Saïdia ( ar, السعيدية, translit=Al-sa'idiyya; ber, ⴰⵊⵔⵓⴷ, ''Ajrud''), known as the ''"Blue Pearl"'', is a beach town 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 ...

near

Berkane Berkane ( ber, translit=Berkane, ⴱⴻⵔⴽⴰⵏ) is a city in northeastern Morocco, in the tribal area of Aït Iznasen, limited by the Mediterranean to the north, the Kis river (Moroccan-Algerian border) and Oujda Province in the east, Nador ...

, in the great area of Beni Znassen. It is located in the province Berkane, near the Mediterranean Sea and at the Moroccan-Algerian border. Its 14 km (9 mile) coastline is one of the longest beaches of Morocco and is characterized by its golden sand and Mediterranean climate, making it a popular international tourist destination. It hosts numerous resorts and attractions, including private beach resorts, shopping malls, golf courses, and other sports centers. Saïdia's marina covers an area of 290,000 square meters (70 acres), with 740 berths and modern marina facilities. Tourists are attracted by its traditional folk music festival every August. It is surrounded by a natural bird preserve of marsh and woodland called Moulouya National Parc. Access to the main beach is through a eucalyptus forest.

Climate

Saïdia climate is

semi-arid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi- ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

: BSh). It is mild all year round, highly influenced by maritime winds. In summer, the average maximum and minimum temperatures are and , respectively, and, in winter, and . Autumn and winter are the wettest seasons, having more than 80% of total annual rainfall.

History

The nucleus of Saïdia dates from 1883 and was the work of Sultan Hassan I, who built a 15,600-square-meter (3¾ acre) ''casbah'' (fortress) on the left bank of the mouth of the river Kiss. Its purpose was to monitor and regulate the movement of people to and from Algeria, which was then under French sovereignty. After Morocco became a French protectorate in 1913, Saïdia proved popular with French settlers and became a resort. After Moroccan independence, Saïdia continued to attract visitors and has become one of the country's most popular tourist attractions.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saidia Populated places in Berkane Province Municipalities of Morocco Morocco geography articles needing translation from French Wikipedia