prefecture
A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...
in
Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima
Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima ( ar, طنجة - تطوان - الحسيمة, ṭanja - tiṭwān - al-ḥusayma; ber, ⵟⴰⵏⵊⴰ ⵜⵉⵟⵡⴰⵏ ⵍⵃⵓⵙⵉⵎⴰ, ṭanja tiṭwan lḥusima) is the northernmost of the twelve regions of ...
,
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 to ...
. It covers an area of and recorded a population of 209,897 in the 2014 Moroccan census. The seat of the prefecture is
M'diq
Rincón, M'Diq or Mediek, in , meaning 'the'Strait'') is a Mediterranean town in northern Morocco located between Fnideq and Tétouan. It borders Mellaliyine in the south and Allyene in the west. It is the seat of M'diq-Fnideq Prefecture.
M ...
.
Geography
M'diq-Fnideq borders
Fahs-Anjra Province
Fahs-Anjra is a province located in the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Region of Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Se ...
to the west,
Tétouan Province
Tétouan is a province in the Moroccan region of Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceïma. Its population in 2004 was 613,50
The major cities and towns are* Dar Bni Karrich
* Karia
* Oued Laou
* Tétouan
Subdivisions
The province is divided administrativel ...
to the south, the
Mediterranean Sea
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 and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...
to the east, the Spanish
exclave
An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
of
Ceuta
Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa.
Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territorie ...
to the northeast and the
Strait of Gibraltar
The Strait of Gibraltar ( ar, مضيق جبل طارق, Maḍīq Jabal Ṭāriq; es, Estrecho de Gibraltar, Archaic: Pillars of Hercules), also known as the Straits of Gibraltar, is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Medi ...
to the north. Jebel Musa located in the northern part of the prefecture is its highest point at 851 metres. The coastline at the foot Jebel Musa is a
Ramsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean
The Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean is the first of its type to be designated by the Man and the Biosphere Programme. It combines the Tingitan Peninsula in Morocco and the southern Iberian Peninsula of Andalusia. Both count ...
.
The prefecture is drained by five
wadi
Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water onl ...
s or seasonal rivers: Oued Smir, Oued Negro, Oued Fnideq, Oued Rmel and Oued Martil. The coastal lagoon of Oued Smir and its reservoir upstream were designated a Ramsar site in 2019.
The prefecture experiences a
mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
. The easterly prevailing wind in the prefecture is known as the ''
chergui
Chergui ( ar, شرقي) is the largest of the Kerkennah Islands off the north coast of Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, ...
''.
History
M'diq-Fnideq was created in 2004 from the municipalities of M'diq and Fnideq and the rural commune of Allyene, all formerly part of Tétouan Province. Martil was annexed to the prefecture from Tétouan Province in 2010.
Government
The following people have served as governors of M'diq-Fnideq:
*Mohamed Yacoubi, 2005–2010
*Abdelmajid Hankari, 2010–2012
*Mohamed Mrabet, 2012–2014
*Abdelkrim Hamdi, 2014–2016
*Hassan Bouya, 2016–2018
*Yassine Jari, 2018–
Fnideq
Fnideq (Berber: ⴼⵏⵉⴷⵇ, ar, الفنيدق) is a town in northern Morocco, on the Mediterranean coast of M'diq-Fnideq Prefecture, north of the city of Tétouan. The town is also known under the Spanish name Castillejos. It is the close ...
and
Martil
Martil (Berber: ⵎⴰⵔⵜⵉⵍ, ar, مرتيل) is a town in Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Morocco. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea northeast of Tetouan.
The name Martil comes from the Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or re ...
; and two rural communes,
Allyene Allyene is a rural commune located in M'diq-Fnideq Prefecture, 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 an ...
and
Belyounech
Belyounech (, ) is a town and rural commune in the Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceïma region of Morocco. The city has many alternate transliterations, including Beliunech and Bel Younech.
Belyounech borders the community of Benzú in the Spanish auto ...
.
Infrastructure
The
Tetouan–Fnideq expressway
The Fnideq-Tetouan expressway is an expressway in Morocco. It begins in Morocco's northern city of Fnideq
Fnideq (Berber: ⴼⵏⵉⴷⵇ, ar, الفنيدق) is a town in northern Morocco, on the Mediterranean coast of M'diq-Fnideq Prefect ...
connects Tetouan with M'Diq and Fnideq and was opened in 2008.
First built in the 1970s, the port at M'Diq was expanded in 2009 and 2012 to accommodate recreational and fishing activities. In 2012 it ranked third by tonnage of fish landed among fishing ports in Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima.
From 1918 to 1958, a railway connecting Tetouan and Ceuta ran through M'diq and Fnideq.
The
Smir Dam
Smir Dam () is an earth-filled embankment dam in northern Morocco, to the southeast of Nakhla Dam and west of M'diq. It is at the confluence of the Smir and El-lile wadis and has a saddle dam adjacent to the main dam. The primary purpose of th ...
, located west of M'diq, was built in 1991. It has a capacity of 40.7 million cubic metres and supplies potable and industrial water to the prefecture.
Three of the eleven schools affiliated with Abdelmalek Essaâdi University are located in Martil: the Poly-disciplinary Faculty, the ''École Normale Supérieure'', and the Faculty of Letters and Humanities.
The prefecture has two hospitals at M'diq and Fnideq.