Chefchaouen Province
![]() | It has been suggested that portions of Chefchaouen (sections "Geography", "Demographics" and "Economic activities") be split from it and merged into this article. (Discuss) (February 2022) |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Chefchaouen-hill.jpg/260px-Chefchaouen-hill.jpg)
Chefchaouen is a province in the Moroccan economic region of Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima.
Demographics
According to the 2014 national census in Morocco, the province has more than 457,432 inhabitants. The population is 87.45% rural.[1]
Geography
The province of Chefchaouen is bordered by five provinces – Tétouan Province to the northwest, Larache Province to the west, Al Hoceïma Province to the east, Taounate Province to the south, Ouezzane Province to the southwest – and the Mediterranean Sea to the northeast. The Province of Chefchaouen belongs to the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Region and consists of one urban commune (the municipality of Chefchaouen) and 27 rural communes, giving the province a rural character.[2]
The city of Chefchaouen is the only official municipality in the province, created in 1975.[2] The other major towns are:[3]
Subdivisions
![]() | This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: These are figures from the 2004 census, please update with figures from the 2014 census. See "Recensement Général de la Population et de l'Habitat de 2014 : Population Légale du Maroc" at this link. (February 2022) |
The province is divided administratively into the following:[4]
Name | Geographic code | Type | Households | Population (2004) | Foreign population | Moroccan population | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chefchaouen | 151.01.01. | Municipality | 7739 | 35709 | 58 | 35651 | |
Amtar | 151.03.01. | Rural commune | 1459 | 10038 | 0 | 10038 | |
Bab Berred | 151.03.03. | Rural commune | 3879 | 23239 | 0 | 23239 | 5043 residents live in the center, called Bab Berred; 18196 residents live in rural areas. |
Bni Ahmed Cherqia | 151.03.05. | Rural commune | 2021 | 10365 | 1 | 10364 | |
Bni Ahmed Gharbia | 151.03.07. | Rural commune | 2286 | 12923 | 1 | 12922 | |
Bni Rzine | 151.03.09. | Rural commune | 2630 | 19585 | 0 | 19585 | |
Bni Smih | 151.03.11. | Rural commune | 2109 | 15577 | 0 | 15577 | |
Iounane | 151.03.13. | Rural commune | 3085 | 23132 | 0 | 23132 | |
Mansoura | 151.03.15. | Rural commune | 2664 | 16559 | 0 | 16559 | |
M'Tioua | 151.03.17. | Rural commune | 1867 | 12076 | 0 | 12076 | 2984 residents live in the center, called Jebha; 9092 residents live in rural areas. |
Ouaouzgane | 151.03.19. | Rural commune | 2279 | 16075 | 0 | 16075 | |
Oued Malha | 151.03.21. | Rural commune | 1974 | 12088 | 0 | 12088 | |
Tamorot | 151.03.23. | Rural commune | 3581 | 24541 | 0 | 24541 | |
Bab Taza | 151.05.01. | Rural commune | 4544 | 28549 | 0 | 28549 | 4006 residents live in the center, called Bab Taza; 24543 residents live in rural areas. |
Bni Darkoul | 151.05.03. | Rural commune | 1888 | 11706 | 0 | 11706 | |
Bni Faghloum | 151.05.05. | Rural commune | 1603 | 9951 | 0 | 9951 | |
Bni Salah | 151.05.07. | Rural commune | 1384 | 9662 | 0 | 9662 | |
Derdara | 151.05.09. | Rural commune | 1644 | 10762 | 0 | 10762 | |
Fifi | 151.05.11. | Rural commune | 1312 | 7720 | 0 | 7720 | |
Laghdir | 151.05.13. | Rural commune | 1278 | 7077 | 0 | 7077 | |
Tanaqoub | 151.05.15. | Rural commune | 1157 | 7219 | 0 | 7219 | |
Bni Bouzra | 151.07.01. | Rural commune | 2245 | 15254 | 0 | 15254 | |
Bni Mansour | 151.07.03. | Rural commune | 2468 | 18542 | 0 | 18542 | |
Bni Selmane | 151.07.05. | Rural commune | 3090 | 23396 | 0 | 23396 | |
Steha | 151.07.07. | Rural commune | 1695 | 10637 | 0 | 10637 | |
Talambote | 151.07.09. | Rural commune | 1465 | 10659 | 0 | 10659 | |
Tassift | 151.07.11. | Rural commune | 1193 | 8139 | 0 | 8139 | |
Tizgane | 151.07.13. | Rural commune | 1883 | 11711 | 1 | 11710 |
Climate
The province of Chefchaouen has a Mediterranean climate characterized by rainy and cool winters from October to April, and dry and hot summers from May to September. The average annual rainfall is around 880 mm (35 in), variable with altitude and proximity to the coast. (Rainfall could reach 1,400–2,000 mm per year, with snowfall over the mountain peaks.) Likewise, the temperature remains influenced by the Mediterranean Sea, altitude, and winds, with the mean annual temperature around 16.6 °C (61.9 °F).
Environment
Mountains
![A panoramic view of Chefchaouen town situated within a mountainous area.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/MariemBenSaid_Chaouen_2017.jpg/220px-MariemBenSaid_Chaouen_2017.jpg)
The Chefchaouen Mountains are composed of very rugged siliceous and limestone layers, with some peaks exceeding 2,000 m (6,600 ft) above sea level, such as Jbel Lakraa and Jbel Tissouka in the rural commune of Bab Taza, as well as Jbel Tizirane in the rural commune of Bab Berred. In addition to its mountainous aspect, the province also has important sites on the Moroccan Mediterranean coast, such as El Jebha, Kaa-Asras, Chmaala, and Steha.
Chefchaouen and its surroundings were historically and geographically known as the Jbala region or country (i.e. mountain inhabitants) where many Jbala tribes once lived. The Jbala region was officially described at the beginning of the 20th century as a geographical territory corresponding to the foothills of the southwestern Rif, between the massifs of the central Rif and the pre-Rif domain.[5][6]
Forests
Natural forests cover around 118,957 hectares (293,950 acres) and are dominated by broad-leaved trees. Forest formations are distributed according to local variations of climate and soil due to altitude, lithology, and human activity. There are sclerophyllous oaks such as cork oak (Quercus suber), holm oak (Quercus rotundifolia), and kermes oak (Quercus coccifera), deciduous oaks such as Tauzin oak (Quercus pyrenaica) and zeen oak (Quercus canariensis and Quercus faginea), and natural coniferous forests such as Maghreb maritime pine (Pinus pinaster var. maghrebiana), Moroccan fir (Abies maroccana) and Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica).[7]
The province of Chefchaouen is considered one of the richest regions[clarification needed] in terms of biological diversity. It is designated as a Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot (i.e. a zone with an exceptional concentration of endemic and threatened species) and suffers from accelerated forest degradation due to anthropogenic pressures exacerbated by the impact of climate change. Two protected areas have been created in the province:[8][9]
![Moroccan fir forest within the Talassemtane National Park.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/MariemBenSaid_Chaouen_2017-2019.jpg/220px-MariemBenSaid_Chaouen_2017-2019.jpg)
- Talassemtane National Park, created in 2004, covers an area of about 60,000 ha (150,000 acres), 80% of which is in the province of Chefchaouen. The park extends over the eastern part of the limestone ridge of the central-western Rif, with cliffs and gorges making accessibility very limited. The park aims to protect the endemic Moroccan fir forest, and species such as Atlas cedar, black pine (Pinus nigra subsp. mauretanica), and Maghreb maritime pine. In terms of fauna, there are 37 mammal species including the threatened Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus), the otter (Lutra lutra), more than 117 birds including some rare or very rare raptors, and around thirty species of reptiles and amphibians.
![A panoramic view from the future Regional Park of Bouhachem.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/MariemBenSaid_Bouhachem_31-05-2013.jpg/220px-MariemBenSaid_Bouhachem_31-05-2013.jpg)
- Bouhachem Regional Park, created in 2006 over an area of around 105,000 ha (260,000 acres), overlapping the provinces of Chefchaouen, Tetouan, and Larache. It was created to preserve natural forests and restore related natural resources and services.
In 2006, these two parks were included in the Mediterranean Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of Spain and Morocco, established in the context of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAN) program. Reforestation programs have been carried out since 1966, and by 2016 had generated 16,119 ha (39,830 acres).[10]
Water resources
![Illustrations of water resources emerging from “Ras El Maa”.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/MariemBenSaid_Chaouen_14-03-2021.jpg/220px-MariemBenSaid_Chaouen_14-03-2021.jpg)
High rainfall at altitude provides a potential for hydrological development. Several seasonal rivers flow into the Mediterranean or feed the Loukos or Ouargha rivers.[11]
References
- ^ "Recensement Général de la Population et de l'Habitat de 2014 : Population Légale du Maroc". Haut-Commissariat au Plan du Royaume du Maroc. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
- ^ a b Dipasquale, Letizia (2020). Understanding Chefchaouen: Traditional knowledge for a sustainable habitat. Firenze University Press. p. 69. ISBN 978-88-5518-177-8.
- ^ "World Gazetteer".[dead link]
- ^ "Recensement général de la population et de l'habitat de 2004" (PDF). Haut-commissariat au Plan, Lavieeco.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
- ^ Fay G., 1979. L’évolution d’une paysannerie montagnarde: les Jbalas Sud-Rifains (Evolution of a Mountain Landscape: The Jbalas of the Southern Rif). Méditerranée 1-2 : 81-91.
- ^ Lazarev, G. Quelques hypothèses sur les dynamiques de peuplement du Rif occidental (Some Hypotheses on the Settlement Dynamics of the Eastern Rif). Critique économique, 30: 143-175. (2013)
- ^ Taïqui, L. (2005). Evolution récente de la structure du paysage du Bassin de Chefchaouen (1958-1986). (Recent Evolution of the Landscape Structure of the Chefchaouen Basin (1958-1986)) In G.R.G.Rif Ed. Mutations des milieux ruraux dans les montagnes rifaines (Maroc), Série Etudes Spatiales (2), 1–19.
- ^ Médail, F., & Quézel, P. (1997). Hot-Spots Analysis for Conservation of Plant Biodiversity in the Mediterranean Basin. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 84(1), 112–127.
- ^ Royaume du Maroc 2005. Parc Naturel De Talassemtane. Evaluation de la Biodiversité et Suivi des habitats. Projet : Developpement Participatif Des Zones Forestieres Et Peri-Forestieres De La Province De Chefchaouen. MEDA/MAR/B7-4100/IB/98/0532. Assistance Technique.
- ^ HCP (Haut-Commissariat au Plan), (2018). Monographie Rovinciale de Chefchaouen. Direction Régionale de Tanger-Tétouan- Al Hoceima, 105 p.
- ^ بوشمال فاطمة، شفشاون حاضرة شريفة بملامح أندلوسية وقسمات جبلية، مجلة المناهل، العدد 98، ص 121-148، مطبعة دار المناهل، الرباط، 2020.
35°10′17″N 5°16′11″W / 35.17139°N 5.26972°W