33°20N 71°25W, pop (2000e) 3 141 000. Seaport in Centre province, W Morocco; on the Atlantic coast 290 km/180 mi SW of Tangiers; founded by the Portuguese as Casa Branca, 1515; seriously damaged by an earthquake in 1755 and rebuilt; French occupation, 1907; meeting place of Churchill and Roosevelt, 1943; airport; railway; university; tourism, banking, fishing, textiles, food processing, glass, soap, phosphates, manganese; handles over 75% of Morocco's trade; world's second largest mosque (King Hassan II Mosque) opened, 1993; target of terrorist suicide bomb attacks, May 2003.
With a population of 3.5 million (September 2004 census), Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port, and is thus considered its economic capital, while its political capital is Rabat.
History
See also: History of MoroccoBefore the French Protectorate
The area which is today Casablanca was settled by Berbers by at least the 7th century.
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). 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 , largely through the development of bidonvilles
French rule
In June 1907, the French attempted to build a light railway near the port and passing through a graveyard.
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.
Since independence
Morocco gained 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 March 2000, women's groups organised demonstrations in Casablanca proposing reforms to the legal status of women in the country.
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.
Demographics
According to the census of 2002, the population of Casablanca is around 3.5 million.
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Jews in Casablanca
See also: History of the Jews in MoroccoThere 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.
By the beginning of the 20th century, Casablanca was home to about 6,000 Jews - more than a quarter of the population.
Between the 1940s and 1960s, the Jewish population of Casablanca was around 70,000. 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 LusitaniaNotable physical landmarks
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.
Casablanca is home to the Hassan II Mosque, designed by the French architect Michel Pinseau.
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.
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
Notre Dame de Lourdes (Catholic Cathedral) City Hall (Casablanca) Casablanca Technopark Casablanca Twin Center Hassan II Mosque Lycée Lyautey Mohammed V International AirportTransport
Trains
Casablanca is served by two rail stations run by the national rail service, the ONCF.
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.
Planes
Casablanca's main airport is Mohammed V International Airport, Morocco's busiest airport.
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.
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).
List of main Casablanca's locations
Districts
Ain Chock Ain Diab Ain Sebaa Anfa Hay HassaniArrondissments
| Belvedere 2 Mars Bourgogne Centre Ville (City Center) Californie C.I.L. Derb Gallef Derb Sultan Al Fida El Hank | El Hay El Mohammadi Gautier Habous Hay Moulay Rachid La Colline Laimoun Lissasfa Maarif Mers Sultan | Oasis Polo Racine Riviera Roches Noires Sidi Bernoussi Sidi Moumen Sidi Maarouf Sidi Othman |
Sister Cities
Chicago, USA - since 1982 Shanghai, People's Republic of China - since 1986 Paris, France Algiers, Algeria New York City, USA Bordeaux, France - since 1988 Dubai, United Arab EmiratesEconomy
Casablanca Stock Exchange
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Education
Colleges and Universities
University of Casablanca University of Hassan II (Ain Chock) Lycee LyauteyK through 12
Casablanca American School George Washington Academy Nelson C. Brown High School Mohamed V School Groupe Scolaire d'Anfa Ecole Normale Hebraique Ecole Aljabr Cours Rameau AL-Jabr High School AL KhansaaSports
Raja Casablanca Wydad CasablancaPeople born in Casablanca
Jean Reno - French actor Gad Elmaleh - French-Moroccan comedian Hicham Arazi - Moroccan Tennis player Richard Virenque - French cyclist Noureddine Naybet - Moroccan footballer Guy Forget - French Tennis player Larbi Benbarek - French-Moroccan footballer Alain Souchon - French songwriter Nawal El Moutawakel - Olympic champion Laarbi Batma - Moroccan popular singerCasablanca in fiction
Casablanca is the setting of the eponymous film from 1942 starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.Images
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Logo of Casablanca |
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