Agadir

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Image:Agadir,Morocco.jpg Image:Agadir.jpg Agadir (Template:Lang-ar) is a city in southwest Morocco, capital of the Souss-Massa-Dra region.

1 Description
2 History
3 See also
4 Sources, refrences and External links

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Description

It has a population of 678,596 (2004; census figures for the agglomeration include the near-by 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°C/68°F) and good beaches have made it a major "winter sun" destination for Northern Europeans. The current 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 Sous River empties into the sea.

Today, Agadir is a seaport (exporting cobalt, manganese and zinc) and seaside resort with a large sandy beach. Because of its large buildings, wide roads, modern hotels, and European-style cafés, some consider it not typically Moroccan. Agadir is famous for its sea foods and agriculture.

The city's main neighborhoods are:

Secteur Touristique
Les Amicales
Nouveau Talborjt
Cité Suisse
Dakhla
Anza
L'Erac.

It is served by the Al Massira Airport.

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History

Founded by the Portuguese around 1500 under the name of Santa Cruz do Cabo de Gué, under a governor till 12 March 1541.

The city came under Sadite control in 1526.

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 that in 1913 alloweded France to establish a protectorate over nearly the whole sultanate of Morrocco.

At 15 minutes to midnight on February 29, 1960, Agadir was almost totally destroyed by an earthquake that lasted 15 seconds, burying the old city and killing thousands. The death toll is estimated at 15,000. The earthquake destroyed the ancient Kasbah on the summit of Cap Ghir hill, which was built in 1540. On its front gate can still be read the following sentence in Dutch: "Fear God and honor thy King".

On seeing the destruction in Agadir, King Muhammad V of Morrocco 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 epicenter.

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