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Rabat

Capital of MoroccoWhere the Bou Regreg river flows into the Atlantic Ocean, Rabat stands on Morocco's coast, with the city of Salé facing it across the river.

Why it's the capital

When France made Morocco a protectorate in 1912, the French administrator Hubert Lyautey moved the capital from Fez to Rabat, which he found more pleasant and easier to reach on the coast. At independence in 1956, King Mohammed V chose to keep the capital in Rabat.

Fun facts

  1. The name comes from the Arabic word ribat, meaning a fortified base.
  2. The Hassan Tower is the unfinished minaret of a mosque that Caliph Ya'qub al-Mansur began in the late 12th century; work stopped after he died in 1199.
  3. In 1627 Rabat and Salé joined to form the Republic of Bou Regreg, a base for pirates known as the Salé Rovers.

Finding it on the globe

Start at Casablanca on Morocco's Atlantic coast and move a short way northeast along the shore to the mouth of a river: that is Rabat.

Easy to mix up

Many players tap Casablanca, Morocco's largest city, or Fez, the capital before 1912. The capital is Rabat, on the coast northeast of Casablanca.

Sources: Wikipedia: Rabat, Wikipedia: Casablanca