TANGIER

French Tanger, Spanish Tnger, Arabic Tanjah, port city, provincial capital, and province, Nord Ouest region, Morocco, on a bay of the Strait of Gibraltar 17 miles (27 km) from the southern tip of Spain. First known as an ancient Phoenician trading post, it later became a Carthaginian and then a Roman settlement called Tingis. Becoming a free city in AD 42, it was made the capital of the Roman province of Mauretania Tingitana. Tingis, after five centuries of Roman rule, was captured successively by the Vandals, Byzantines, and Arabs. The city was occupied by Islamic dynasties from c. 705 to 1471 and by the Spanish and Portuguese until 1662. In that year, as part of the dowry of Catherine of Braganza of Portugal upon her marriage to Charles II, it was transferred to the English crown, during whose rule extensive fortifications were erected. In 1684 it was returned to Morocco and during the 19th century was the diplomatic capital of that country, though British trade and political influence still predominated. When the rest of Morocco became a French protectorate in 1912, Tangier had special status; and in 1923 it officially became an international city, governed by a commission composed of representatives from Great Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands, Sweden, and, later, the United States. Tangier remained an international zone (except for a period during World War II, when Spain took control) until it was integrated in 1956 with the independent Kingdom of Morocco. The city is built on the slopes of a chalky limestone hill. The old town (medina), enclosed by 15th-century ramparts, is dominated by a Casbah, the sultan's palace (now a museum of Moroccan art), and the Great Mosque. European quarters (whose populations have declined considerably since integration with Morocco) stretch to the south and west. Tangier has been the site of the summer royal residence since 1962. An important port and trade centre, Tangier has excellent road and rail connections with Fs, Mekns, Rabat, and Casablanca, as well as regular shipping services to Europe and an international airport. Supplementing its role as a tourist centre are the building trades, fishing, and a textile industry (especially carpets). The port handles cereals and sugar imports. Tangier province stretches southeastward from the city to the Rif Mountains, covering an area of 461 square miles (1,195 square km). It is bounded to the north and west by the Atlantic Ocean and to the east and south by Ttouan province. The city of Tangier dominates the province, which is otherwise poor in resources. Vegetable growing and poultry breeding are the main rural economic pursuits. Pop. (1994) city, 138,534; metropolitan area, 521,735; province, 627,963.