Khouribga (Moroccan , ) is the capital of

Khouribga Province Khouribga () is a province of Morocco in the region of Béni Mellal-Khénifra. It has a population of 499,144 people, with a majority from Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and Nor ...

in the

Béni Mellal-Khénifra Béni Mellal-Khénifra () is one of the twelve regions of Morocco, covering an area of 28,374 km2, and recorded a population of 2,520,776 in the 2014 Moroccan census. The capital of the region is Beni Mellal. Geography Béni Mellal-Khéni ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

. With a population of 342,125 (2024 census), Khouribga owes its growth to the phosphate deposits nearby.

Geography

Located at 107 km from

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

, 154 km from the capital,

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ) is the Capital (political), capital city of Morocco and the List of cities in Morocco, country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. ...

, more than 200 km from the city of

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

, and about 99 km from the city of

Beni Mellal Beni Mellal () is a city in north-central Morocco. It is the capital of the Béni Mellal-Khénifra Region and has a population of 192,676 (2014 census). It sits at the foot of Jbel Tassemit (2247 m), next to the plains of Beni Amir. The modern ...

and 60 km from the city of

Settat Settat () is a city in Morocco between the national capital Rabat and Marrakesh. Settat is located by road south of the centre of Casablanca, roughly an hour's drive. It is the capital of Settat Province and is its largest city in both size and ...

and 34 km from the city of

Oued Zem Oued Zem () is a city in Khouribga Province, Béni Mellal-Khénifra, Morocco. According to the 2014 Moroccan census, Oued Zem had a population of 95,267. Oued Zem is a Moroccan city located in central Morocco, in the Chaouia-Ouardigha region in t ...

. Khouribga is located 820 meters above sea level on the Ouardigha plateau. The city was founded in 1923 by the authorities of the French protectorate when they discovered phosphate in the region, for which Morocco is considered to be the biggest exporter in the world. There are several mines in the province, most notably the mine of Sidi Shennan near the town of

, which lies 30 km from the village of

Boulanouare Boulanouare is a town in Khouribga Province, Béni Mellal-Khénifra, Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atl ...

(5 km) and the town of

Boujniba Boujniba is a town in Khouribga Province, Béni Mellal-Khénifra, Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlant ...

(10 km) and the village of

Hattane Hattane is a town in Khouribga Province, Béni Mellal-Khénifra, Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlanti ...

. The Province of Khouribga is bordered by the Province of

in the east, Province of

Ben Slimane Benslimane () is a Moroccan city and the capital of Benslimane Province, Casablanca-Settat. History The city was founded by the French in 1907 during the campaign of Morocco, the military establishment was followed by the construction of a ...

in the west, the Province of

in the south, and

Khémisset Province Khémisset () is a province in the Morocco, Moroccan economic region of Rabat-Salé-Kénitra. Its population in 2004 was 521,81 The town was founded in 1924 on the site of a military outpost on the road from Rabat to Fez, Morocco, Fes; now a provin ...

in the north.

Climate

Khouribga has a

hot-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Csa''). In winter there is more rainfall than in summer. The average annual temperature in Khouribga is . About of precipitation falls annually.

Economy

Phosphate

The Province of Khouribga has a large

phosphate Phosphates are the naturally occurring form of the element phosphorus. In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthop ...

reserve estimated 35 to 40 billion cubic meters, which has been mined since 1920s and is ranked first at the international level. Also Khouribga is one of the cities that brings hard currency and that is due to its community residents from

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. The phosphate mines in the

Ouled Abdoun Basin The Oulad Abdoun Basin (also known as the Ouled Abdoun Basin or Khouribga Basin) is a phosphate sedimentary basin located in Morocco, near the city of Khouribga. It is the largest in Morocco, comprising 44% of Morocco's phosphate reserves, and at ...

are notable source of fossils, especially

Mosasaur Mosasaurs (from Latin ''Mosa'' meaning the 'Meuse', and Ancient Greek, Greek ' meaning 'lizard') are an extinct group of large aquatic reptiles within the family Mosasauridae that lived during the Late Cretaceous. Their first fossil remains wer ...

and

Sharks Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the ...

jaws and teeth.

Industrial activities

In addition to phosphate mining, the province knew the emergence of other industries in economic sectors such as: * Electrical and electronics industry *

Chemical industry The chemical industry comprises the companies and other organizations that develop and produce industrial, specialty and other chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, the chemical industry converts raw materials ( oil, natural gas, air, ...

Food Industry The food industry is a complex, global network of diverse businesses that supplies most of the food consumed by the world's population. The food industry today has become highly diversified, with manufacturing ranging from small, traditional, ...

* Mechanical Industry *

Textiles Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...

Industrial areas

The province has three Industrial zones: * The industrial zone of Khouribga (industrial district): 20 hectares (234 partitions) and 13 operating industrial units plus the expansion of the zone. * The industrial zone of

. *The industrial zone of Bejaad.

Services

The province has several

services Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a ...

, among them: * 25 bank agencies * 6 insurance agencies * 7 travel agencies * 2

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

s with daily trips with a project to build a modern station.

Agriculture

The

agricultural land Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other organism, forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous ...

s is divided into 50%

arable land Arable land (from the , "able to be ploughed") is any land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops.''Oxford English Dictionary'', "arable, ''adj''. and ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2013. Alternatively, for the purposes of a ...

, 20%

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

s, 30% unused land.

Livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

is the most important source of income for the rural population, the herd is estimated to be: *

Goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...

s: 30.000-60.000 heads *

Equidae Equidae (commonly known as the horse family) is the Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic Family (biology), family of Wild horse, horses and related animals, including Asinus, asses, zebra, zebras, and many extinct species known only from fossils. The fa ...

: 40.000-60.000 heads *

Cow Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are called co ...

s: 50.000-70.000 heads *

Sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

: 500.000-600.000 heads

Handicrafts

The

handicraft A handicraft is a traditional main sector of craft making and applies to a wide range of creative and design activities that are related to making things with one's hands and skill, including work with textiles, moldable and rigid material ...

s sector represents a sizable part of the local economy with 9

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomy, autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned a ...

s (260 members), and a handicrafts association.

Health

The facilities cover most of the province with: * 6 rooms * 3 provincial hospitals * 20 health centers * 7 urban health centers * 9 rural clinics

Twin towns – sister cities

Khouribga is twinned with: *

Alcamo Alcamo (; ) is the fourth-largest town and communes of Italy, commune of the Province of Trapani, Sicily, with a population of 44.925 inhabitants. It is on the borderline with the Metropolitan City of Palermo at a distance of about 50 kilometr ...

, Italy *

Erzincan Erzincan (; ), historically Yerznka (), is the capital of Erzincan Province in eastern Turkey. Nearby cities include Erzurum, Sivas, Tunceli, Bingöl, Elazığ, Malatya, Gümüşhane, Bayburt, and Giresun. The city is majority Turkish Sunni w ...

, Turkey *

Karaj Karaj (; ) is a List of cities in Iran by province, city in the Central District (Karaj County), Central District of Karaj County, Alborz province, Alborz province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. Earl ...

, Iran

Notable people

Adam Masina Adam Masina (; born 2 January 1994) is a Moroccan professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Italian club Torino, and the Morocco national team. Coming through Bologna's youth academy, Masina made his senior appearance with the club ...

, professional footballer *

Hicham Mahdoufi Hicham Mahdoufi (born 5 August 1983, in Khouribga) is a Moroccan professional footballer. Career Mahdoufi was born in Khouribga. During his teenage years, he began playing for his local club, Olympique Club de Khouribga. In summer 2007, a number ...

, Former international footballer *

Hindi Zahra Hindi Zahra (Tamazight: ⵀⵉⵏⴷⵉ ⵣⴰⵀⵕⴰ, Arabic: هندي زهرة, born 20 January 1979 in Khouribga, Morocco) is a Moroccan singer. When coming up with a stage name, she simply inverted her birth name. Her songs are mostly in ...

, international singer * Hind Dehiba, née Chahyd, born on March 17, 1979, in Khouribga, a Moroccan-French

middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, ranging from 500 metres up to . The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distanc ...

Jawad El Yamiq Jawad El Yamiq (; born 29 February 1992) is a Moroccan professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Saudi club Al-Wehda and the Morocco national team. He began his professional career playing for Olympique Khouribga. A full interna ...

, professional footballer *

Mohamed Saïd El Wardi Mohamed Saïd El Wardi (; born 19 April 1972) is a Moroccan athlete who specializes in the 5000 metres and cross-country running. He was born in Khouribga. He represented his country at the 2000 Summer Olympics. International competitions Per ...

, Former middle-distance runner * Otmane El Assas, former professional footballer *

Rababe Arafi Rababe Arafi (, born 12 January 1991) is a middle-distance runner from Morocco, who specialises in the 1500 metres. Born in Khouribga, she is a three-time medallist at the African Championships in Athletics, having been the continental champion ...

, middle-distance runner *

Walid El Karti Walid El Karti () is a Moroccan professional footballer, who plays as an attacking midfielder for Pyramids FC. International career In January 2014, coach Hassan Benabicha, invited him to be a part of the Moroccan squad for the 2014 African ...

, professional footballer

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Khouribga Province Municipalities of Morocco

Khouribga Khouribga (Moroccan , ) is the capital of Khouribga Province in the Béni Mellal-Khénifra region, Morocco. With a population of 342,125 (2024 census), Khouribga owes its growth to the phosphate deposits nearby. Geography Located at 107 km ...