Oriental (region)

Oriental
Basic data
Country	Morocco
Capital	Oujda
surface	88,681 km²
Residents	2,354,056 (2016)
density	27 inhabitants per km²
ISO 3166-2	MA-02

Coordinates: 34 ° 0 ′  N , 2 ° 35 ′  W

Nador waterfront

Mountains near Oujda

Oujda city center

Figuig oasis

The Oriental region ( Arabic الجهة الشرقية, Central Atlas Tamazight ⵜⴰⴳⵎⵓⴹⴰⵏⵜ Tagmuḍant ) is one of the 12 - after an administrative reform in 2015  - newly composed regions of Morocco . It is located in the northeast of the kingdom on the border with Algeria ; the capital is Oujda .

geography

The region extends at altitudes of around 0 to 1000  m from the Mediterranean coast or the Rif Mountains in the north over the eastern foothills of the Atlas Mountains to the high (semi) deserts in the south.

population

Around 2.314 million people, mostly of Berber and Arab descent, live in the Oriental region ; Of these, around 1.514 million live in cities ( municipalités ) and around 800,000 in rural communities ( communes rurales ).

Infrastructure

The A2 motorway connects Oujda with central and western Morocco ( Fez - Rabat ); there is also a railway connection to Nador , the airports of Nador and Oujda-Angads and the ferry port of Beni Ansar (near Nador), which connects the region with Europe ( Sète , Almería , Málaga ).

Provinces

The region consists of the following prefectures and provinces, whose capitals often have the same name:

• Berkane Province
• Driouch Province
• Figuig Province
• Guercif Province
• Jerada Province
• Nador Province
• Oujda-Angad Prefecture
• Taourirt Province

Web links

Commons : Oriental  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Monograph de la Région de l'Oriental. In: Portail national des collectivites territoriales. Royaume du Maroc, Ministere de l'Interieur, accessed on December 9, 2018 (French). 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Annuaire Statistique du Maroc, année 2017. Haut-Commissariat au Plan, 22 November 2018, p. 22 , accessed on 9 December 2018 (in French).