Kenitra

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City in Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, Morocco

title: "Kenitra" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["kenitra", "port-cities-and-towns-on-the-moroccan-atlantic-coast", "populated-places-in-kénitra-province", "municipalities-of-morocco", "1912-establishments-in-morocco", "provincial-capitals-in-morocco"] description: "City in Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, Morocco" topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenitra" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary City in Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, Morocco ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
name
native_nameالقنيطرة
image_skyline{{multiple image
borderinfobox
total_width290
perrow1
aligncenter
caption_aligncenter
image1Gare des trains kénitra.jpg
borderinfobox
total_width290
perrow3
aligncenter
caption_aligncenter
image1Avenue Mohammed V à Kénitra.jpg
image2Un immeuble de Kenitra port lyautey opération Torch.jpg
image3Une autre photo de jardin a Kenitra ouled oujih.jpg
borderinfobox
total_width290
perrow1
aligncenter
caption_aligncenter
image1واد سبو مدينة القنيطرة.jpg
image_captionScenes from Kenitra
image_flagFlag of Kenitra province.svg
image_sealBlason de la ville de Kénitra.svg
seal_size120px
motto
pushpin_mapMorocco#Africa
pushpin_reliefyes
pushpin_label_positionbottom
pushpin_mapsize300
pushpin_map_captionLocation in Morocco
coordinates
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameMorocco
subdivision_type1Region
subdivision_type2Province
subdivision_name1Rabat-Salé-Kénitra
subdivision_name2Kenitra
established_titleFounded
established_date1681
leader_title1
unit_prefmetric
area_total_km2112
area_land_km2
elevation_footnotes
elevation_m26
elevation_ft
population_total507736
population_as_of2024
population_footnotes
population_rank8th in Morocco
population_density_blank1_sq_mi
postal_code_type
postal_code2900
websitehttp://www.kenitra.ma/ar/
footnotes
demographics_type1GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values)
demographics1_title1Year
demographics1_info12024
demographics1_title2Total (Metro)
demographics1_info2$5.1 billion
demographics1_title3Per capita
demographics1_info3$9,800
timezoneCET
utc_offset+1
::

::callout[type=note] the city in Morocco ::

| name = Kenitra | native_name = القنيطرة | other_name = | settlement_type = | image_skyline = {{multiple image | border = infobox | total_width = 290 | perrow = 1 | align = center | caption_align = center | image1 = Gare des trains kénitra.jpg | border = infobox | total_width = 290 | perrow = 3 | align = center | caption_align = center | image1 = Avenue Mohammed V à Kénitra.jpg | image2 = Un immeuble de Kenitra port lyautey opération Torch.jpg | image3 = Une autre photo de jardin a Kenitra ouled oujih.jpg | border = infobox | total_width = 290 | perrow = 1 | align = center | caption_align = center | image1 = واد سبو مدينة القنيطرة.jpg | image_caption = Scenes from Kenitra | image_flag = Flag of Kenitra province.svg | flag_size = | image_seal = Blason de la ville de Kénitra.svg | seal_size = 120px | image_shield = | shield_size = | nickname = | motto = | image_map = | mapsize = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = Morocco#Africa | pushpin_relief = yes | pushpin_label_position = bottom | pushpin_mapsize = 300 | pushpin_map_caption = Location in Morocco | coordinates = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Morocco | subdivision_type1 = Region | subdivision_type2 = Province | subdivision_type3 = | subdivision_name1 = Rabat-Salé-Kénitra | subdivision_name2 = Kenitra | subdivision_name3 = | established_title = Founded | established_date = 1681 | government_footnotes = | government_type = | leader_title1 = | leader_name1 = | unit_pref = metric | area_footnotes = | area_magnitude = | area_total_km2 = 112 | area_land_km2 = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = 26 | elevation_ft = | population_total = 507736 | population_as_of = 2024 | population_footnotes = | population_density_km2 = | population_density_sq_mi = | population_metro = | population_density_metro_km2 = | population_density_metro_sq_mi = | population_rank = 8th in Morocco | population_density_blank1_km2 = | population_density_blank1_sq_mi = | population_note = | postal_code_type = | postal_code = 2900 | area_code = | website = http://www.kenitra.ma/ar/ | footnotes = | | demographics_type1 = GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values) | demographics1_footnotes = | demographics1_title1 = Year | demographics1_info1 = 2024 | demographics1_title2 = Total (Metro) | demographics1_info2 = $5.1 billion | demographics1_title3 = Per capita | demographics1_info3 = $9,800 | timezone = CET | utc_offset = +1 | blank_name = | blank_info = | blank1_name = | blank1_info =

Kenitra (, al-qunayṭara, , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is a port on the Sebou River with a population of 507,736 as of 2024. It is one of the three main cities of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region and the capital of the similarly named Kénitra Province. During the Cold War, the US Naval Air Station Port Lyautey served as a stopping point in North Africa.

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

In March 1912 the French government and the Sultan of Morocco, Abd al-Hafid, signed the Treaty of Fez. Because of his growing unpopularity, the Sultan asked the French government for protection against the Berber rebel tribes surrounding Fez. France appointed Hubert Lyautey resident-general in Morocco.

General Lyautey restored peace and order to the country after crushing the tribal uprising. After safely moving the Sultan from Fez to the current capital city, Rabat, Lyautey began his task of civilian administration.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Sbou_River_-_Corniche_Kenitra.jpg" caption="Sebou River - Corniche"] ::

One of the first preoccupations of General Lyautey 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 culvert built at Fouarat lake upstream of the kasbah. This culvert was destroyed in 1928. In 1933, the French officially named the locale "Port Lyautey".

It was renamed "Quneitra" 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

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Kenitra_American_Base.jpg" caption="Air base of Kenitra: Public works and maintenance department"] ::

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 30.0 C or higher, and 1.6 days with max temperature above 40.0 C. Winters are mild and rainy, with sub-freezing temperatures occurring only 0.3 days per year on average. The highest recorded temperature was 47.7 C on 1 August 2003, and the coldest was -3.0 C on 13 February 2012. |location = Kenitra (normals and extremes 1991–2020, sun 1981-2010, rainy days 1961-1990) |single line = Yes |metric first = Yes | Jan record high C =24.8 | Feb record high C =32.2 | Mar record high C =35.1 | Apr record high C =36.5 | May record high C =43.7 | Jun record high C =46.3 | Jul record high C =46.1 | Aug record high C =47.7 | Sep record high C =44.6 | Oct record high C =39.9 | Nov record high C =33.5 | Dec record high C =26.0 | year record high C = |Jan high C = 17.9 |Feb high C = 18.8 |Mar high C = 20.8 |Apr high C = 22.1 |May high C = 24.8 |Jun high C = 26.6 |Jul high C = 28.2 |Aug high C = 28.7 |Sep high C = 27.6 |Oct high C = 25.5 |Nov high C = 21.6 |Dec high C = 19.0 |year high C = |Jan mean C = 12.5 |Feb mean C = 13.5 |Mar mean C = 15.5 |Apr mean C = 17.0 |May mean C = 19.6 |Jun mean C = 22.0 |Jul mean C = 23.7 |Aug mean C = 24.2 |Sep mean C = 22.7 |Oct mean C = 20.4 |Nov mean C = 16.3 |Dec mean C = 13.8 |year mean C = |Jan low C = 7.0 |Feb low C = 8.1 |Mar low C = 10.1 |Apr low C = 11.8 |May low C = 14.5 |Jun low C = 17.4 |Jul low C = 19.2 |Aug low C = 19.6 |Sep low C = 17.8 |Oct low C = 15.2 |Nov low C = 11.0 |Dec low C = 8.6 |year low C = | Jan record low C =-1.0 | Feb record low C =-3.0 | Mar record low C =1.0 | Apr record low C =1.7 | May record low C =6.6 | Jun record low C =10.5 | Jul record low C =12.8 | Aug record low C =2.2 | Sep record low C =1.7 | Oct record low C =2.1 | Nov record low C =1.7 | Dec record low C =-0.5 | year record low C = |precipitation colour = green |unit precipitation days = 1 mm |Jan precipitation mm = 87.4 |Feb precipitation mm = 59.6 |Mar precipitation mm = 52.4 |Apr precipitation mm = 41.4 |May precipitation mm = 17.3 |Jun precipitation mm = 3.7 |Jul precipitation mm = 0.2 |Aug precipitation mm = 0.6 |Sep precipitation mm = 21.9 |Oct precipitation mm = 57.1 |Nov precipitation mm = 104.9 |Dec precipitation mm = 93.0 |year precipitation mm = |Jan precipitation days = 7.8 |Feb precipitation days = 6.5 |Mar precipitation days = 6.7 |Apr precipitation days = 5.2 |May precipitation days = 2.8 |Jun precipitation days = 0.9 |Jul precipitation days = 0.1 |Aug precipitation days = 0.2 |Sep precipitation days = 1.9 |Oct precipitation days = 5.4 |Nov precipitation days = 7.2 |Dec precipitation days = 7.9 |year precipitation days = |Jan rain days = 12.3 |Feb rain days = 12.7 |Mar rain days = 12.2 |Apr rain days = 11 |May rain days = 7.6 |Jun rain days = 2.9 |Jul rain days = 0.3 |Aug rain days = 0.7 |Sep rain days = 2.8 |Oct rain days = 8.6 |Nov rain days = 13.3 |Dec rain days = 14 |year rain days = |Jan sun = 182.4 |Feb sun = 184.4 |Mar sun = 235.6 |Apr sun = 268.2 |May sun = 313.7 |Jun sun = 316.6 |Jul sun = 333.2 |Aug sun = 315.6 |Sep sun = 264.6 |Oct sun = 230.4 |Nov sun = 190.3 |Dec sun = 170.7 |year sun = 3005.7 |source 1 = NOAA (sun 1981-2010){{cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211111000623/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1981-2010/RA-I/Morocco/WMO_Normals_ASCII_60120.csv | archive-date = 11 November 2021 | url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1981-2010/RA-I/Morocco/WMO_Normals_ASCII_60120.csv | title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1981–2010 | publisher = National Centers for Environmental Information | access-date = 10 November 2021}} |source 2 = NOAA (days with rain 1961–1990){{cite web | url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/TABLES/REG__I/FM/60120.TXT | title = Kenitra Climate Normals 1961–1990 | publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | access-date = March 16, 2015 | archive-date = November 11, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211111001021/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/TABLES/REG__I/FM/60120.TXT | url-status = dead |date=March 2015

::data[format=table]

Climate data for Kenitra (1991-2020)MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYearMean number of days with thunderNumber of days with wind speed 10 m/s
1.91.42.01.61.30.50.70.41.11.42.21.916.4
9.610.516.720.724.424.122.521.820.314.210.39.7204.8
::

Population

::data[format=table title="style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 1.1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em"| Estimated population of Kenitra city from 1982 to 2014{{cite web|url=https://www.macrotrends.net/cities/21894/kenitra/population|title=Kenitra, Morocco Metro Area Population 1950-2020 – macrotrends.com|website=macrotrends.com}}"]

19821994200420102014
::

Areas and neighbourhoods

  • Mdina
    • Khabazate
    • The Cigogne
    • La cite
  • 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

Kenitra Athletic Club, KAC

Main article: KAC Kenitra

In 1938, a group of Kenitra natives created KAC. This group of soccer lovers wanted to resist French domination in sports in Morocco. The team, made entirely of Kenitra 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 KAC Kénitra was a very successful basketball team during the 70s and 80s.

Notable people

Kenitra was the birthplace of:

References

  2. (7 November 2024). "Population légale du Royaume du Maroc répartie par régions, provinces et préfectures et communes selon les résultats du Recensement général de la population et de l’habitat 2024". High Commission for Planning, Morocco.
  3. "TelluBase—Morocco Fact Sheet (Tellusant Public Service Series)". Tellusant.
  4. Team, Almaany. "ترجمة و معنى قنيطرة بالإنجليزي في قاموس المعاني. قاموس عربي انجليزي مصطلحات صفحة 1".
  5. (7 November 2024). "Population légale du Royaume du Maroc selon les résultats du Recensement Général de la Population et de l'Habitat de 2024". hcp.ma.
  6. "Hanno {{!}} Phoenician, Mediterranean, Navigator {{!}} Britannica".
  7. [http://www.carphaz.com/Kenitra_Historique.htm ''Kénitra depuis 1912''] {{Webarchive. link. (2003-10-03 {{in lang). fr
  8. ''In Morocco'' by Edith Wharton, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons 1920
  9. Port Lyautey, Chapter XX, The Mediterranean Area, Building the Navy's Bases in World War II, History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corp, 1940-1946, Volume II, UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON, p. 80[https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/Building_Bases/bases-20.html]
  10. "''History of Port Lyautey''".
  11. "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020: Kenitra-60120". [[NCEI.
  12. "Kenitra, Morocco Metro Area Population 1950-2020 – macrotrends.com".
  13. (6 February 2006). "Univesité Ibn Tofail – Univesité Ibn Tofail".
  14. "'Africa's fastest train' steams ahead in Morocco".
  15. "Stade Municipal de Kénitra – StadiumDB.com".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

kenitraport-cities-and-towns-on-the-moroccan-atlantic-coastpopulated-places-in-kénitra-provincemunicipalities-of-morocco1912-establishments-in-moroccoprovincial-capitals-in-morocco