Khouribga
Khouribga
خريبڭة | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
| Nickname: Phosphate City | |
  Khouribga Location in Morocco  Khouribga Khouribga (Africa) | |
| Coordinates:32°53′N6°55′W/ 32.883°N 6.917°W | |
| Country |  Morocco |
| Region | Béni Mellal-Khénifra |
| Province | Khouribga |
| Government | |
| •Mayor | M’hamed Zakrani (Istiqlal Party) (2021) |
| • Governor | Hamid Chnouri (2018) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 52 km2(20 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 786 m (2,579 ft) |
| Population (2014)[1] | |
| • Total | 196,196 |
| • Density | 4,083.46/km2(10,576.1/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 15th in Morocco |
| Time zone | UTC+1(CET) |
| Postal Code | 25000 |
Khouribga(MoroccanArabic:خريبڭة,romanized:khurībga,[xuriːbɡa]) is the capital ofKhouribga Provincein theBéni Mellal-Khénifraregion,Morocco.With a population of 196,196 (2014 census),[1]Khouribga owes its growth to the phosphate deposits nearby.
Geography
[edit]Located at 107 km fromCasablanca,154 km from the capital,Rabat,more than 200 km from the city ofMarrakesh,and about 99 km from the city ofBeni Mellaland 60 km from the city ofSettatand 34 km from the city ofOued Zem.
Khouribga is located 820 meters above sea level on theOuardighaplateau. The city was founded in 1923 by the authorities of theFrench protectoratewhen they discovered phosphate in the region,[2]for which Morocco is considered to be the biggest exporter in the world.[3]There are several mines in the province, most notably the mine of Sidi Shennan near the town ofOued Zem,which lies 30 km from the village ofBoulanouare(5 km) and the town ofBoujniba(10 km) and the village ofHattane.
The Province of Khouribga is bordered by the Province ofBeni Mellalin the east, Province ofBen Slimanein the west, the Province ofSettatin the south, andKhémisset Provincein the north.
Climate
[edit]Khouribga has ahot-summer Mediterranean climate(Köppen climate classificationCsa). In winter there is more rainfall than in summer. The average annual temperature in Khouribga is 17.2 °C (63.0 °F). About 432 mm (17.01 in) of precipitation falls annually.
| Climate data for Khouribga | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 16.7 (62.1) |
17.6 (63.7) |
19.8 (67.6) |
22.6 (72.7) |
26.1 (79.0) |
30.6 (87.1) |
36.0 (96.8) |
36.2 (97.2) |
32.5 (90.5) |
27.0 (80.6) |
19.3 (66.7) |
17.1 (62.8) |
25.1 (77.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 9.9 (49.8) |
10.4 (50.7) |
12.4 (54.3) |
14.6 (58.3) |
17.8 (64.0) |
21.9 (71.4) |
26.1 (79.0) |
26.7 (80.1) |
23.8 (74.8) |
19.2 (66.6) |
12.7 (54.9) |
10.6 (51.1) |
17.2 (62.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.2 (37.8) |
3.3 (37.9) |
5.0 (41.0) |
6.6 (43.9) |
9.5 (49.1) |
13.2 (55.8) |
16.3 (61.3) |
17.2 (63.0) |
15.1 (59.2) |
11.4 (52.5) |
6.1 (43.0) |
4.1 (39.4) |
9.2 (48.7) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 60 (2.4) |
58 (2.3) |
57 (2.2) |
52 (2.0) |
22 (0.9) |
7 (0.3) |
2 (0.1) |
3 (0.1) |
12 (0.5) |
36 (1.4) |
52 (2.0) |
71 (2.8) |
432 (17) |
| Source:https://en.climate-data.org/location/715066/ | |||||||||||||
Economy
[edit]Phosphate
[edit]
The Province of Khouribga has a largephosphatereserve estimated 35 to 40 billion cubic meters, which has been mined since 1920s and is ranked first at the international level. Also Khouribga is one of the cities that brings hard currency and that is due to itscommunity residentsfromItaly.
The phosphate mines in theOuled Abdoun Basinare notable source of fossils, especiallyMosasaurandSharksjaws and teeth.
Industrial activities
[edit]In addition to phosphate mining, the province knew the emergence of other industries in economic sectors such as:
Industrial areas
[edit]The province has threeIndustrial zones:
- The industrial zone of Khouribga (industrial district): 20 hectares (234 partitions) and 13 operating industrial units plus the expansion of the zone.
- The industrial zone ofOued Zem.
- The industrial zone ofBejaad.
Services
[edit]The province has severalservices,among them:
- 25bank agencies
- 6insurance agencies
- 7travel agencies
- 2railwayswith daily trips with a project to build a modern station.
Agriculture
[edit]Theagricultural landsis divided into 50%arable land,20%forests,30% unused land. Livestockis the most important source of income for the rural population, the herd is estimated to be:
- Goats:30.000-60.000 heads
- Equidae:40.000-60.000 heads
- Cows:50.000-70.000 heads
- Sheep:500.000-600.000 heads
Handicrafts
[edit]Thehandicraftssector represents a sizable part of the local economy with 9cooperatives(260 members), and a handicrafts association.
Health
[edit]The facilities cover most of the province with:
- 6 rooms
- 3 provincial hospitals
- 20 health centers
- 7 urban health centers
- 9 rural clinics
Twin towns – sister cities
[edit]Khouribga istwinnedwith:
Alcamo,Italy[citation needed]
Erzincan,Turkey[citation needed]
Karaj,Iran[citation needed]
Notable people
[edit]- Adam Masina,professional footballer
- Hicham Mahdoufi,Former international footballer
- Hindi Zahra,international singer
- Hind Dehiba,née Chahyd, born on March 17, 1979, in Khouribga, a Moroccan-Frenchmiddle-distance runner
- Jawad El Yamiq,professional footballer
- Mohamed Saïd El Wardi,Former middle-distance runner
- Otmane El Assas,former professional footballer
- Rababe Arafi,middle-distance runner
- Walid El Karti,professional footballer
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ab"POPULATION LÉGALE DES RÉGIONS, PROVINCES, PRÉFECTURES, MUNICIPALITÉS, ARRONDISSEMENTS ET COMMUNES DU ROYAUME D'APRÈS LES RÉSULTATS DU RGPH 2014"(in Arabic and French). High Commission for Planning, Morocco. 8 April 2015.Retrieved29 September2017.
- ^Shafto, Sally."It All began in Khouribga: the 15th Festival du Cinéma Africain de Khouribga".Retrieved2023-12-14.
- ^"Morocco Remains World's Largest Exporter of Phosphate, Phosphoric Acid".Morocco World News.
Capital:Beni Mellal | ||
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