Chefchaouen Province

The Moroccan region of Tanger-Tétouan belonging Chefchaouen province has an area of about 3440 km ² and a population of about 450,000. The provincial capital is Chefchaouen.

Geography

Location

The Chefchaouen Province is located in the Rif Mountains and on the Mediterranean coast of Morocco. In the northwest it borders on the province of Tetouan, on the west by the province of Larache, on the southwest by the province Ouezzane, to the south by the province of Taounate and on the east by the province of Al Hoceïma. In the northeast, the approximately 120 km long Mediterranean coastline stretches.

Landscape

The Mediterranean coast and towards the high and very rugged Rif mountains fall steeply to over 2000 m; However, there are a variety of tourist relatively undiscovered bays with rocky or sandy beaches. The highest mountains of the province are located in the Chefchaouen and 2050 m high Jbel Tizouka and about 20 km east of Chefchaouen located Jbel Bouhalla ( 2170 m).

Climate

The Rif is the wettest region of Morocco. Accordingly, the landscape is relatively densely forested and relatively green. Flat surfaces and some valleys are used for agriculture.

History

The territory of the province of Chefchaouen was - interrupted by the in 1921 by Abd el-Krim proclaimed Rif Republic - to Moroccan independence (1956 ) to both the Spanish and the French sphere of influence. The Chefchaouen province was not created until 1975. In 2009, nearly 750 km ² were separated from the Province and slammed the newly founded province Ouezzane.

Economy

The region lived for centuries almost exclusively on agriculture; this also includes the cultivation of hemp is smoked since time immemorial under the name hashish. In the 1960s hippies discovered the long time for foreigners forbidden city Chefchaouen, the more and more open to mass tourism, but has not yet lost its charm. The Mediterranean coast, however, is still largely in the hands of locals, but some smaller bays restaurants already incurred.

Attractions

By far the most important attraction of the province is its capital, which can be plastered and blue and white painted house facades think of a European Mediterranean town. And in fact, the creation and development of the town is closely connected with the expulsion of the Moors from Spain and their resettlement. UNESCO also has provided four cities of the Mediterranean mainly because of their Mediterranean cuisine as Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity under her special protection in 2010: Among them Soria ( Spain), Cilento (Italy ), Koroni are (Greece ) and Chefchaouen (Morocco ).