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Wikipedia / Kenitra

Kenitra is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is a port on the Sebou River with a population of 507,736 as of 2024, with Mehdya counting an additional 58,558.

It is one of the three main cities of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region and serves as the primary industrial hub for the region. it is also the capital and namesake of Kénitra Province.

During the Cold War, the US Naval Air Station Port Lyautey served as an important stopping point in North Africa, the base was later handed over to the Royal Moroccan Air Force.

The historic coastal town of Mehdya is administered as a separate urban commune within Kénitra Province, though it is functionally integrated as a coastal district of the city of Kenitra.

History

Ancient history

The history of the city begins with the foundation of a trading post by Carthaginian explorer Hanno. It was known back then as Thamusida.

Colonial and recent history

After the French conquest of Morocco, One of Hubert Lyautey's first preoccupations as resident general was to build ports along the inhabitable Atlantic coast where there were no natural harbors. He established Port Lyautey in 1912 as a French military fort and town. Its port, at the mouth of the Sebou river, was opened in 1913. It soon became the best river port in Morocco.

Kenitra draws its name from a bridge built at Fouarat lake upstream of the kasbah by the Makhzen's Qaid Ali Ouaddi after the Siege of La Mamora (1681). This bridge was destroyed in 1928 by the colonial authorities. In 1933, the French officially named the locale "Port Lyautey".

It was renamed "Kenitra" in 1956 as Morocco gained its independence. The city has grown rapidly to be a shipping centre for agricultural produce (mainly fruit), fish, timber, and lead and zinc ores. The city's industrial area lies upstream of the port.

U.S. Naval Base

In November 1942, after Operation Torch, the Americans captured the Port Lyautey French fighter base as a military base, named Craw Field. For three months the 21st Engineer Aviation Regiment worked on the airfield. In February 1943 the Seabees of the 120th Naval Construction Battalion took over all construction activities. The Navy ran the base until 1947, when the State Department negotiated reversion of control to France. In 1950, a $23,000,000 expansion was authorized, but then the Korean War diverted resources. In the 1950s, nearly 10,000 people were on the base making it the largest aggregation of Americans in any one overseas base outside Japan. Later, the base in Kenitra was expanded to become a U.S. Naval Air Station.

The base was shared by both the US and Morocco through the Cold War. A small Navy communications out-station in Sidi Yahia closed in the late 1970s. The Air Station was closed in 1991.

Climate

Kenitra has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa). In summer, there are 27.4 days on average in which the maximum daily temperature is at or higher, and 1.6 days with max temperature above . Winters are mild and rainy, with sub-freezing temperatures occurring only 0.3 days per year on average. The highest recorded temperature was on 1 August 2003, and the coldest was on 13 February 2012.

Population

Areas and neighbourhoods

Mdina

  • Khabazate

  • The Cigogne

  • La cité

Modern city

  • Mimosa

  • La ville haute

Popular districts

  • Saknia

  • Ouled Oujih

  • Maghrib al Arabi

Residential districts

  • Bir Rami

  • Ismailia

  • Val fleuri

Education

Colleges and universities

Transportation

Sports

Kénitra Athletic Club, KAC

In 1938, a group of Kénitra natives created KAC. This group of soccer lovers wanted to resist French domination in sports in Morocco. The team, made entirely of Kénitra natives, succeeded in reaching the premier Moroccan soccer league in 1956. In 1960, KAC won its first championship league of Morocco. KAC embarked in a journey of glories by winning the 1973-81-82 championship leagues and the 1961 throne cup. Ahmed Souiri was a long-time manager and coach. KAC has produced many international players. Noureddine Bouyahyaoui and Labid Khalifa were among the players who helped the Moroccan national soccer team qualify for the second round of the World Cup finals in Mexico in 1986. Mohammed Boussati still holds a national record of goals by scoring 25 goals in one soccer championship season in 1981–82. Its home is the Kenitra Municipal Stadium which has a capacity of 15,000 people.

Basketball

The Kénitra AC was a successful basketball team during the 70s and 80s.

Notable people

Kenitra was the birthplace of:

See also

Notes and references