Berkane Province (Berber: Aberkan, ⴱⴻⵔⴽⴰⵏ, Arabic: بَركان) is located in northeastern

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

in the area of Aït Iznasen. It is bounded by the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

to its north, the Kiss Oued (Moroccan-

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

n border) and Oujda Prefecture in the east,

Nador Province Nador is a province in the Oriental Region of Morocco. Its population in 2014 was 564,943. It is situated east from Driouch Province and west from Berkane Province. Major cities and towns The major cities and towns are: * Al Aaroui * Beni ...

to the west, and Taourirt Province in the south. The Berkane Province includes under its jurisdiction the towns of Saïdia and

Ahfir Ahfir (, ) is a town in Berkane Province, Oriental, Morocco, adjacent the border with Algeria. According to the 2004 census, it has a population of 19,482. The name Ahfir refers to the stone quarry which was exploited in this village founded by H ...

. The population of the city is 80,012 as of the 2004 census. The population originates primarily from Aït Iznasen, a major tribe which consists of Berber clans. The tribe's descendants are spread widely over the rest of eastern

, usually in cities like

, Saïdia and Oujda. Due to recent immigration originating from all over

, the eastern dialect of

Moroccan Arabic Moroccan Arabic ( ar, العربية المغربية الدارجة, translit=al-ʻArabīya al-Maghribīya ad-Dārija ), also known as Darija (), is the dialectal, vernacular form or forms of Arabic spoken in Morocco. It is part of the Maghreb ...

is spoken by most of the citizens, although Berber is still spoken by many of the adults. Berkane is considered the capital of the

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus ''Citrus'' is native to ...

fruit industry The horticulture industry embraces the production, processing and shipping of and the market for fruits and vegetables. As such it is a sector of agribusiness and industrialized agriculture. Industrialized horticulture sometimes also includes the ...

of Morocco, and high-quality fresh fruit and vegetables are plentiful year round. It is known for its farms of clementines mostly owned by the pro French protectorate Algerians such as Belhaj or Belhaj Bouabdallah family, also a large statue of an orange is at the center of town. It is very close to Saïdia, a popular beach resort town on the Mediterranean, as well as

Tafoughalt Tafoughalt or Taforalt (Berber: ⵜⴰⴼⵓⵖⴰⵍⵜ) is a town in Berkane Province, Oriental, Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks ...

, a small village in the nearby mountains known for its healthy air and herb markets. Berkane is also famous for being the birthplace of the Olympic athlete

Hicham El Guerrouj Hicham El Guerrouj ( ar, هشام الݣروج, Hishām l-Garrūj; ber, ⵀⵉⵛⴰⵎ ⴻⵍ ⴳⴻⵔⵔⵓⵊ, Hisham El Gerruj; born 14 September 1974) is a retired Moroccan middle-distance runner. El Guerrouj is the current world record h ...

, who holds the world record for the fastest mile but he has never been a major social player in the development of his native town. Berkane is a sprawling city centered on Avenue Mohammed V, a commercial and business strip, and boulevard Ibn Sina/Rue Dehb or Alhob (meaning "The Street of Gold and or street of love"). This boulevard is lined with many of the most popular cafés and jewelry shops. The city sprawls into the hillsides and connects via bridge to a small neighboring town named Sidi Slimane, giving the impression that it is much larger than the census claims. The major cities and towns are

*

Ain Erreggada Ain Erreggada is a town in Berkane Province, Oriental, Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the At ...

Aklim Aklim is a town in Berkane Province, Oriental, Morocco. According to the 2004 census, it has a population of 8,969. Nearby is one of the sites considered for the European Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). Notable people *Mohammed Chaouch Moh ...

* Berkane *

Bouhdila Bouhdila is a neighbourhood of Berkane, the capital of Berkane Province in Oriental, Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterrane ...

Madagh ''Madagh'' is an Armenian custom of commemorating victims through requiem services, most often associated with the annual remembrance of the Armenian genocide. ''Madagh'' is typically celebrated with community gatherings sponsored by churches, whi ...

* Saïdia *

Sidi Slimane Echcharraa Sidi Slimane Echcharraa is a town in Berkane Province, Oriental, Morocco. According to the 2004 census, it has a population of 22,904. It is considered as a suburb of Berkane Berkane ( ber, translit=Berkane, ⴱⴻⵔⴽⴰⵏ) is a city in north ...

Etymology

The province is named after its largest city, Berkane. The name of the city comes from the word "aberkan" which means "black" in the

Berber language The Berber languages, also known as the Amazigh languages or Tamazight,, ber, label=Tuareg Tifinagh, ⵜⵎⵣⵗⵜ, ) are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They comprise a group of closely related languages spoken by Berber commun ...

Subdivisions

The province is divided administratively into the following:

References

Berkane {{OrientalMA-geo-stub