Casablanca-Settat

Casablanca Settat is one of the twelve administrative regions of Morocco. It covers an area of 20,166 km² and recorded a population of 6,861,739 in the 2014 Moroccan census, 69% of which lived in urban areas. The capital of the region is Casablanca.

Geography

The Casablanca-Settat region is situated on the Atlantic coast. It borders Rabat-Salé-Kénitra to the north, Béni Mellal-Khénifra to the east, and Marrakesh-Safi to the south. The Oum Er Rbia River, which flows from the north and empties into the Atlantic at Azemmour, divides the region into two plains, the Doukkala in the west and the Chaouia in the east. Reservoirs, including those on the Oum Er-Rbia and the Oued Mellah south of Mohammedia, provide water for the region.

History

Casablanca-Settat was formed in September 2015 by merging Grand Casablanca with the provinces of El Jadida and Sidi Bennour in the Doukkala-Abda region and the provinces of Benslimane, Berrechid and Settat in Chaouia-Ouardigha region.

Government

Mustapha Bakkoury, a member of the Authenticity and Modernity Party, was elected as the first president of Casablanca-Settat's regional council on September 14, 2015. Khalid Safir was appointed governor (wali) of the region on October 13, 2015. Abdelkébir Zahoud succeeded him in 2017.

Economy

In 2013, Casablanca-Settat accounted for 32% of Morocco's gross domestic product and was the country's leading region, in terms of economic output (Rabat 2013). The economy is primarily service- and industry-based (Rabat 2013). Agriculture is also prominent in the Doukkala area in the west.