Chefchaouen Province
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Chefchaouen () is a
province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
in the Moroccan economic region of
Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima () is the northernmost of the twelve regions of Morocco. It covers an area of 15,090 km2 and recorded a population of 4 030 222 in the 2024 Moroccan census. The capital of the region is Tangier. Geography Tange ...
.


Demographics

According to the 2014 national census in Morocco, the province has more than 457,432 inhabitants. The population is 87.45% rural.


Geography

The province of Chefchaouen is bordered by five provinces –
Tétouan Province Tétouan () is a province in the Moroccan region of Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceïma. Its population in 2004 was 613,506. The major cities and towns are* Dar Bni Karrich * Karia * Oued Laou * Tétouan Subdivisions The province is divided admini ...
to the northwest,
Larache Province Larache () is a province in the Moroccan region of Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima () is the northernmost of the twelve regions of Morocco. It covers an area of 15,090 km2 and recorded a population of 4 030 222 in the ...
to the west,
Al Hoceïma Province El Hoceïma () is a province in the region of Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Morocco. Its population in 2014 was 399.654 The major cities and towns are* Ait Kamra * Ajdir * Al Hoceima * Bni Bouayach * Bni Boufrah * Bni Hadifa * Imzouren * Issaguen * ...
to the east,
Taounate Province Taounate () is a province in the Fès-Meknès region. It is situated in northern Morocco, north-east of Fes. It had a population of 668,232 in the 2004 Census. Largest towns *Taounate (32,380 inhabitants) * Bouhouda (26,124) * Tamedit (21,453) * M ...
to the south,
Ouezzane Province Ouezzane () is a province in the Morocco, Moroccan region of Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima with the capital being Ouezzane. Subdivisions The province is divided administratively into the following Municipalities and communes of Morocco, municipalities ...
to the southwest – and the Mediterranean Sea to the northeast. The Province of Chefchaouen belongs to the
Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima () is the northernmost of the twelve regions of Morocco. It covers an area of 15,090 km2 and recorded a population of 4 030 222 in the 2024 Moroccan census. The capital of the region is Tangier. Geography Tange ...
Region and consists of one urban commune (the municipality of Chefchaouen) and 27 rural communes, giving the province a rural character. The city of
Chefchaouen Chefchaouen (, ) is a city in northwest Morocco. It is the chief town of the province of the same name and is noted for its buildings in shades of blue, for which it is nicknamed the "Blue City". It is situated in a mountainous region in northern ...
is the only official municipality in the province, created in 1975. The other major towns are: * Bab Berred * Bab Taza * Brikcha * Jebha * Moqrisset * Zoumi


Subdivisions

The province is divided administratively into the following:


Environment


Mountains

The Chefchaouen Mountains are composed of very rugged
siliceous Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , commonly found in nature as quartz. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one of the most complex and abundant ...
and limestone layers, with some peaks exceeding above sea level, such as Jbel Lakraa and Jbel Tissouka in the rural commune of Bab Taza, as well as Jbel Tizirane in the rural commune of Bab Berred. Chefchaouen and its surroundings were historically and geographically known as the Jbala region or country (i.e. mountain inhabitants) where many Jbala tribes once lived. The Jbala region was officially described at the beginning of the 20th century as a geographical territory corresponding to the foothills of the southwestern Rif, between the massifs of the central Rif and the pre-Rif domain.


Forests

Natural forests cover around and are dominated by broad-leaved trees. Forest formations are distributed according to local variations of climate and soil due to altitude,
lithology The lithology of a rock unit is a description of its physical characteristics visible at outcrop, in hand or core samples, or with low magnification microscopy. Physical characteristics include colour, texture, grain size, and composition. Lit ...
, and human activity. There are
sclerophyll Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaves, short Internode (botany), internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is parallel or ...
ous oaks such as cork oak (''
Quercus suber ''Quercus suber'', commonly called the cork oak, is a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree in the section ''Quercus'' sect. ''Cerris''. It is the primary source of cork for wine bottle stoppers and other uses, such as cork flooring and as the core ...
''), holm oak (''
Quercus rotundifolia ''Quercus rotundifolia'', the holm oak or ballota oak, is an evergreen oak native to the western Mediterranean region, with the majority of the population in the Iberian Peninsula and minor populations in Northwest Africa. The species was firs ...
''), and kermes oak (''
Quercus coccifera ''Quercus coccifera'', the kermes oak or commonly known as Palestine oak, is an oak shrub or tree in section '' Ilex'' of the genus. It has many synonyms, including ''Quercus calliprinos''. It is native to the Mediterranean region and Northern ...
''), deciduous oaks such as Tauzin oak (''
Quercus pyrenaica ''Quercus pyrenaica'', also known as Pyrenean oak, or Spanish oak is a tree native to southwestern Europe and northwestern North Africa. Despite its common name, it is rarely found in the Pyrenees Mountains and is more abundant in northern Portu ...
'') and zeen oak (''
Quercus canariensis ''Quercus canariensis'', the Algerian oak, Mirbeck's oak or zean oak, is an oak native to southern Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Despite the scientific name, it does not occur naturally today in the Canary Islands. It is placed i ...
'' and ''
Quercus faginea ''Quercus faginea'', the Portuguese oak, is a species of oak native to the western Mediterranean region in the Iberian Peninsula. Similar trees in the Atlas Mountains of northwest Africa are usually included in this species, or sometimes treate ...
''), and natural coniferous forests such as Maghreb maritime pine (''
Pinus pinaster ''Pinus pinaster'', the maritime pine or cluster pine, is a pine native to the south Atlantic Europe region and parts of the western Mediterranean. It is a hard, fast growing pine bearing small seeds with large wings. Description ''Pinus pinast ...
'' var. ''maghrebiana''), Moroccan fir (''Abies maroccana'') and Atlas cedar (''
Cedrus atlantica ''Cedrus atlantica'', the Atlas cedar, is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae, native to the Rif and Atlas Mountains of Morocco ( Middle Atlas, High Atlas), and to the Tell Atlas in Algeria.Gaussen, H. (1964). Genre ''Cedrus''. Les F ...
'').Taïqui, L. (2005). Evolution récente de la structure du paysage du Bassin de Chefchaouen (1958–1986). (Recent Evolution of the Landscape Structure of the Chefchaouen Basin (1958–1986)) In G.R.G.Rif Ed. Mutations des milieux ruraux dans les montagnes rifaines (Maroc), Série Etudes Spatiales (2), 1–19. The province of Chefchaouen is considered one of the richest regions in terms of biological diversity. It is designated as a Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot (i.e. a zone with an exceptional concentration of
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
and threatened species) and suffers from accelerated forest degradation due to anthropogenic pressures exacerbated by the impact of
climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
. Two protected areas have been created in the province:Médail, F., & Quézel, P. (1997). Hot-Spots Analysis for Conservation of Plant Biodiversity in the Mediterranean Basin. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 84(1), 112–127. *
Talassemtane National Park Talassemtane National Park is a national park in the Rif region of northern Morocco. It is part of the Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean. History The site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on 12 October ...
, created in 2004, covers an area of about , 80% of which is in the province of Chefchaouen. The park extends over the eastern part of the limestone ridge of the central-western Rif, with cliffs and gorges making accessibility very limited. The park aims to protect the endemic Moroccan fir forest, and species such as Atlas cedar, black pine (''
Pinus nigra ''Pinus nigra'', the Austrian pine or black pine, is a moderately variable species of pine, occurring across Southern Europe from the Iberian Peninsula and Lower Austria to the eastern Mediterranean, on the Anatolian peninsula of Turkey, Corsica ...
'' subsp. ''mauretanica''), and Maghreb maritime pine. In terms of fauna, there are 37 mammal species including the threatened Barbary macaque (''
Macaca sylvanus The Barbary macaque (''Macaca sylvanus''), also known as Barbary ape, is a macaque species native to the Atlas Mountains of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, along with a small introduced population in Gibraltar. It is the type species of the genus ' ...
''), the otter (''
Lutra lutra The Eurasian otter (''Lutra lutra''), also known as the European otter, Eurasian river otter, European river otter, common otter, and Old World otter, is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia and the Maghreb. The most widely distributed member o ...
''), more than 117 birds including some rare or very rare raptors, and around thirty species of reptiles and amphibians. * Bouhachem Regional Park, created in 2006 over an area of around , overlapping the provinces of Chefchaouen, Tetouan, and Larache. It was created to preserve natural forests and restore related natural resources and services. In 2006, these two parks were included in the Mediterranean Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of Spain and Morocco, established in the context of UNESCO's
Man and the Biosphere Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the 'improvement of relationships' between people and their environments. MAB engages w ...
(MAN) program. Reforestation programs have been carried out since 1966, and by 2016 had generated .HCP (Haut-Commissariat au Plan), (2018). Monographie Rovinciale de Chefchaouen. Direction Régionale de Tanger-Tétouan- Al Hoceima, 105 p.


Water resources

High rainfall at altitude provides a potential for hydrological development. Several seasonal rivers flow into the Mediterranean or feed the Loukos or Ouargha rivers.بوشمال فاطمة، شفشاون حاضرة شريفة بملامح أندلوسية وقسمات جبلية، مجلة المناهل، العدد 98، ص 121-148، مطبعة دار المناهل، الرباط، 2020.


Economy


Agriculture and sea fishing

Despite the significant rainfall, agricultural activity is limited due to the rugged and steep topography, the scarcity of arable land, the low mechanization level, and the lack of irrigation infrastructure. These factors have contributed to the emergence of traditional agriculture largely dependent on climatic hazards. Forests have been harvested for wood and pulp products and to clear land for agriculture. Villagers from rural areas form an important workforce in the agricultural field.HCP (Haut-Commissariat au Plan), (2018). Monographie Rovinciale de Chefchaouen. Direction Régionale de Tanger-Tétouan- Al Hoceima, 105 p. The province is dominated by cereal agriculture, goat herding in the mountains, and arboriculture of
fig The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of tree or shrub in the flowering plant family Moraceae, native to the Mediterranean region, together with western and southern Asia. It has been cultivated since ancient times and i ...
and
almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera ...
trees. The countryside has a reputation as a prolific source of
kief Kief (from Arabic كيف ''kīf'', "Joy, pleasure"), sometimes transliterated as keef, also known as "Dust" and "Chief" a.k.a. cannabis crystals among other names, refers to the pure and clean collection of loose cannabis trichomes, which are ac ...
. The Chefchaouen region is one of the main producers of
cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...
in Morocco. * Cereal cultivation: Occupying an area around , cereals are the most prevalent crops in the province; * Legumes: Legumes are cultivated over an area of around . Beans and
broad bean ''Vicia faba'', commonly known as the broad bean, fava bean, or faba bean, is a species of vetch, a flowering plant in the pea and bean family Fabaceae. It is widely cultivated as a crop for human consumption, and also as a cover crop. Vari ...
s are the most widely cultivated and occupy more than three-quarters of the area devoted to this type of crop; * Vegetable and forage crops: are cultivated over an area of about ; * Fruit arboriculture: fruit tree plantations cover approximately , producing 654,930
quintal The quintal or centner is a historical unit of mass in many countries that is usually defined as 100 base units, such as pounds or kilograms. It is a traditional unit of weight in France, Portugal, and Spain and their former colonies. It is com ...
s (65,493 tonnes) of fruit. The olive tree is the most widespread with 83% of the area, representing 66% of the total production. * Animal husbandry: Production of red meat is estimated at 1,037.4 tons in 2016, of which 70% is beef, the rest mutton, and goat. * Maritime fishing: The province's of the Mediterranean coast recorded landings of 2,166 tons of fish in 2016, valued at 14.3 million
Moroccan dirham The Moroccan dirham (, ; Currency symbol, sign: DH; code: MAD) is the official monetary currency of Morocco. It is issued by the Bank Al-Maghrib, the central bank of Morocco. One Moroccan dirham is subdivided into 100 ''santimat'' (singular: santi ...
s. 94.4% of landings were
bluefish The bluefish (''Pomatomus saltatrix'') is the only extant species of the family Pomatomidae. It is a marine pelagic fish found around the world in temperate and subtropical waters, except for the northern Pacific Ocean. Bluefish are known as ta ...
. This traditional agro-pastoral system – of olive and fig plantations, cereal fields, and limited grazing pastures – has been carried out for centuries. Local products are also diversified, such as fresh goat cheese and other animal products, medicinal and aromatic plants, and products based on wild olives, figs, wool, etc. These various agricultural models have contributed to a richness of food diversity and, in 2010, UNESCO recognized Chefchaouen for its
Mediterranean diet The Mediterranean diet is a concept first proposed in 1975 by the American biologist Ancel Keys and chemist Margaret Keys. The diet took inspiration from the eating habits and traditional food typical of Crete, much of the rest of Greece, and s ...
.Chefchaouen inscrite au patrimoine de l'Unesco
(Chefchaouen Registered in UNESCO Heritage). 20 November 2010. Bladi.net. Websil Sarl, Rabat. Accessed January 24, 2021)]


Industry and commerce

The industrial sector remains very weak despite the province's potential with its availability of human and natural resources. The commercial sector is one of the main economic supports of Chefchaouen, bolstered by tourism activity and remittances from workers abroad. It is mainly focused on urban centers and the main rural communes and is based on the sale of traditional food products, construction materials, clothing, and household items. Commercial transactions become dynamic during summer, with the influx of tourists and the return of foreign workers to the province.


References

{{Coord, 35, 10, 17, N, 5, 16, 11, W, type:adm2nd_source:itwiki, display=title Chefchaouen Province,
Chefchaouen Chefchaouen (, ) is a city in northwest Morocco. It is the chief town of the province of the same name and is noted for its buildings in shades of blue, for which it is nicknamed the "Blue City". It is situated in a mountainous region in northern ...