Agadir
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Agadir
ⴰⴳⴰⴷⵉⵔ أݣادير | |
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 View over Agadir, taken from the kasbah | |
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Coat of arms of Agadir Coat of arms | |
| Country |  Morocco |
| Region | Souss-Massa-Draâ |
| Elevation | 75 ft (23 m) |
| Population (2004) | |
| • Total | 678,596 |
Agadir (Berber: Agadir, ⴰⴳⴰⴷⵉⵔ, Moroccan Arabic: أݣادير) is a major city in southwest Morocco, capital of the Agadir province (MA-AGD) and the Sous-Massa-Draa economic region. A majority of its inhabitants speak Berber as a mother tongue.
Etymology
The word Agadir means in Berber "wall, masoned wall enclosing a town, fortress, town".[1]
Description
Agadir has a population of 678,596 (2004; census figures for the agglomeration include the nearby cities of Inezgane and Aït Melloul). The population of the city proper is estimated at 200,000. The mild winter climate (January average midday temperature 20.5°C/69°F)[2] and good beaches have made it a major "winter sun" destination for Northern Europeans. The mayor is Tariq Kabbaj.
The city is located on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean, near the foot of the Atlas Mountains, just north of the point where the Souss River flows into the ocean.
Agadir is an important fishing and commercial port, the first sardine port in the world, (exporting cobalt, manganese, zinc and citrus).It is also a seaside resort with a long sandy beach. Because of its large buildings, wide roads, modern hotels, and European-style cafés, Agadir is not a typical city of traditional Morocco, but it is a modern, busy and dynamic town.
Agadir is famous for its sea food and agriculture.
The city's main neighborhoods are:
- Secteur Touristique
- Taddart
- Hay Adrar
- Founty
- Iligh
- Sonaba
- Ihchach
- Les Amicales
- City Centre
- Nouveau Talborjt
- Cité Suisse
- Lakhiyam
- Dakhla
- Extension Dakhla
- Al Houda
- Salam
- Riad Assalam
- Hay al Hassani
- Anza
- L'Erac (Bouargane).
- Quartier Industriel Tasila
- Tilila
- Quartier Residentiel
- Quartier Al mohammadi
It is served by the Al Massira Airport.
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History
During medieval times, there was only a fishing village there, Agadir el-arba`. In 1505 the Portuguese established a trading post named Santa Cruz do Cabo de Gué, under a governor. In 1541, the city came under Saadian control in the Fall of Agadir, and a stronghold was built on the top of the hill overlooking the bay, the in Kasbah. Agadir became prosperous for two centuries. But in 1731, the town was completely destroyed by an earthquake.[3] The harbour of Agadir was then ordered to be closed when Essaouira was established further north.
In 1911, the arrival of a German gunboat (the Panther), officially to protect the local German community, triggered the Agadir Crisis between France and Germany which allowed France, in 1913, to occupy nearly the whole kingdom of Morocco.
At 15 minutes to midnight on February 29, 1960, Agadir was almost totally destroyed by an earthquake that lasted 15 seconds, burying the city and killing thousands.[4] The death toll is estimated at 15,000. The earthquake destroyed the ancient Kasbah. On its front gate can still be read the following sentence in Arabic: "Fear God and honour thy King".
On seeing the destruction in Agadir, King Muhammad V of Morocco declared: "If Destiny decided the destruction of Agadir, its rebuilding depends of our Faith and Will." Reconstruction began in 1961, two kilometers south of the earthquake epicentre.
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Climate
Agadir features a semiarid climate with warm summers and mild winters. Located along the Atlantic Ocean, Agadir has a very temperate climate. The daytime temperature generally stays in the 20s °C (70s °F) every day, with the winter highs typically reaching 20.7°C (70°F) in December–January (see weather-table below). The annual temperatures[2] are very similar to Nairobi, Kenya, but with much less rainfall -about 10 inches annually- and the mid-year nights are less chilly than the Kenyan Capital.
| Climate data for Agadir | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 20.4 (68.7) |
21.0 (69.8) |
22.4 (72.3) |
21.9 (71.4) |
23.2 (73.8) |
24.0 (75.2) |
26.1 (79.0) |
26.1 (79.0) |
26.4 (79.5) |
25.3 (77.5) |
23.5 (74.3) |
20.7 (69.3) |
23.4 (74.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 14.1 (57.4) |
15.2 (59.4) |
16.7 (62.1) |
17.0 (62.6) |
18.7 (65.7) |
20.2 (68.4) |
22.0 (71.6) |
22.2 (72.0) |
21.9 (71.4) |
20.3 (68.5) |
17.9 (64.2) |
14.6 (58.3) |
18.4 (65.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 7.9 (46.2) |
9.4 (48.9) |
10.9 (51.6) |
12.0 (53.6) |
14.2 (57.6) |
16.4 (61.5) |
18.0 (64.4) |
18.2 (64.8) |
17.3 (63.1) |
15.2 (59.4) |
12.3 (54.1) |
8.5 (47.3) |
13.4 (56.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 45.5 (1.79) |
42.4 (1.67) |
31.1 (1.22) |
25.9 (1.02) |
3.5 (0.14) |
1.1 (0.04) |
0.1 (0.00) |
0.2 (0.01) |
3.0 (0.12) |
25.8 (1.02) |
52.6 (2.07) |
60.7 (2.39) |
291.9 (11.49) |
| Average precipitation days | 5.4 | 5.6 | 5.1 | 3.7 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 4.1 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 39.4 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 229.4 | 232.0 | 269.7 | 282.0 | 294.5 | 270.0 | 269.7 | 254.2 | 243.0 | 244.9 | 219.0 | 229.4 | 3,037.8 |
| Source: Hong Kong Observatory[5] | |||||||||||||
Museums
- Musée de Talborjt "La Casbah"
- Musée Bert Flint
- Le Musée des Arts Berberes
- Musee Municipal de Agadir
- La Medina d'Agadir
Economy
Agadir's economy relies mainly on tourism and fisheries. Agricultural activities are based around the city.[6]
Agadir has the biggest Souk in Morocco (Souk Lhed)
Transportation
Agadir is served by Al Massira Airport, located 22 kilometers from the city. With the opening of the new Casablanca–Agadir expressway in June 2010, that runs from Casablanca via Marrakech to Agadir access to the region is much improved.
For freight there is also a port, and for pleasure-craft there is a marina in Agadir.
Famous people associated with the city
- Abbes Kabbage (died May 1, 1984), leader of the Istiqlal Party before independence before joining the UNFP
- Abdelaziz Lahrech (died March 14, 1994), leader of the Party for Democracy and Independence
- Mohammed Khair-Eddine (1941–1995), Moroccan writer
- Aourik Abdellah, painter
- Michel Vieuchange, French aventurer and explorer, died in Agadir on his return from Smara on 30 November 1930. He was nursed by his brother, Jean Vieuchange, who published Michel's journals.
- Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud
Education
Universities and postgraduates schools :
- University of Agadir (IbnZohr)
- Faculté des Sciences d'Agadir
- École supérieure de technologie d'Agadir
High schools :
- Groupe scolaire Paul Gauguin Agadir
- Lycée Qualifiant Youssef Ben Tachfine
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Beaches
- The most beautiful beaches in Morocco are
North of Agadir entourage Taghazout village, dozens of clean, great beach and Smaller ones along the costs agadir-essaouira: Agadir beach,Tamaounza ( 12 km), aitswal-beach, imouran(km 17), Taghazout (km 19), bouyirdn( km 20), timzguida 3lal (km 22), Aghroud (30 km), Imiouadar(27 km),Aghroud (30 km).[7]
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Parks and gardens
- Valée des oiseaux (Birds park & valley )( near the boulevard)
- Jardin Olhao
- Jardin Ibn Zaidoun
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Sister cities
Agadir has five sister cities :
Miami, United States[citation needed]- Oakland, United States[citation needed]
Olhão, Portugal[citation needed]
Nantes, France[citation needed]
Stavanger, Norway[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913-1936 (Brill, 1987), p. 179.
- ^ a b "Climatological Information for Agadir, Morocco", Hong Kong Observatory, 2003, web: HKO-Agadir.
- ^ "Historic Earthquakes". Earthquake.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
- ^ Bensimon, Jacques. "Once ... Agadir". Documentary film. National Film Board of Canada. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
{{cite web}}: More than one of|author=and|last=specified (help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Climatological Information for Agadir, Morocco" - Hong Kong Observatory
- ^ "Agadir". UN-Habitat. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
- ^ ait ider mohamed. "Taghazout beaches Agadir| the best beaches of Agadir Morocco| taghazoute, Aghroud beach, Tamraght beach". Taghazout.biz. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
External links
External list
30°26′N 9°36′W / 30.433°N 9.600°W
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