Taounate

Taounate (Berber: Tawnat, ⵜⴰⵡⵏⴰⵜ; Arabic: تاونات‎) is a town in the Rif Mountains region of northern Morocco, and is the capital of Tawnat Province. It is located at around 34°32′9″N 4°38′24″W. The town had 37,616 inhabitants as of the 2014 Moroccan census.[1]

This article refers to the city of Taounate; for the province see Taounate Province.
Taounate

Tawnat
Taounate
Location in Morocco
Coordinates: 34°32′9″N 4°38′24″W
CountryMorocco
RegionFès-Meknès
ProvinceTaounate Province
Elevation
566 m (1,857 ft)
Population
 (2014)[1]
 • Total37,616
Time zoneUTC+0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (WEST)
Barrage Sahla and Taounate - Air photo (2014)

Geography

Taounate is located in the southern Rif Mountains, and the river Oued Sra and gorges are nearby. The town is situated on a plateau that overlooks the valley of the Oued Sra, as well as the Gargara gorges.[2]

Infrastructure

In 2016, it was announced that a highway development plan, estimated to be completed by 2035, will benefit the Taounate area, the highway being called the "Fès-Taounate Axis".[3]

West of Taounate is the Al Wahda Dam on the Ouergha River,[4] which is the largest dam in Morocco and the second largest in Africa.[5]

Economy

Taounate's economy is led by the agriculture sector, specifically fig farming.[6] In addition to figs, cherries, pears, apples, and olives are also grown. Cattle, cereal production, and timber are important industries.[2] Cannabis is also cultivated in the area.[7]

Culture

Taounate is inhabited mostly by Arabic, Berbers and Riffian Berber and are common languages in the area, some of the more rural inhabitants only speaking Riffian and some of the less rural speaking both languages.[2]

Taounate is home to an annual Festival of Figs, organized by the Regional Directorate of Agriculture of Fez-Meknes. The festival includes many varieties of figs.[8] Friday is market day in Taounate.[9]

Union Sportive de Taounate represents Taounate in association football.[10]

Notable people
  • A market with men and women. Waterjars made from old tyres and their maker. Donkeys, 1997
  • A market with waterjars, 1997
  • A white farm seen from above with a typical white washed triangular haystack, 1997.

References
  1. "Population légale d'après les résultats du RGPH 2014 sur le Bulletin officiel N° 6354" (pdf). Haut-Commissariat au Plan (in Arabic). Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  2. "Taounate | Morocco". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  3. "Maroc : Les prochaines autoroutes devraient desservir Taounate, Nador et Kelaat Sraghna". yabiladi.com. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  4. "Lake Al Wahda Morocco". Atlas of Our Changing Environment. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
  5. "Barrage Al Wahda - Taounate : Ville - Maroc Trip, voyage et vacance". www.maroc-trip.com. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  6. "Les investissements de la filière de Figuier à Taounate dépassent 40 MDHs depuis le lancement du Plan Maroc Vert". Medias24 - Site d'information. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  7. 2005 World drug report. United Nations Publications. 2005. p. 237. ISBN 978-92-1-148201-0.
  8. "Taounate: 3e édition du Festival National des Figues". www.agrimaroc.ma. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  9. Daniel Jacobs; Keith Drew (2 April 2013). The Rough Guide to Morocco. Rough Guides. p. 159. ISBN 978-1-4093-3267-1.
  10. "Scandale des matchs truqués: La Fédération de foot secouée". fr.le360.ma. Retrieved 22 October 2016.

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