Facts About Casablanca Morocco
The largest city in Morocco is Casablanca with a population of more than 3.1 million people. The city is the business hub of the country, home to many industries and international companies. The city has excellent transportation system and well connected to the other parts of the country. The city also boasts an artificial port, which one of the largest in the world.
Casablanca was ruled by the Spanish, French and Almoravids. However, the first inhabitants to settle in the region were Berbers in the seventh century. Then in 1068 AD, the region came under the control of the Almoravids. However, by the early half of the 15th century, it was once again a free state.
The city was home to pirates and this was one of the reasons that the Portuguese came. The Portuguese navy was instrumental in razing the city to the ground in 1468 AD and building a fort for its military in 1515AD.
Then the city came under the control of the Spanish right until 1755. However, the city was ravaged by a massive earthquake and this prompted the Europeans to leave it. The Spanish named the city Casa Branca, which translates to White House.
In the year 1907, the French found their way to Casablanca. However, they officially took control of the city in 1910. Under French rule, Casablanca saw some development. The French tried to build a railway route near the port. The route, however, was planned through a graveyard. The locals were furious with this blasphemy and attacked the French. This led to a riot that was brought under control by the French army. It was this act that paved way for the French to form a colony in the city.
On 2 March, 196, Morocco got its independence from the French. Under the rule of Sultan Mohammed Ben Abdallah, the city was rebuilt in the 1960s. The rebuilding continued into the 1970s. Slowly industries started operating in the city, especially the textile industry and prompted a lot of migration from rural areas. During the Second World War, Casablanca had an American airbase.