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Casablanca
(in Standard Arabic: ad-Dar al-Bay?a'; Moroccan Arabic:
dar beïda ?, Spanish for white (blanca) house (casa)
; Amazigh: Anfa) is a city in western Morocco, located
on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Greater
Casablanca region.
With a population
of 3.1 million (3.85 million in the "greater Casablanca"
(September 2005 census), Casablanca is Morocco's largest
city as well as its chief port. It's also the biggest
city in the Maghreb and the sixth biggest city in the
entire continent of Africa. Casablanca is considered
the economic capital of Morocco because it is the heart
of Moroccan business; the political capital is Rabat.
It is also the primary naval base for the Royal Moroccan
Navy.
Casablanca is
the leading city hosting headquarters and main industrial
facilities for the leading Moroccan and international
companies based in Morocco. Industrial statistics show
Casablanca retains its historic position as the main
industrial zone of the country. The Port of Casablanca
is considered as Morocco's chief port and as one of
the largest artificial ports in the world.[1] It is
also the largest port of the Maghreb and North Africa.[2]
[edit]
Before the French Protectorate
The area which is today Casablanca was settled by Berbers
by at least the 7th century.[3] A small independent
kingdom, in the area then named Anfa, arose in the area
around that time in response to Arab Muslim rule, and
continued until it was conquered by the Almoravids in
1068.
Casablanca seen from Spot SatelliteDuring 14th century,
under the Merinids, Anfa rose in importance as a port.
In the early 15th century, the town became an independent
state once again, and emerged as a safe harbour for
pirates and privateers, leading to it being targeted
by the Portuguese, who destroyed the town in 1468.
The
Portuguese used the ruins of Anfa to build a military
fortress in 1515. The town that grew up around it was
called "Casabranca", meaning "White House"
in Portuguese.
Between
1580-1640 was part of Spain, and later part of Portugal
again. They eventually abandoned the area completely
in 1755 following an earthquake which destroyed most
of the town.
The
town was finally reconstructed by sultan Mohammed ben
Abdallah (1756-1790), the grandson of Moulay Ismail
and ally of George Washington. The town was called Dar
el Beida (white house) in Arabic and Casa Blanca in
Spanish.
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). By the 1860s,
there were around 5,000 residents, and the population
grew to around 10,000 by the late 1880s.[4] 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,[5] largely through
the development of bidonvilles.
[edit] French rule
Main article: French Morocco
A view on the Boulevard de Paris in central Casablanca
Boulevard Mohamed el Hansali in 1950sIn June 1907, the
French attempted to build a light railway near the port
and passing through a graveyard. Residents attacked
the French workers, and riots ensued. French troops
were landed in order to restore order, which was achieved
only after severe damage to the town. The French then
took control of Casablanca. This effectively began the
process of colonialisation, although French control
of Casablanca was not formalised until 1910.
The
famous 1942 film Casablanca underlined the city's colonial
status at the time -- depicting it as the scene of a
power struggle between competing European powers, carried
out with little reference to the local population. The
film's vast cosmopolitan cast of characters (American,
French, German, Czech, Norse, Bulgarian, Russian and
some other nationalities) includes only a single (uncredited)
Arab character, "Abdul" the doorman whose
role is marginal.
During
the 1940s and 1950s, Casablanca was a major centre of
anti-French rioting. A terrorist bomb on Christmas Day
of 1953 caused terrible casualties.[citation needed]
[edit] 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. Casablanca was the site of a large American
air base, which was the staging area for all American
aircraft for the European Theater of Operations during
World War II.
[edit] Since independence
Morocco regained independence from France on the 2nd
of March, 1956.
In 1930,
Casablanca hosted a Grand Prix. The race was held at
the new Anfa Racecourse. In 1958, the race was held
at Ain-Diab circuit - (see Moroccan Grand Prix). In
1983, Casablanca hosted the Mediterranean Games.
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