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Casablanca

  (kăs'ə-blăng'kə, kä'sə-bläng'kə) pronunciation

A city of northwest Morocco on the Atlantic Ocean south-southwest of Tangier. Founded by the Portuguese in the 16th century, it became a center of French influence in Africa after 1907. It is now Morocco's largest city. Population: 2,930,000.

 

 
 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Casablanca

Coastal city (pop., 1994: 2,940,623), western Morocco. It occupies the site of the ancient city of Anfa, destroyed by the Portuguese in 1468. The Portuguese returned in 1515 and built a new town, Casa Branca ("White House"). Abandoned after an earthquake, it was occupied by a Moroccan sultan in 1757. European traders, including the French, began to settle there. In 1907, after French citizens were murdered there, French forces occupied the town. During the subsequent French protectorate, it became Morocco's chief port. Since then, its growth and development have been continuous. In World War II (1939 – 45) it surrendered to the Allied Powers in 1942, and in 1943 the Casablanca Conference was held there.

For more information on Casablanca, visit Britannica.com.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: Casablanca
(kă'səblăng'kə, kă'zə–, Span. kä'säbläng'kä) , Arab. Dar-al-Baida, city (1994 est. pop. 2,940,623), W Morocco, on the Atlantic Ocean. The largest city and principal port of Morocco, it accounts for more than half of Morocco's industrial production. The city's leading industries produce textiles, glass, electronics, bricks, beer, and soft drinks. Fish and seafood are abundant in the coastal waters. Major imports include petroleum products. Casablanca is the seat of numerous Arab and French schools, an art school, the Goethe-Institut, and the Hassan II mosque (1993), one of the world's largest.

Casablanca is on the site of Anfa, a prosperous town that the Portuguese destroyed in 1468; they resettled it briefly in 1515 under its present name. Almost destroyed by an earthquake in 1755, Casablanca was rebuilt (1757) by Muhammad XVI. It was occupied by the French in 1907. During World War II, Casablanca was the scene of one of the three major Allied landings in North Africa (Nov., 1942) and of a conference between Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Winston Churchill (Nov., 1943).

 
Mideast & N. Africa Encyclopedia: Casablanca

Largest city in Morocco.

As of 2002, Casablanca (al-Dar al-Bayda, in Arabic) had a population of 3,334,300. The wilaya (province) of Greater Casablanca, which covers 646 square miles (1,615 sq km), is composed of twenty-three urban districts and six prefectures. Situated on the Atlantic coast, the city is the principal maritime and air transport hub and the major industrial center of the country.

The site of modern Casablanca was occupied by Anfa, a commercial center in the thirteenth century. After being held briefly by the Portuguese, who called it Casa Branca (White House), it was abandoned in ruins about 1468. The village was rebuilt in 1770 by Sultan Muhammad III (1757 - 1790), who translated the name into Arabic as al-Dar al-Bayda. It was later retranslated into Spanish as Casablanca.

Muhammad III hoped to encourage trade with Europe through the port of Essaouira (Mogador); thus Casablanca remained small and inactive. When the tribes of the Shawiya district around Casablanca revolted in the 1790s, Sultan Sulayman (1792 - 1822) closed Casablanca and several other ports to European commerce. It began to revive under Sultan Abd al-Rahman (1822 - 1859), who reopened it to commerce in 1831. Trade slowly grew from 3 percent of Moroccan maritime trade in 1836 to 10 percent in 1843. The port handled mainly agricultural produce: hides, wool, and grain. The population was estimated at 1,500 in the late 1850s and perhaps 4,000 a decade later as European merchants set up agencies, and steamship services started to call. By the late 1880s the population had increased to around 9,000. Although the port still had no proper wharves, it was important enough for French agents to take control of the customhouse following the Act of Algeciras (1906). European attempts to construct a modern port in 1907 led to an attack on
the worksite by people from the surrounding countryside. A French warship bombarded the port, local people looted the town, and French and Spanish troops then occupied it.

The population grew quickly after the imposition of the French protectorate in 1912. It rose from perhaps 40,000 in 1914 to around 250,000 in 1930. The first French resident general, Louis-Hubert Gonzalve Lyautey, decided to make Casablanca the main port and the commercial center of Morocco; Rabat became the political capital. The port relied in particular on the export of phosphates, which became Morocco's largest and most valuable export.

European speculators quickly bought up land, and the city began to grow haphazardly. In 1914 Lyautey gave the French architect Henri Prost the task of designing the city. Prost developed an overall master plan for a European city surrounding the old Muslim madina and Jewish mellah. Public buildings were required to harmonize with traditional Moroccan styles; the post office, the city hall, and the Palais de Justice made particular use of Islamic architectural elements within a European-style structure. The commercial district was dominated by the kilometer-long Boulevard de la Gare (now Boulevard Muhammad V). The European suburbs spread quickly with little control. To the rapidly growing European population was added an explosive growth in the Moroccan population. This led to the emergence of shantytowns (bidonvilles) in the early 1930s. By the mid-1930s, some 70,000 to 80,000 Moroccans lived in bidonvilles.

European working-class immigrants brought French socialist politics with them, and Moroccan workers were soon involved. In June 1936 a series of strikes began in state enterprises and spread to commercial enterprises in Casablanca; both European and Moroccan workers took part.

After the Allied landings in North Africa in November 1942, Sultan Muhammad V had two meetings with U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt. This assured the sultan of American interest and support for Moroccan independence and raised his reputation in the eyes of the Moroccans. After the war, the political movements in Casablanca became increasingly militant for independence. This was reinforced by an incident on 7 April 1947, when
Senegalese troops in France's colonial army fired on a crowd in Casablanca, apparently after an argument over the molestation of a Moroccan woman. French officials did little to stop the massacre, in which several hundred people were reported killed.

Following Morocco's independence in 1956, Casablanca's population continued to grow and to become predominantly Moroccan as the Europeans left. By 1960 the population was nearly 1 million, and by 1970, 1.8 million. Although some attempt was made to house the new residents, most of whom moved in from the countryside, the apartment blocks that were built were woefully insufficient. This led to continued political radicalization in Casablanca, and there were riots in the poorer districts in 1965, in which large numbers of people were killed. A state of emergency was declared and remained in force for five years. Tension continued throughout the 1970s, and there were more, and very serious, riots in June 1981. In the 1980s and 1990s Ali Yata, the leader of the Party of Progress and Socialism (Parti du Progrés et Socialisme, the renamed Communist Party) repeatedly won election for a Casablanca constituency. There has been some Islamist activity as well. The importance of Casablanca politically was graphically shown when King Hassan II chose it as the site of the world's biggest mosque (the Hassan II Mosque), which was opened in 1993.

Bibliography

Issawi, Charles. An Economic History of the Middle East and NorthAfrica. New York: Columbia University Press, 1982.

Wright, Gwendolyn. The Politics of Design in French Colonial Urbanism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991.

Zartman, I. William, ed. The Political Economy of Morocco. New York: Praeger, 1987.

— C. R. PENNELL

 
Geography: Casablanca

Largest city in Morocco. It is a port on the Atlantic Ocean.


 
Weather: Casablanca, Morocco
AccuWeather® 5-Day Forecast for

Saturday HI:  83°F / 28°C
LO: 68°F / 20°C
Sunday HI:  80°F / 26°C
LO: 65°F / 18°C
Monday HI:  79°F / 26°C
LO: 64°F / 17°C
Tuesday HI:  78°F / 25°C
LO: 64°F / 17°C
Wednesday HI:  76°F / 24°C
LO: 64°F / 17°C
Last updated July 26, 2008 22:49 (EST)

 
Local Time: Casablanca, Morocco

Local Time: Jul 27, 4:05 AM

 
Maps: Casablanca

 
Wikipedia: Casablanca


Casablanca
الدار البيضاء
Dar-el-Baida
Casablanca city center
Casablanca city center
Coat of arms of Casablanca
Coat of arms
location of Casablanca in Morocco
location of Casablanca in Morocco
Coordinates: 33°32′N 7°35′W / 33.533, -7.583
Country Morocco
administrative region Greater Casablanca
First settled 7th century
reconstructed 1756
Government
 - Type monarchy
 - ruler Mohammed VI
 - Major Mohammed Sajid
Area
 - City km²  ( sq mi)
Population
 - City
 - Density /km² (/sq mi)
 - Urban {{formatnum:3.85 million (Grand Casablanca)}}
 - Urban Density /km² (/sq mi)
Postal code 20000-20200
Website: http://www.casablanca.ma/

Casablanca (Spanish for "white house" ; Standard Arabic: الدار البيضاء transliterated ad-Dār al-Bayḍāʼ; Moroccan Arabic: dar beïda) is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Greater Casablanca region.

With a population of 3.1 million (3.8 million in the "greater Casablanca" (September 2005 census), Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It's also the biggest city in the Maghreb and the sixth biggest city in the entire continent of Africa. With a majority of the modern economic sector being based in the Casablanca region, and the Casablanca area being dominant in industrial and service sector activity, it is often and justifiably referred to as the economic capital, although Morocco's political capital is Rabat. It is also the primary naval base for the Royal Moroccan Navy.

Casablanca is the leading city hosting headquarters and main industrial facilities for the leading Moroccan and international companies based in Morocco. Industrial statistics show Casablanca retains its historic position as the main industrial zone of the country. The Port of Casablanca is considered as Morocco's chief port and as one of the largest artificial ports in the world.[1] It is also the largest port of the Maghreb and North Africa.[2]

History

Main article: History of Casablanca

Before the French Protectorate

The area which is today Casablanca was settled by Berbers by at least the 7th century.[3] A small independent kingdom, in the area then named Anfa, arose in the area around that time in response to Arab Muslim 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 "Casabranca", meaning "White House" in Portuguese. They eventually abandoned the area completely in 1755 following an earthquake which destroyed most of the town.

The town was finally reconstructed by sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah (1756-1790), the grand-son of Moulay Ismail and ally of George Washington. The town was called Dar el Beida (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 and shipping traffic increased (the British, in return, began importing Morocco's now famous national drink, gunpowder tea). By the 1860s, there were around 5,000 residents, and the population grew to around 10,000 by the late 1880s.[4] 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 in the town, at first administrators within a sovereign sultanate, in 1906. By 1921, this was to rise to 110,000,[5] largely through the development of bidonvilles

French rule

Main article: French Morocco
A view on the Boulevard de Paris in central Casablanca
Enlarge
A view on the Boulevard de Paris in central Casablanca
Boulevard Mohamed el Hansali in 1950s
Enlarge
Boulevard Mohamed el Hansali in 1950s

In June 1907, the French attempted to build a light railway 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 underlined the city's colonial status at the time - depicting it as the scene of a power struggle between competing European powers, carried out without any reference to the local population, and with the film's vast cosmoplitan cast of characters (American, French, German, Czech and some other nationalities) including not a single Arab.

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

The Casablanca Conference

Casablanca was an important strategic port during World War II and hosted the Casablanca Conference in 1943, in which Churchill 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 during World War II.

Since independence

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

In 1930, Casablanca hosted a round of the Formula One world championship. The race was held at the new Anfa Racecourse. In 1958, the race was held at Ain-Diab circuit - (see Moroccan Grand Prix). In 1983, Casablanca hosted the Mediterranean Games.

The city is now developing a tourism industry. Casablanca has become the economic and business capital of Morocco, while Rabat 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 and the introduction of divorce law (divorce being a purely religious procedure at that time). Although counter-demonstration attracted half a million participants, the movement for change started in 2000 was influential on King Mohammed VI, and he enacted a new Mudawana, 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 carried out by Moroccans and claimed by some to have been linked to al-Qaeda.

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.[6] Two days later, police set up barricades around the city and detained two more men who had escaped the raid.[7] A local resident said this seemed to be the last of the terrorists involved.

Economy

The Greater Casablanca region is considered the locomotive of the development of the Moroccan economy. It attracts 39% of the country’s production units and 60% of industrial labor. The region uses 35% of the national electricity production. With MAD 86 billion, the region contributes to 54% of the Industrial production of the Kingdom. 41% of national industrial exportations, (MAD 19 billions) come from the Greater Casablanca. 30% of Moroccan banking network is concentrated in Casablanca.

The Casablanca and Mohammedia seaports activity represent 55% of the international commercial flows of Morocco.

Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport concentrates 51% of passenger traffic of Morocco.

Demographics

The population of Grand Casablanca was estimated in 2002 at 3.6 million. 98% of them live in urban areas. Around 25% of them are under 15 and 8.7% are over 60 years old. The population of the city is about 12% of the total population of Morocco. Greater Casablanca is also the largest urban area in the Maghreb.[8]


Jews in Casablanca

See also: History of the Jews in Morocco

There was a Sephardic Jewish community in Anfa up to its destruction by the Portuguese in 1468. Jews were slow to return to the town, but by 1750 there seems to have been enough of them to warrant the building of the first synagogue in Casablanca, the Rabbi Elijah Synagogue, which was destroyed along with much of the town in the earthquake of 1755.[9]

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. 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 to France, Canada, the United States and Israel from Casablanca has been substantial since then, however. Large numbers of expatriates 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 Communautes Israelites 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 Israeli theatre play, extremely popular in the 1950's and 1960's and later made into a film, was called Casablan, depicting the difficult life in a Jaffa slum of the eponimous young Morrocan Jewish immigrant, evidently originating from Casablanca (see Hebrew Wikipedia [1])

Notable physical landmarks

Image:001 Casablanka1.jpg‎
Walls of Old Medina in Casablanca
Image:Twincenter.jpg‎
Casablanca Twin Center

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 had been. The New Town is possibly the most impressive in Morocco. Former admistrative buildings and modern hotels populate the area. Their style is a combination of Hispano-Mauresque and Art Deco styles.

Casablanca is home to the Hassan II Mosque, designed by the French architect Michel Pinseau. It is situated on a promontory looking out to the Atlantic, 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 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, in 1989. However, the building was not inaugurated until 1993.

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

The 45 meters high El Hank lighthouse (built in 1905 and renovated between 1914 et 1917)
Enlarge
The 45 meters high El Hank lighthouse (built in 1905 and renovated between 1914 et 1917)

The Old Medina (the part of town pre-dating the French protectorate) attracts fewer tourists than the medinas of other Moroccan towns, such as Fes and Marrakech. 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, and its colonial-period clock tower.

The city is served by Anfa Airport and Mohammed V International Airport, and its port is one of the largest artificial ports in the world.

List of notable landmarks

Transport

Trains

Casablanca is served by two rail stations run by the national rail service, the ONCF. The main long haul station is Casa-Voyageurs, from which trains run south to Marrakech or El Jadida and north to Rabat, and then on either to Tangier or Meknes, Fes and Oujda. A dedicated airport shuttle service to Mohammed V 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 corridor, with some connecting trains with running on to Gare des Voyageurs.

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.

Air

Casablanca's main airport is Mohammed V International Airport, Morocco's busiest airport. Regular domestic flights serve Marrakech, Agadir, Oujda, and Tangier, Laayoune in the disputed Western Sahara, 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 and Dubai are important primary destinations.

The older, smaller Casablanca Anfa airport to the west of the city which served certain destinations including Sydney, Damascus, and Tunis is scheduled to close to civilian traffic in 2006.

Taxis

Registered taxis 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 Uno or similar cars, provide metered cab service in the central metropolitan areas. Grands taxis, generally older Mercedes-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.

List of main Casablanca's locations

Satellite image of Casablanca
Enlarge
Satellite image of Casablanca

Districts

Arrondissements

  • Belvedere
  • 2 Mars
  • Bourgogne
  • Bernassi
  • Centre Ville (City Center)
  • Californie
  • C.I.L.
  • Derb Gallef
  • Derb Sultan Al Fida
  • El Hank
  • El Hay El Mohammadi
  • Farrar
  • Gautier
  • Habous
  • Hay Moulay Rachid
  • Jorze
  • La Colline
  • Laimoun
  • Lissasfa
  • Maarif
  • Madina Qdima
  • Mers Sultan
  • Nisaam
  • Oasis
  • Oulfa
  • Polo
  • Racine
  • Riviera
  • Roches Noires
  • Sbaata
  • Sidi Bernoussi
  • Sidi Moumen
  • Sidi Maarouf
  • Sidi Othman

Sister Cities

Education

Colleges and Universities

K through 12

Sports

People born in Casablanca


See also: Category:People from Casablanca

Casablanca in fiction

Images

Logo of Casablanca

Photo satellite

References

    See also

    External links

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    Coordinates: 33°32′N, 7°35′W


    This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

     
    Translations: Translations for: Casablanca

    Dansk (Danish)
    n. - Casablanca

    Français (French)
    n. - Casablanca

    Deutsch (German)
    n. - Casablanca

    Português (Portuguese)
    n. - Casablanca

    Español (Spanish)
    n. - Casablanca

    中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
    卡萨布兰卡

    中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
    n. - 卡薩布蘭卡

    한국어 (Korean)
    카사블랑카 (모로코 서북부의 항구)

    עברית (Hebrew)
    n. - ‮קזבלנקה‬

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    Copyrights:

    Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
    Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
    Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
    Mideast & N. Africa Encyclopedia. Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa. Copyright © 2004 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
    Geography. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.  Read more
    Weather. © 2008 AccuWeather, Inc.  Read more
    Local Time. Copyright © 2001 - Chaos Software. All rights reserved  Read more
     Maps. ©2008 Google. All rights reserved.  Read more
    Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Casablanca".  Read more
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