Taghazout
| Taghazout تغازوت ⵜⴰⵖⴰⵣⵓⵜ |
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| Basic data | |||||
| State : |
 Morocco
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| Region : | Souss-Massa | ||||
| Prefecture : | Agadir-Ida ou Tanane | ||||
| Coordinates | 30 ° 33 ′ N , 9 ° 42 ′ W | ||||
| Residents : | 5,348 (2004) | ||||
| Area : | 110 km² | ||||
| Population density : | 49 inhabitants per km² | ||||
| Height : | 5 m | ||||
Taghazout ( Arabic تغازوت, Central Atlas Tamazight ⵜⴰⵖⴰⵣⵓⵜ Taɣazut ) was a small fishing village on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Morocco for a long time , which has developed into a surfing and bathing resort since the 1990s. Since 1992 it has been the capital of a community ( commune ) that also consists of several villages ( douars ) in the hinterland and currently has around 10,000 inhabitants.
location
Taghazout is located on the Moroccan Atlantic coast about 20 km (driving distance) north of Agadir and about 152 km south of Essaouira . The hinterland is formed by the western foothills of the High Atlas .
population
The inhabitants of earlier times were exclusively Berbers from the Ida Oufella tribe , but as a result of increasing modernization (connection to the electricity, water and telephone network) and the associated construction boom in the area around Agadir, many newcomers have come from other regions of Morocco. Moroccan Arabic is spoken mainly , but French and English are also spoken; in the hinterland, however, the regional Berber dialect is still spoken.
economy
In earlier times fishing and agriculture in the villages in the hinterland formed the basis of economic life, today it is primarily the various forms of tourism (swimming, surfing, windsurfing, sailing, diving, etc.).
history
As of almost all Berber towns in southern Morocco, almost nothing is known about the earlier history of Taghazout; Oral traditions only report disputes between the united Berber tribes and the Portuguese in the 16th century. At the end of the 1960s the place was discovered by the hippies ; since 1992 it has been the center of an independent municipality that also includes several villages in the hinterland.
Attractions
Taghazout has - apart from its beaches and the old town center - no special attractions. It is suitable as a starting point for day trips into the mountainous and rugged hinterland (e.g. to Imouzzer des Ida-Outanane ).
