Ben Guerir
Ben Guerir ابن جرير ⴱⴰⵏⴳⵔⵉⵔ |
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Basic data | ||||
State : | Morocco | |||
Region : | Marrakech-Safi | |||
Province : | Rehamna | |||
Coordinates | 32 ° 15 ′ N , 7 ° 58 ′ W | |||
Residents : | 88,626 (2014) | |||
Area : | 18.29 km² | |||
Population density : | 4,846 inhabitants per km² | |||
Height : | 450 m | |||
New administrative building in Ben Guerir |
Ben Guerir ( Arabic ابن جرير, Central Atlas Tamazight ⴱⴰⵏⴳⵔⵉⵔ Bangrir ) is the capital of the Rehamna province in the Marrakech-Safi region in western Morocco, with a population of around 100,000 .
Location and climate
Ben Guerir is located at an altitude of approx. 450 m, about 140 km (driving distance) east of Safi and 70 km north of Marrakech . The coastal metropolis of Casablanca is about 170 km to the north. The climate is temperate to warm; the rather sparse rain (approx. 260 mm / year) falls mainly in the winter half-year.
population
year | 1982 | 1994 | 2004 | 2014 |
Residents | 22,354 | 47,080 | 62,872 | 88,626 |
The majority of the population who work in agriculture as well as small traders, taxi drivers, etc. is of Berber descent. Leading positions in business, trade and administration as well as in banking, health and education are in the hands of the Arab-born minority. Moroccan Arabic is mostly spoken among each other.
economy
The inhabitants of the city live mainly from small businesses and handicrafts. The two main employers are the phosphate industry and 10 km south to the city airbase ben guerir Airbase . Many men also work in the coastal cities in the west and north of Morocco or in Europe. Due to its status as provincial capital in 2009, jobs in administration were also created; there are also several public and private educational institutions.
history
In the Middle Ages and later, it was probably only a small market town - if at all - that developed into a small town during the French colonial period and after Morocco's independence (1956). The city has experienced an enormous population increase since the 1970s due to the immigration of Berber families from the surrounding villages. After the creation of the Rehamna Province in 2009, Ben Guerir became the provincial capital.
Attractions
There are no historically or culturally significant sights in the largely new city.