Casablanca
Before the 15th century, the settlement at what is now Casablanca had been called Anfa. European sources rendered this name variously as El-Anfa, Anafa or Anaffa, Anafe, Anife, Anafee, Nafe, and Nafee. Ibn Khaldun ascribed the name to the Anfaça, a branch of the Awraba tribe of the Maghreb. The sociologist André Adam refuted this claim due to the absence of the third syllable. Nahum Slouschz gave a Hebrew etymology citing the Lexicon of Gesenius: anâphâh meaning a type of bird or anaph meaning face or figure. Adam argued that even a Judaized population would still have spoken Tamazight. He also refuted an Arabic etymology linking anf to nose since the city predated linguistic Arabization. Adam affirmed a Tamazight origin from words like hill, promontory on the sea, sandy beach, or threshing floor. The available information remained insufficient to establish exactly which definition applied.
French control of Casablanca was formalized March 1912 when the Treaty of Fez established the French protectorate. General Hubert Lyautey assigned the planning of the new colonial port city to Henri Prost. As he did in other Moroccan cities, Prost designed a European ville nouvelle outside the walls of the medina. In Casablanca, he also designed a new ville indigène to house Moroccans arriving from other cities. Europeans formed almost half the population of Casablanca during the early years of rule. A 1937, 1938 typhoid fever outbreak was exploited by colonial authorities to justify the appropriation of urban spaces. Moroccans residing in informal housing were cleared out of the center and displaced notably to Hay Mohammadi. The city became a port of colonial extraction under French imperial control. Rabat was made the administrative capital while Casablanca served as its economic counterpart.
Operation Torch started on the 8th of November 1942 as the British-American invasion of French North Africa. The Western Task Force composed of American units led by Major General George S. Patton carried out invasions of Mehdia Fedhala and Asfi. American forces captured Casablanca from Vichy control when France surrendered the 11th of November 1942. The Naval Battle of Casablanca continued until American forces sank German submarine U-173 on the 16th of November. Casablanca hosted the Berrechid Airfield which served as a large American air base for all aircraft bound for the European theatre. This airfield has since become Mohammed V International Airport. The Anfa Conference took place in January 1943 bringing together Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Free France generals Charles de Gaulle and Henri Giraud attended but played minor roles without participating in military planning. It was at this conference that the Allies adopted the doctrine of unconditional surrender meaning Axis powers would be fought until their defeat.
Morocco gained independence from France in 1956 marking the start of significant urban transformations and socio-economic shifts. On the 7th of April 1947 a massacre of working class Moroccans occurred carrying out by Senegalese Tirailleurs in service of the French colonial army. Riots in Casablanca took place from 7, the 8th of December 1952 responding to the assassination of Tunisian labor unionist Farhat Hached. Muhammad Zarqtuni orchestrated a bombing of Casablanca's Central Market on the 25th of December 1953 following the forced exile of Sultan Muhammad V. The 1965 student protests organized by the National Union of Popular Forces-affiliated National Union of Moroccan Students started on the 22nd of March 1965 in front of Lycée Mohammed V. These protests expanded to include concerns of labourers and marginalized segments before devolving into vandalism and rioting. Security forces violently repressed the riots with tanks and armoured vehicles under the direction of interior minister Mohamed Oufkir who personally machine-gunned rioters from his helicopter. King Hassan II declared there is no greater danger to the State than a so-called intellectual.
The Grand Casablanca region attracts 32% of the country's production units and 56% of industrial labor. The region uses 30% of national electricity production contributing MAD 93 billion to 44% of industrial output. About 33% of national industrial exports worth MAD 27 billion comes from the Grand Casablanca area. One of the most important exports of Casablanca is phosphate alongside fishing fish canning sawmills furniture production building materials glass textiles electronics leather work processed food spirits soft drinks and cigarettes. The Casablanca Stock Exchange ranks Africa's third-largest in terms of market capitalization as of December 2022. Royal Air Maroc has its head office at the previous Casablanca-Anfa Airport location though it announced moving to Nouaceur close to Mohammed V International Airport in 2004. Almost the entire Casablanca waterfront remains under development including construction of huge entertainment centers between the port and Hassan II Mosque.
The commune of Casablanca recorded a population of 3,359,818 in the 2014 Moroccan census with about 98% living in urban areas. Around 25% of the population are under 15 years old while 9% are over 60 years old. During the French protectorate European Christians formed almost half the population of Casablanca. Since Moroccan independence in 1956 the European population has decreased substantially. Approximately 28,000 Moroccan Jews immigrated to the State of Israel between 1948 and 1951 many through Casablanca. In 1956 there were 100,000 Jews registered in Casablanca. By 2018 estimates suggested only 2,500 Moroccan Jews lived in Casablanca according to local counts or 1,000 according to the World Jewish Congress. The city also is still home to a small community of Moroccan Christians as well as a small group of foreign Roman Catholic and Protestant residents.
Casablanca is home to two popular football clubs Wydad Casablanca and Raja Casablanca which are rivals. Raja's symbol is an eagle and Wydad's symbol is a star and crescent representing Islam. These clubs have produced some of Morocco's best players including Salaheddine Bassir Abdelmajid Dolmy Baddou Zaki Aziz Bouderbala and Noureddine Naybet. Both teams compete in Botola playing their home games at Stade Mohammed V having won the CAF Champions League three times each. The stadium hosted eight African Champions League finals plus the 2018 CHAN Final and 1988 Africa Cup of Nations final. Haja El Hamdaouia born in Casablanca became one of the most iconic figures in aita music while Nass El Ghiwane led by Larbi Batma emerged from Hay Mohammadi. The École des Beaux-Arts founded in 1919 by Édouard Brindeau de Jarny gave rise to the Casablanca School art movement developing out of late 1960s modernist collectives. The Hassan II Mosque stands as the second largest mosque in Africa and seventh-largest globally serving as the city's main tourist attraction.
Common questions
What was the original name of Casablanca before the 15th century?
Before the 15th century, the settlement at what is now Casablanca had been called Anfa. European sources rendered this name variously as El-Anfa, Anafa or Anaffa, Anafe, Anife, Anafee, Nafe, and Nafee.
When did French control of Casablanca become formalized through a treaty?
French control of Casablanca was formalized March 1912 when the Treaty of Fez established the French protectorate. General Hubert Lyautey assigned the planning of the new colonial port city to Henri Prost who designed both a European ville nouvelle and a new ville indigène for Moroccans.
Who led American forces during Operation Torch in November 1942?
Major General George S. Patton led the Western Task Force composed of American units that carried out invasions of Mehdia Fedhala and Asfi during Operation Torch. American forces captured Casablanca from Vichy control when France surrendered on the 11th of November 1942.
What percentage of Morocco's industrial output does the Grand Casablanca region produce?
The Grand Casablanca region contributes MAD 93 billion to 44% of national industrial output while using 30% of national electricity production. The region attracts 32% of the country's production units and accounts for about 33% of national industrial exports worth MAD 27 billion.
How many people lived in the commune of Casablanca according to the 2014 Moroccan census?
The commune of Casablanca recorded a population of 3,359,818 in the 2014 Moroccan census with about 98% living in urban areas. Around 25% of the population are under 15 years old while 9% are over 60 years old.