few other piano solos have achieved such widespread popularity, offering the pianist the opportunity to reveal exceptional skill as a virtuoso,...
" is played twice, once by Chico on piano as an intro to the "Beer Barrel PolkaBeer Barrel Polka, also known as Roll Out the Barrel, is a song which became popular worldwide during World War II. The music was composed by the Czech musician Jaromír Vejvoda in 1927. Eduard Ingriš wrote the first arrangement of the piece, after Vejvoda came upon the melody and sought Ingriš's...
", and again by Harpo on the harp.
- The Post-Hardcore Band A Day To Remember
A Day to Remember is an American rock band from Ocala, Florida. Founded in 2003 by guitarist Tom Denny and drummer Bobby Scruggs, the band has released four studio albums, nine singles and eight music videos...
have a song on their debut album, And Their Name Was Treason-Personnel:A Day to Remember*Tom Denney – lead guitar*Jeremy McKinnon – vocals*Bobby Scruggs – drums*Neil Westfall – rhythm guitar*Joshua Woodward – bass guitar...
entitled "Casablanca Sucked Anyways"
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