Casablanca

Casablanca (Spainish pronunciation: [kasaˈβlaŋka]; Arabic: الدار البيضاء‎, ad-dār al-bayḍāʾ, [adˈdaːru ɫbajdˤaːʔ]; Amazigh: Anfa) is a ceety in wastren Morocco, locatit on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the caipital o the Grand Casablanca region.

Wi a population o ower 5,500,000,^[1] Casablanca is Morocco's lairgest ceety as well as its chief port. It's an aa the biggest ceety in the Maghreb. Casablanca is considered the economic an business centre o Morocco, while the poleetical caipital ceety o Morocco is Rabat.

Casablanca hosts heidquarters an main industrial facilities for the leadin Moroccan an internaitional companies based in Morocco. Industrial statistics show Casablanca retains its historical poseetion as the main industrial zone o the kintra. The Port o Casablanca is ane o the lairgest airtificial ports in the warld,^[2] an the lairgest port o North Africae.^[3] It is an aa the primary naval base for the Ryal Moroccan Navy.

Etymology

The Laitinized name o the ceety, Casablanca, is a Spaingie wird combination meanin 'White Hoose' (blanca, 'white;' casa, 'hoose'). It is thocht that the Spaniards adoptit the name frae Portuguese Casa Branca. The ceety is nou nicknamed Kaza bi mony locals.

The Berber oreeginal name, Anfa (meanin: "hill" in Inglis), wis uised bi the local, an Berber-speakin, ceety dwellers till the French occupation airmy entered the ceety in 1907 an adoptit the Spainyie name, Casablanca. "Anfa" nou refers tae the oreeginal auld ceety quarters o Casablanca.

Legally speakin, Anfa is considered bi the Moroccan govrenment as a prefecture (a destrict) wi a 0.5 million ceety dwellers, an is sicweys a pairt o the Grand Casablanca.

Ane o Casablanca's twa ceevilian airports is cried Casablanca-Anfa Airport, the ither Mohammed V Internaitional Airport.

Geography

Casablanca is locatit in the Chawiya plain which haes historically been the breadbasket o Morocco.

Apairt frae the Atlantic coast, the Bouskoura forest is the anerlie naitural attraction in the ceety. The forest wis plantit in the 20t century an consists maistly o Eucalyptus an Pine trees. It is locatit hauf wey tae the ceety's internaitional airport.

The anerlie watercourse in Casablanca is Oued Bouskoura, a sma seasonal creek that till 1912 reached the Atlantic Ocean near the actual port. Maist o Oued Bouskoura's bed haes been covered due tae urbanization an anerlie the pairt sooth o El-Jadida road can nou be seen. The closest permanent river tae Casablanca is Oum Er-Rbia River 70 km (43.50 mi) tae the sooth-east.

Climate

Casablanca haes a vera mild semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh). Maist precipitation faws in Hairst an Ware. Casablanca's climate is strangly influenced bi the cuil currents o the Atlantic Ocean which tends tae moderate temperature swings an produce a remarkably mild climate wi little saisonal temperature variation an a lack o extreme heat an extreme cauld.