zwzzjim
Nightscape of Casablanca 06 Morocco
Casablanca is Morocco's largest city and principal seaport, situated on the Atlantic coast in the northwestern part of the country at coordinates 33°35′N 7°37′W. The urban prefecture recorded a population of 3,218,036 in the 2024 Moroccan general census, making it the most populous municipality in the nation and a key hub in the Maghreb. As the economic engine of Morocco, Casablanca hosts the Casablanca Stock Exchange, the nation's main bourse, and drives a substantial portion of the country's commercial and industrial activity through its port, which handles significant cargo volumes. The surrounding Casablanca-Settat region generates approximately 24.5% of Morocco's GDP, underscoring the city's role in sectors like finance, manufacturing, and trade. The city blends modern infrastructure, including the Casablanca Finance City free zone aimed at attracting international investment, with landmarks such as the Hassan II Mosque, Africa's second-largest religious structure completed in 1993. Historically, Casablanca originated from the ancient Berber settlement of Anfa, underwent Portuguese occupation and destruction in the 15th-16th centuries, and expanded rapidly under French colonial rule from 1912 until Moroccan independence in 1956, shaping its distinctive urban fabric of Art Deco and Mauresque architecture. It gained international prominence during World War II as the site of the 1943 Casablanca Conference, where Allied leaders planned the campaign against Axis forces in North Africa.
Etymology
Pre-Modern Names and Anfa
The settlement now known as Casablanca was referred to as Anfa in pre-modern times, a name derived from Berber (Amazigh) languages meaning "hill," "top," or "promontory," reflecting its elevated coastal position. This nomenclature persisted among local Berber populations, underscoring the site's indigenous roots prior to significant Arabic or European overlays. Anfa emerged as a Berber fishing village and modest port by the 12th century, inhabited by Amazigh communities who leveraged its natural harbor for maritime activities along the Atlantic coast. Under the Marinid dynasty, which governed Morocco from the mid-13th to the 15th century, Anfa developed into a semi-independent city-state functioning as a haven for pirates and privateers targeting European shipping, thereby contributing to regional trade disruptions and coastal defense dynamics. This role intensified Berber maritime autonomy amid the dynasty's broader control over the Maghreb, though Anfa's fortifications and economy remained vulnerable to intertribal raids and seismic events that periodically necessitated rebuilding. The site's history involved cycles of destruction and reconstruction from raids during dynastic transitions—such as those between Almohad and Marinid rule in the 13th century—and localized earthquakes, which damaged structures but did not erase the persistent Berber nomenclature or settlement pattern. These events highlight Anfa's resilience as a peripheral yet strategically vital outpost in pre-modern Moroccan coastal networks.
Emergence of Casablanca
The Portuguese conquest and subsequent renaming of the Anfa settlement marked the initial adoption of the name Casa Branca in 1468, derived from the whitewashed structures built amid the ruins, which stood out against the landscape and served as navigational beacons from the sea. This appellation, translating literally to "white house," alluded to the common Mediterranean practice of applying lime-based whitewash to fortifications and dwellings for weatherproofing, pest deterrence, and visual prominence, rather than any deeper symbolic intent. The name's evolution into Casablanca gained traction after 1580, during the Iberian Union when Portugal fell under Spanish Habsburg rule, prompting the Hispanicization of Portuguese toponyms in shared territories. This linguistic adaptation reflected the administrative and cultural overlay of Spanish influence on Portuguese holdings, including coastal outposts like Casa Branca, without altering the core etymology tied to the site's whitened architecture. The persistence of Casablanca thereafter highlighted early European contact's role in redefining local geography through imported Romance-language conventions, distancing the locale from its prior Berber designation.
Casablanca occupies a strategic position on Morocco's Atlantic coastline, nestled on the expansive Chaouia Plain in the central-western region of the country. This coastal plain, known for its agricultural productivity, extends inland from the ocean, providing a relatively level foundation for the city's growth. Approximately 87 kilometers southwest of the capital Rabat, Casablanca benefits from its proximity to major transport routes while remaining anchored to the sea for trade and logistics. The topography of the area is predominantly flat, with elevations rarely exceeding 50 meters above sea level near the coast, transitioning gradually to low rolling hills inland. This uniformity stems from sedimentary deposits accumulated over millennia on the ancient continental shelf, making the terrain ideal for large-scale urban development but vulnerable to erosion and inundation during heavy rains. Seismic activity poses a latent risk, as the region lies within Morocco's broader tectonic framework influenced by the convergence of the African and Eurasian plates, though major quakes have historically been more pronounced in the adjacent Atlas Mountains rather than the plain itself. Hydrologically, Casablanca's setting is shaped by minor wadis draining into the Atlantic, with broader influences from rivers like the Oum Er-Rbia, which flows parallel to the coast about 100 kilometers south before emptying into the ocean near Azemmour. This river contributes to regional sediment distribution and coastal morphology, indirectly affecting Casablanca's shoreline stability through longshore drift and occasional flood-related sediment loads. The urban layout reflects these physical realities, with the historic core clustered around natural harbors formed by rocky outcrops, expanding radially across the unobstructed plain in a pattern dictated by colonial-era planning on the open terrain.
from Grokipedia
Nightscape of Casablanca 06 Morocco
Casablanca is Morocco's largest city and principal seaport, situated on the Atlantic coast in the northwestern part of the country at coordinates 33°35′N 7°37′W. The urban prefecture recorded a population of 3,218,036 in the 2024 Moroccan general census, making it the most populous municipality in the nation and a key hub in the Maghreb. As the economic engine of Morocco, Casablanca hosts the Casablanca Stock Exchange, the nation's main bourse, and drives a substantial portion of the country's commercial and industrial activity through its port, which handles significant cargo volumes. The surrounding Casablanca-Settat region generates approximately 24.5% of Morocco's GDP, underscoring the city's role in sectors like finance, manufacturing, and trade. The city blends modern infrastructure, including the Casablanca Finance City free zone aimed at attracting international investment, with landmarks such as the Hassan II Mosque, Africa's second-largest religious structure completed in 1993. Historically, Casablanca originated from the ancient Berber settlement of Anfa, underwent Portuguese occupation and destruction in the 15th-16th centuries, and expanded rapidly under French colonial rule from 1912 until Moroccan independence in 1956, shaping its distinctive urban fabric of Art Deco and Mauresque architecture. It gained international prominence during World War II as the site of the 1943 Casablanca Conference, where Allied leaders planned the campaign against Axis forces in North Africa.
Etymology
Pre-Modern Names and Anfa
The settlement now known as Casablanca was referred to as Anfa in pre-modern times, a name derived from Berber (Amazigh) languages meaning "hill," "top," or "promontory," reflecting its elevated coastal position. This nomenclature persisted among local Berber populations, underscoring the site's indigenous roots prior to significant Arabic or European overlays. Anfa emerged as a Berber fishing village and modest port by the 12th century, inhabited by Amazigh communities who leveraged its natural harbor for maritime activities along the Atlantic coast. Under the Marinid dynasty, which governed Morocco from the mid-13th to the 15th century, Anfa developed into a semi-independent city-state functioning as a haven for pirates and privateers targeting European shipping, thereby contributing to regional trade disruptions and coastal defense dynamics. This role intensified Berber maritime autonomy amid the dynasty's broader control over the Maghreb, though Anfa's fortifications and economy remained vulnerable to intertribal raids and seismic events that periodically necessitated rebuilding. The site's history involved cycles of destruction and reconstruction from raids during dynastic transitions—such as those between Almohad and Marinid rule in the 13th century—and localized earthquakes, which damaged structures but did not erase the persistent Berber nomenclature or settlement pattern. These events highlight Anfa's resilience as a peripheral yet strategically vital outpost in pre-modern Moroccan coastal networks.
Emergence of Casablanca
The Portuguese conquest and subsequent renaming of the Anfa settlement marked the initial adoption of the name Casa Branca in 1468, derived from the whitewashed structures built amid the ruins, which stood out against the landscape and served as navigational beacons from the sea. This appellation, translating literally to "white house," alluded to the common Mediterranean practice of applying lime-based whitewash to fortifications and dwellings for weatherproofing, pest deterrence, and visual prominence, rather than any deeper symbolic intent. The name's evolution into Casablanca gained traction after 1580, during the Iberian Union when Portugal fell under Spanish Habsburg rule, prompting the Hispanicization of Portuguese toponyms in shared territories. This linguistic adaptation reflected the administrative and cultural overlay of Spanish influence on Portuguese holdings, including coastal outposts like Casa Branca, without altering the core etymology tied to the site's whitened architecture. The persistence of Casablanca thereafter highlighted early European contact's role in redefining local geography through imported Romance-language conventions, distancing the locale from its prior Berber designation.
Casablanca occupies a strategic position on Morocco's Atlantic coastline, nestled on the expansive Chaouia Plain in the central-western region of the country. This coastal plain, known for its agricultural productivity, extends inland from the ocean, providing a relatively level foundation for the city's growth. Approximately 87 kilometers southwest of the capital Rabat, Casablanca benefits from its proximity to major transport routes while remaining anchored to the sea for trade and logistics. The topography of the area is predominantly flat, with elevations rarely exceeding 50 meters above sea level near the coast, transitioning gradually to low rolling hills inland. This uniformity stems from sedimentary deposits accumulated over millennia on the ancient continental shelf, making the terrain ideal for large-scale urban development but vulnerable to erosion and inundation during heavy rains. Seismic activity poses a latent risk, as the region lies within Morocco's broader tectonic framework influenced by the convergence of the African and Eurasian plates, though major quakes have historically been more pronounced in the adjacent Atlas Mountains rather than the plain itself. Hydrologically, Casablanca's setting is shaped by minor wadis draining into the Atlantic, with broader influences from rivers like the Oum Er-Rbia, which flows parallel to the coast about 100 kilometers south before emptying into the ocean near Azemmour. This river contributes to regional sediment distribution and coastal morphology, indirectly affecting Casablanca's shoreline stability through longshore drift and occasional flood-related sediment loads. The urban layout reflects these physical realities, with the historic core clustered around natural harbors formed by rocky outcrops, expanding radially across the unobstructed plain in a pattern dictated by colonial-era planning on the open terrain.
from Grokipedia