Targuist

Sister cities

• Leganés

History

The city was the second capital (after Axdir) during the Republic of the Rif. It was here that Abd el-Krim was imprisoned by the French in 1926 after their surrender caused by the Al Hoceima landings. It became known in 2007, after a corruption scandal involving the Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie, filmed by an amateur cameraman and broadcast on the YouTube video platform. It is twinned with Leganés.

Geography

The geographic and climatic context of Targuist is that of North Africa with a Mediterranean climate characterized by hot, dry summers with average temperatures above 22 °C and humid, rainy winters with mild temperatures. This province is very rich in both gymnosperm and angiosperm plants; highlighting the cork oak and olive trees and rosemary and, in some areas, chaparral. Water has been drastically reduced in recent years due to population growth and the continuous migration of people from the countryside to the city in search of a better life. The city is supplied by a large lake located on the outskirts and which was dug several decades ago, at the same time as the city began to grow. Some people do not like the water because of its characteristic chlorine taste. The roads (two lanes) that connect with the city are in very bad condition.  There are also several roads connecting to other villages: Beni Gmil, Bab Da Biyad. Targuist is located at latitude: 34.938°, longitude: -4.319°, and elevation: 1103 m, in the Rif Mountains. The topography within 3 kilometers of Targuist has very large variations in altitude, with a maximum altitude change of 526 meters and an average altitude above sea level of 1084 meters. Within a 16 kilometer radius it contains very large variations in altitude (1872 meters). Within an 80 kilometer radius it also contains extreme variations in altitude (2448 meters).  The area within 3 kilometers of Targuist is covered by cropland (38%), grassland (19%), shrubs (16%), and trees (16%), within 16 kilometers by cropland (31%) and grassland (22%), and within 80 kilometers by cropland (29%) and water (27%).