Rif

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Rif Mountains with Chefchauen

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The Rif ( Rif He also; Arab جبال الريف, DMG Ǧibāl ar - RIF ) is a to the Atlas Mountains in North Africa belonging mountain range of about 350 kilometers in Morocco.

Location

The Rif mountains bordered to the north directly to the Mediterranean; it forms the African lead to the Strait of Gibraltar against the projection of the Rock of Gibraltar on the Iberian Peninsula. To the south it is separated from the mountain ranges of the Middle Atlas and the Tell Atlas.

Population

The Rif is not very densely populated, but you count the cities of Tangier, with about 620,000 inhabitants and Tétouan with approximately 320,000 inhabitants (2004) added, this looks a bit different. The largest city in the Rif mountains Chefchaouen itself is about 40,000 inhabitants. A large part of the population is Berber Riffs that speak Tarifit alongside Arabic. The highest elevation in the Rif Mountains is 2456 m above sea level. inst the Jbel Tidiquin.

Economy

The inhabitants of the highly rugged Rif mountains lived for centuries in a kind of self-sufficiency economy. Was cultivated cereals (wheat, barley, millet, etc. ) and vegetables ( potatoes, broad beans, carrots, melons, etc.). The improved transport options during and after the colonial era brought with it that even more distant markets could be charged. In addition, Morocco is the world's largest exporter of hashish. The hemp plants are grown mainly in the Rif mountains east of Chefchaouen with the center to Ketama.

History

In 1912, the northern slope of the mountain fell under Spanish protectorate, but the Spaniards were able to expand their influence only along the Mediterranean coast, from 1921 to 1926 built instead Abd al- Karim, the independent Republic of the Rif.