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14-461: The town of Oued Laou draws its name from a small river, hence the name Oued, that empties in the Mediterranean. The river is 65 km long and its headwaters are located near Bab Bered in the western Rif Mountains; it passes near Chefchaouen before receiving water from its tributaries such as Akchour . The average flow of the river is 12 m3/s and drains an area of about 1,000 km2. Oued Laou

28-799: Is a geographic region in northern Morocco . It is bordered on the north by the Mediterranean Sea and Spain and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, and is the homeland of the Rifians and the Jebala people . This mountainous and fertile area is bordered by Cape Spartel and Tangier to the west, by Berkane and the Moulouya River to the east, by the Mediterranean to the north, and by the Ouergha River to

42-567: The Phoenicians began to establish trading posts with the approval of or partnership with the local Berbers; had started interbreeding and creating a Punic language on the Mediterranean and the Atlantic coasts; and had founded cities such as Tetouan , Rusadir (now Melilla ) and (in the 5th century BC ) Tingi (now Tangier ). After the Third Punic War , the coast of North Africa came under

56-543: The Rif Mountains of Morocco . It is widely accepted that he was a Himyarite immigrant from Yemen . His dynasty was responsible for converting the local Berber tribes to Islam . Initially the local tribes resisted the restrictions of the new religion and soon deposed their ruler but he was later asked to return and assume power again. His dynasty, the Banu Salih , ruled the region until 1019. This biography of

70-502: The endangered primate Barbary macaque , Macaca sylvanus . The Rif mountains are also home to the honey bee subspecies Apis mellifera major . The Rif region receives more rainfall than any other region in Morocco, with some portions receiving upwards of 2,000 mm (78.74 in) of precipitation a year. The western and central portions are more rainy and are covered in forests of Atlas cedar , cork oak and holm oak , as well as

84-471: The 1950s. This deforestation has led to soil degradation due to the washing away of topsoil , which has aggravated the process. The Rif is home to tribal people belonging to different tribes which are usually subdivided in even smaller groups. Following is a list of tribes: Salih I ibn Mansur Salih I ibn Mansur ( Arabic : صالح ابن منصور الأول ) was the founder of the Kingdom of Nekor , located in

98-627: The Rif, and Berbers started converting to Islam . By the 15th century, many Moors were exiled from Spain , and most of them settled in Western Rif and brought their culture, such as Andalusian music , and even established the city of Chefchaouen . Since then, the Rif has suffered numerous battles with Spain and Portugal. In 1415, Portugal invaded Ceuta , and in 1490 Spain conquered Melilla . The Hispano-Moroccan War broke out in 1859 in Tetouan , and Morocco

112-613: The control of Rome , and the Rif became part of the Kingdom of Mauretania . When Mauretania was divided during the rule of Emperor Claudius , Tangier became the capital of Mauretania Tingitana . In the 5th century AD , the Roman rule came to an end, and the region was later reconquered and partly controlled by the Byzantine Empire . In 710, Salih I ibn Mansur founded the Emirate of Nekor in

126-522: The only remaining forests of Moroccan fir , a subspecies of the Spanish fir . The eastern slopes receive less rainfall, and there forests consist mainly of pines, particularly the Aleppo pine and the maritime pine , as well as tetraclinis . Massive deforestation due to overgrazing , forest fires, and forest clearing for agriculture, particularly for the creation of cannabis plantations, has taken place since

140-570: The south. The Rif mountains are separated into the eastern Rif mountains ( Nador , Driouch , Al Hoceima ) and western Rif mountains ( Tangier , Tetouan , Chefchaouen , Taounate ). Geologically, the Rif Mountains belong to the Gibraltar Arc or Alborán Sea geological region. They are an extension of the Baetic System , which includes the mountains of the southern Iberian Peninsula across

154-480: The strait. Thus, the Rif Mountains are not part of the Atlas Mountain System . Major cities in the greater Rif region include Nador , Al Hoceima (also called Villa), Imzouren , Driouch , Ben Taieb , Midar and Al Aaroui and a few (small) towns: Segangan , Selwan , Ajdir and Targuist (Targist). The Rif has been inhabited by Berbers since prehistoric times. As early as the 11th century BC ,

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168-627: Was decolonised and restored to Morocco by Spain in April 1956, a month after the French region gained its independence from France. Shortly afterward, a revolt broke out in the north against the Moroccan king by Riffian insurgents in 1958, but it was easily suppressed. Farmers in the Rif produce most of Morocco's supply of cannabis . The region is economically underdeveloped. According to C. Michael Hogan, there are between five and eight separate subpopulations of

182-609: Was defeated. The Spanish-Moroccan conflicts continued in the 20th century, under the leadership of Abd el-Krim , the Berber guerrilla leader who proclaimed the Republic of the Rif in 1921. The Riffian Berbers won several victories over the Spanish in the Rif War in the 1920s before they were eventually defeated; the war saw extensive use of chemical weapons by Spanish forces . The Spanish region

196-579: Was mentioned by Pliny the Elder as "flumen Laud" and described it as navigable: flumen Laud et ipsum navigiorum capax (river Laud, which is also navigable for vessels). The river Laou forms a fertile valley as it approaches its mouth; the valley is known for its fruit orchards. 35°27′N 5°5′W  /  35.450°N 5.083°W  / 35.450; -5.083 Rif The Rif or Riff ( Tarifit : ⴰⵔⵔⵉⴼ, ⴰⵔⵉⴼ , romanized:  Arrif, Arif , Arabic : الريف ), also called Rif Mountains ,

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