Rabat
Eṛṛbaṭ / ⴻⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ / الرباط | |
---|---|
City | |
Coordinates: 34°02′N 6°50′W / 34.033°N 6.833°W[1] | |
Country | Morocco |
Region | Eṛṛbaṭ-Sla-Qniṭra |
Founded by Almohads | 1146 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Mohamed Sadiki |
Area | |
• City | 117 km2 (45.17 sq mi) |
Highest elevation | 160 m (520 ft) |
Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
Population (2014)[2] | |
• City | 577,827 |
• Rank | 7th in Morocco |
• Density | 4,900/km2 (13,000/sq mi) |
• Metro | 2,120,192 |
Time zone | UTC+0 (WET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (WEST) |
Website | www.rabat.ma |
Official name | Rabat, Modern Capital and Historic City: a Shared Heritage |
Type | Cultural |
Criteria | ii, iv |
Designated | 2012 (36th session) |
Reference no. | 1401 |
State Party | Morocco |
Region | Arab States |
Rabat (Arabic: الرباط, transliterated ar-Rabāṭ or ar-Ribāṭ, literally "Fortified Place"), population 577,827 hab. (2014 estimate), is the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco. It is also the capital of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region.
The city is on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the river Bou Regreg. On the other side of the river is Rabat's bedroom community. Together the two cities with Temara have a population of 1.8 million. Silting problems have lowered the city's role as a port. However, Rabat and Salé still maintain somewhat important textile, food processing and construction industries. Some are from sweatshop labor by major businesses.
In addition, tourism and being home to all foreign embassies in Morocco help to make Rabat the second most important city in the country after the larger and economically more significant Casablanca.