Tangier

Tangier, or Tangiers (Tanja طنچة in Berber and Arabic, Tánger in Spanish, and Tanger in French), is a city of northern Morocco with a population of 350,000, or 550,000 including suburbs. It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cap Spartel.

History

According to Berber mythology, Tangier was built by the son of Tinjis, named Sufax. Tinjis was the wife of the Berber hero Antaios. There are other stories of Tangier being founded by Hercules. The cave or grotto of Hercules is only a few miles from the city. This cave is a major tourist attraction because of its association with Greek mythology. It is believed that Hercules slept there before attempting one of his 12 labours.

Related Topics:
Berber - Tinjis - Sufax - Antaios - Hercules - Greek mythology

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tangier was an important city for the Berbers, and still is inhabited by Berbers and Arabs, and the city's name may be derived from the Berber goddess Tinjis (or Tinga).

Related Topics:
Berber - Arab

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Founded by Carthaginian colonists in the early 5th century BC, the settlement of Tingis came under Roman rule as the capital of Tingitana. In the 5th century Vandals conquered and occupied "Tingi" and from here swept across North Africa. A century later it became part of the Byzantine empire before passing under Arab control in 702. For nearly three centuries the town was passed back and forth between the Spanish, the Portuguese, and the English.

Related Topics:
Carthaginian - 5th century BC - Roman rule - Tingitana - Vandals - Byzantine empire - Arab - 702 - Spanish - Portuguese - English

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Held by the Portuguese from 1471 and by the British Garrison from 1661, when it was given to Charles II as part of the dowry from Catherine of Braganza. The English granted Tangier a charter which made the city equal to English towns. In 1679, the sultan Moulay Ismail made an unsuccessful attempt to seize the town and maintained a crippling blockade which ultimately led to a British retreat. However, the British destroyed the town and its port facilities prior to their departure in 1684. It then returned to Moroccan control. Under Moulay Ismail the city was reconstructed to some extent but the city gradually declined until by 1810 the population was no more than 5,000.

Related Topics:
Portuguese - 1471 - The British Garrison - 1661 - Charles II - Catherine of Braganza - English - 1679 - Moulay Ismail - 1684 - 1810

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1821, the Legation Building in Tangier became the first piece of property acquired abroad by the U.S. government; a gift to the U.S. from Sultan Moulay Suliman. In 1777, Morocco was the first nation in the world to recognize the United States.

Related Topics:
1821 - U.S. government - 1777 - Morocco - United States

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tangier's geographical location made it a centre for European diplomatic and commercial activity in Morocco in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was here that the German Kaiser Wilhelm II's pronouncement in favour of Morocco's continued independence triggered an international crisis in 1905.

Related Topics:
European - 19th - 20th - German - Wilhelm II - An international crisis - 1905

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1912, Morocco was effectively partitioned between France and Spain, the latter occupying the country's far north and a strip of the southern Atlantic coast. Tangier was made an international zone in 1923 under the joint administration of France, Spain, and Britain (Italy joined in 1928).

Related Topics:
1912 - France - Spain - Atlantic - International zone - 1923 - Britain - Italy - 1928

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After a period of effective Spanish control from 1940 to 1945 during World War II, Tangier was reunited with the rest of Morocco following the country's independence in 1956.

Related Topics:
Spanish - 1940 - 1945 - World War II - Morocco - 1956

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~