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Geographically: A Strategic Position

A meeting place of Mediterranean cultures for more

than 2000 years, Tangier was always Europe’s gateway to Morocco. The city is situated only 14 km away from Europe, the continent which supplies the majority of the world’s tourists. Dozens of fast ferries cross this short distance each day.
Moreover, Morocco’s position on the globe means that Tangier is only a few hours’ flight away from most of the world’s major capitals.
An efficient network of roads, sea and air routes link the city to the rest of Morocco, Europe and the rest of the world.
Flight costs are not an obstacle for visits to the Exhibition: the major European low-cost airlines offer flights to Morocco.
Travelling to the Tangier will thus be easy, comfortable, fast and inexpensive.

Historically: A Mythical City

The modern Tanjah (Anglicised as Tangier) is an ancient Phoenician town, founded by Carthaginian colonists in the early 5th century BCE. The commercial town of Tingis (ancient name of Tangier) came under Roman rule in the course of the 1st century BC.
The United States dedicated its first consulate in Tangier during the Washington administration. 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. It was bombarded by the French Prince de Joinville in 1844.
Tangier's geographic location made it a centre for European diplomatic and commercial rivalry in Morocco in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In 1912, Morocco was effectively partitioned between France and Spain, the latter occupying the country's far north (called Spanish Morocco) and a part of Moroccan territory in the south, while France declared a protectorate over the remainder. Tangier was made an international zone in 1923 under the joint administration of France, Spain, and Britain, joined by Italy in 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 restoration of full sovereignty in 1956.

Culture: The Fascinating Destination

The multicultural placement of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish communities and the foreign immigrants attracted writers like Paul Bowles, William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Tennessee Williams, Brion Gysin and the music group the Rolling Stones, who all lived in or visited Tangier.

It was after Delacroix that Tangier became an obligatory stop for artists seeking to experience the colors and light he spoke of for themselves - with varying results. Matisse made several sojourns in Tangier, always staying at the Hotel Villa de France. "I have found landscapes in Morocco," he claimed, "exactly as they are described in Delacroix's paintings." The Californian artist Richard Diebenkorn was directly influenced by the haunting colors and rhythmic patterns of Matisse’s Morocco paintings.

In the 1940s and until 1956 when the city was an International Zone, the city served as a playground for eccentric millionaires, a meeting place for secret agents and all kinds of crooks, and a destination for speculators and gamblers, an Eldorado for the fun-loving "Haute Volée".

As a great collector of lead soldiers, the American billionaire and publisher of Forbes magazine Malcolm Forbes brought together a total of 115,000 models in what was the Forbes Museum of Tangier. These figures re-enacted the major battles of history; from Waterloo to Dien Bien Phû, realistically recreated with lighting and sound effects. Entire armies stand on guard in the showcases, while in the garden, 600 statuettes bear silent homage to the Battle of Three Kings. The museum was closed after the death of Malcolm Forbes and is now used by the Moroccan government as a private residence for visiting dignitaries.

Economically: An Emerging Market

Tangier is Morocco's second most important industrial center after Casablanca. The industrial sectors are diversified: textile, chemical, mechanical, metallurgical and naval. Currently, the city has four industrial parks of which two have the status of free economic zone.
In fact, The North of Morocco is receiving particular attention from the government. The development of this region is a priority for the country, and much effort has been put into its promotion.
Over the last few years, Tangier has embarked upon a process of profound renewal. It has begun a determined march towards progress and modernity.
Linked to the rest of Morocco by an efficient network of motorways, railways and flights, the city is attracting many investors who are setting up high-tech industries whose production is mainly for export.
Tangier's economy relies heavily on tourism. Seaside resorts have been increasing with projects funded by foreign investments. Tangier Real estate and construction companies have been investing heavily in tourist infrastructures. A bay delimiting the city center extends for more than seven kilometers. The years 2007 and 2008 will be particularly important for the city because of the completion of large construction projects currently being built. These include the Tangier-Mediterranean port ("Tan-Med") and its industrial parks-The port is designed to cope with the world’s largest ships. When it opens, it will make Tangier a hub for world trade-, a 45,000-seat sports stadium, an expanded business district, and a renovated tourist infrastructure.
Today it has become one of Morocco’s most attractive regions. Private sector operators from Morocco and abroad are flooding the region in their desire to profit from this economic boom.
The infrastructure of this city of the strait of Gibraltar consists of a port that manages flows of goods and travellers (more than one million travellers per annum) and integrates a marina with a fishing port.

A railroad line connects the city with Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech in the south and Fès and Oujda in the east. The service is operated by ONCF. The Rabat-Tanger expressway connects Tangier to Fes via Rabat (250 km) and Settat via Casablanca (330 km). Another expressway will connect the city with Tan-Med. The Ibn Batouta International Airport (formely "Boukhalef") is located 15 km south-west of the city center.
Artisanal trade in the old medina (old city) specializes mainly in leather working, handicrafts made from wood and silver, traditional clothing, and shoes of Moroccan origin.

Tangier is thus about to complete its transformation into a modern city, proud of its past yet contemplating its future with confidence.

Education:

Tangier offers five different types of educational systems: Arabic, American, French, Spanish and English. Each of these systems offer classes starting from Pre-Kindergarten up to the 12th grade, Baccalaureat, or High school diploma.
International High Schools include The American School of Tangier, Lycée Regnault (French High School), Instituto Severo Ochoa (Spanish High School), English College of Tangier and Mohammed Fatih Turkish School of Tangier.

Tangier in Popular Cultures

Tangier was the subject of many artistic works, including novels, films and music.

Literature:

Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs - relates some of the author's experiences in Tangier.
Desolation Angels by Jack Kerouac relates him living with William Burroughs and other Beat writers in Tangiers.
Interzone by Burroughs - It talks about a a fictionalized version of Tangier called Interzone.
Let It Come Down is Paul Bowles's second novel, first published in 1952
Two Tickets to Tangier by Francis Van Wyck Mason, an American novelist and historian
Modesty Blaise; a fictional character in a comic strip of the same name and a series of books created by Peter O'Donnell - In 1945 a nameless girl escaped from a displaced person (DP) camp in Karylos, Greece. She took control of a criminal gang in Tangier and expanded it to international status as "The Network". After dissolving The Network and moving to England she maintained a house on a hillside above Tangier and many scenes in the books and comic strips are located here.
Carpenter's World Travels: From Tangier to Tripoli - a Frank G. Carpenter travel guide (1927)
The Thief's Journal - a Jean Genet - Includes the protagonist's experiments in negative morality in Tangier (1949)
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Crossroads of the Medterranean by Henrik de Leeuw- chronicles the author's journey through Morocco and Tunisia in the early 1950's and includes many pages describing Tangier, notably the Petit Socco as a food market with mountain dwellers (the jebli) selling their products.

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