Prefectures of Morocco

The administrative subdivisions of Morocco have a complex structure. At the secondary level, the divisions are prefectures and provinces.

I have received a communication from Alan Pritchard, quoting an informant of his based in Egypt. According to the latter, the best English word for wilaya (or wilayah or wilayat, plural wilaya'at) is state. The states of the United States are always called wilaya'at. Most Arab countries (but not Egypt) are divided into wilaya'at. Morocco, he says, is divided into 16 wilaya'at, and each wilaya is subdivided into prefectures and provinces. The prefectures tend to be the more urbanized divisions centered on larger cities; the provinces are more agricultural, and centered on smaller cities. He notes that "even Moroccans can't understand their administrative division".

If there are 16 wilaya'at, they must be what I've called (economic) regions.

Karem Abdalla, citing a Moroccan informant, says that Morocco has implemented a new set of administrative divisions, intermediate between the regions and the provinces/prefectures. They are called wilaya't, translated "lands". Each wilaya has a capital with the same name. He mentions Tanger, Tétouan, and Fès as three examples.

DivisionHASCISOCodeTypPopulationCapital
Agadir Ida Ou TananeMA.SS.AIAGD09.001f600,599Agadir
Al HaouzMA.MS.AHHAO07.041v573,128Tahanaoute, Aït Ourir
Al HoceimaMA.TC.AHHOC01.051v399,654Al Hoceïma
AousserdMA.OL.AOAOU12.066v16,190Aousserd, Lagouira
Assa-ZagMA.GN.AZASZ10.071v44,124Assa
AzilalMA.BK.AZAZI05.081v554,001Kasba Tadla, Azilal
Béni MellalMA.BK.BMBEM05.091v550,678Béni Mellal
Ben SlimaneMA.CS.BSBES06.111v233,123Ben Slimane
BerkaneMA.OF.BEBER02.113v289,137Berkane
BerrechidMA.CS.BR06.117v484,518
BoujdourMA.LS.BOBOD11.121v50,566Boujdour
BoulemaneMA.FK.BOBOM03.131v197,596Boulemane
CasablancaMA.CS.CBCAS06.141f3,359,818Casablanca
ChefchaouenMA.TC.CHCHE01.151v457,432Chefchaouen
ChichaouaMA.MS.CHCHI07.161v369,955Chichaoua
Chtouka Aït BahaMA.SS.CACHT09.163v371,102Biougra, Aït Baha
DriouchMA.OF.DR02.167v211,059
El HajebMA.FK.EHHAJ03.171v247,016El Hajeb
El JadidaMA.CS.EJJDI06.181v786,716El Jadida
El Kelâa des SraghnaMA.MS.EKKES07.191v537,488El Kelaâ des Sraghna
ErrachidiaMA.DT.ERERR08.201v418,451Errachidia
EssaouiraMA.MS.ESESI07.211v450,527Essaouira
Es-SemaraMA.LS.ESESM11.221v66,014Es-Semara
Fahs-AnjraMA.TC.FBFAH01.227v76,447Fahs-Bni Makada, Anjra
FèsMA.FK.FSFES03.231f1,150,131Fès
FiguigMA.OF.FIFIG02.251v138,325Figuig
Fquih Ben SalahMA.BK.FB05.255v502,827
GuelmimMA.GN.GUGUE10.261v187,808Guelmim
GuercifMA.OF.GU02.265v216,717
IfraneMA.FK.IFIFR03.271v155,221Ifrane
Inezgane Aït MelloulMA.SS.IAINE09.273f541,118Inezgane
JeradaMA.OF.JEJRA02.275v108,727Jerada
KénitraMA.RK.KEKEN04.281v1,061,435Kénitra
KhémissetMA.RK.KHKHE04.291v542,221Khémisset
KhénifraMA.BK.KFKHN05.301v371,145Khénifra
KhouribgaMA.BK.KBKHO05.311v542,125Khouribga
LaâyouneMA.LS.LALAA11.321v238,096Laâyoune
LaracheMA.TC.LALAR01.331v496,687Larache
MarrakechMA.MS.MR07.351f1,330,468Marrakech
M'diq FnidqMA.TC.MF01.573f209,897
MédiounaMA.CS.MEMED06.355v172,680Médiouna
MeknèsMA.FK.MEMEK03.061f835,695Meknès
MideltMA.DT.MI08.363v289,337
MohammediaMA.CS.MHMOH06.371f404,648Mohammedia
Moulay YacoubMA.FK.ZMMOU03.591v174,079Fès, Moulay Yacoub
NadorMA.OF.NANAD02.381v565,426Nador
NouaceurMA.CS.NCNOU06.385v333,604Nouaceur
OuarzazateMA.DT.OUOUA08.401v297,502Ouarzazate
Oued Ed-DahabMA.OL.OEOUD12.391v126,765Dakhla
OuezzaneMA.TC.OU01.405v300,637
Oujda AngadMA.OF.OAOUJ02.411f551,767Oujda
RabatMA.RK.RARAB04.421f577,827Rabat
RehamnaMA.MS.RE07.427v315,077
SafiMA.MS.SASAF07.431v691,983Safi
SaléMA.RK.SASAL04.441f982,163Salé
SefrouMA.FK.SESEF03.451v286,489Sefrou
SettatMA.CS.SESET06.461v634,184Settat
Sidi BennourMA.CS.SB06.467v452,448
Sidi IfniMA.GN.SI10.473v115,691
Sidi KacemMA.RK.SKSIK04.481v522,270Sidi Kacem
Sidi SlimaneMA.RK.SS04.491v320,407
Skhirate-TémaraMA.RK.STSKH04.501f574,543Témara
Tanger-AssilahMA.TC.TATNG01.511f1,065,601Tanger
Tan-TanMA.GN.TNTNT10.521v86,134Tan-Tan
TaounateMA.FK.TNTAO03.531v662,246Taounate
TaourirtMA.OF.TATAI02.533v233,188Taourirt
TarfayaMA.LS.TA11.537v13,082
TaroudanntMA.SS.TRTAR09.541v838,820Taroudannt
TataMA.SS.TTTAT09.551v117,841Tata
TazaMA.FK.TZTAZ03.561v528,419Taza
TétouanMA.TC.TETET01.571v550,374Tétouan
TinghirMA.DT.TI08.577v322,412
TiznitMA.SS.TITIZ09.581v207,367Tiznit
YoussoufiaMA.MS.YO07.585v251,943
ZagoraMA.DT.ZAZAG08.587v307,306Zagora
75 divisions33,848,242
  • HASC: Hierarchical administrative subdivision codes. The middle two
    letters indicate region. For key, see the Regions of Morocco page.
  • ISO: Codes from ISO 3166-2.
  • Code: Apparently assigned by Haut Commisariat au Plan; first two digits
    indicate region.
  • Typ: f = prefecture, v = province
  • Population: 2014-09-01 census.
  • Capital: Where two names appear, the capital may be either one.

 

Note: ISO shows three subdivisions corresponding to Marrakech: Marrakech-Medina (MMD), Marrakech-Menara (MMN), and Sidi Youssef Ben Ali (SYB). They are all classified as prefectures. Aousserd, Boujdour, Es-Semara, and Oued Ed-Dahab are omitted from some lists because they are in Western Sahara and are disputed.

Change history:

These were the subdivisions in effect before March 1997, as best I could determine. There were discrepancies among the various sources I used.

DivisionTypHASCISOGECRegPopulationArea(km.²)Area(mi.²)
Agadir-Ida-TananefMA.AGAGDMO01SU365,9655,9102,282
Aïn Chock-Hay HassanifMA.AC  CE516,261  
Aïn Sebaâ-Hay MohammedifMA.AS  CE520,993  
Al Fida-Derb-SultanfMA.FS  CE386,700  
Al HaouzvMA.HZHAO TS435,090  
Al HoceïmavMA.HCHOCMO02CN382,9723,5501,371
Al IsmaïliafMA.IS  CS314,916  
Assa-ZagvMA.AZASZMO43SU21,848  
AzilalvMA.ALAZIMO03CE454,91410,0503,880
Béni-MellalvMA.BMBEMMO05CE869,7487,0752,732
Ben M'sick-Sidi OthmanefMA.BO  CE704,365  
Ben SlimanevMA.BSBESMO04CE213,3982,7601,066
Berkane-TaourirtvMA.BTBER ES399,017  
BoulemanevMA.BUBOMMO06CN161,62214,3955,558
Casablanca-AnfafMA.CACASMO07CE523,2791,615624
ChefchaouenvMA.CFCHEMO08NO439,3034,3501,680
ChichaouavMA.CICHI TS311,800  
Chtouka-Aït BahavMA.CBBAH SU240,092  
El HajebvMA.HJHAJ CS180,494  
El JadidavMA.JDJDIMO09CE970,8946,0002,317
El Kelâa des SraghnavMA.KSKESMO10TS682,42810,0703,888
ErrachidiavMA.RDERRMO11CS522,11759,58523,006
EssaouiravMA.ESESIMO12TS433,6816,3352,446
Fès el Jadid-Dar DbibaghfMA.FD  CN256,340  
Fès-MédinafMA.FMFESMO13CN284,8225,4002,085
FiguigvMA.FGFIGMO14ES117,01155,99021,618
GuelmimvMA.GUGUEMO42SU147,12428,75011,100
IfranevMA.IFIFRMO34CS127,6773,3101,278
Inezgane-Aït MelloulfMA.IAMEL SU292,799  
JeradavMA.JRIRA ES149,686  
KénitravMA.KTKENMO15NO979,2104,7451,832
KhémissetvMA.KMKHEMO16NO485,5418,3053,207
KhénifravMA.KFKHNMO17CS465,06112,3204,757
KhouribgavMA.KBKHOMO18CE480,8394,2501,641
LaâyounevMA.LY MO35SU153,97839,36015,197
LarachevMA.LRLARMO41NO431,476  
Marrakech-MédinafMA.MMMARMO19TS189,36714,7555,697
Marrakech-MénarafMA.MR  TS432,547  
Méchouar de CasablancafMA.MC  CE3,956  
Meknès-El MenzehfMA.MEMEKMO20CS293,5253,9951,542
MohammediafMA.MO  CE170,063  
NadorvMA.NANADMO21ES683,9146,1302,367
OuarzazatevMA.OZOUAMO22SU694,88441,55016,043
Oujda-AngadvMA.OAOUJMO23ES419,06320,7007,992
RabatfMA.RARBAMO24NO623,4571,275492
SafivMA.SASAFMO25TS822,5647,2852,813
SaléfMA.SL  NO631,803  
SefrouvMA.SFSEF CN237,095  
SettatvMA.SESETMO26CE847,4229,7503,764
Sidi Bernoussi-ZenatafMA.SZ  CE268,586  
Sidi KacemvMA.SKSIKMO38NO645,8724,0601,568
Sidi-Youssef-Ben-AlifMA.SY  TS239,291  
Skhirate-TémarafMA.ST  NO244,801  
TangervMA.TGTNGMO27NO627,9631,195461
Tan-TanvMA.TTTNTMO36SU58,07917,2956,678
TaounatevMA.TNTAOMO37CN628,8405,5852,156
TaroudanntvMA.TRTARMO39SU693,96816,4606,355
TatavMA.TATATMO29SU119,29825,92510,010
TazavMA.TZTAZMO30CN708,02515,0205,799
TétouanvMA.TETETMO40NO537,2906,0252,326
TiznitvMA.TITIZMO32SU347,8216,9602,687
Zouagha-Moulay YacoubfMA.ZM  CN382,594  
62 divisions25,975,549498,090192,315
  • Typ: v = wilaya (province); f = prefecture or municipality.
  • ISO: Codes from ISO 3166-2.
  • GEC: Codes from GEC.
  • Reg: Economic region. For key to codes, see second table on the Regions page.
  • Capitals have the same names as the divisions themselves.

 

For anyone who wants to try to reconcile the discrepancies, here is a comparison of the lists in various sources. The first two sources were provided by Alan Pritchard.

RePostal code directoryCensus handbook 1995Census Web page 1998FIPS PUB 10-3FIPSISO 3166-2ISOER
NOChefchaouneChefchaouenChefchaouenChaouenMO08ChefchaoueneCHE01
LaracheLaracheLaarachLaracheMO41LaracheLAR
TangerTangerTangierTangerMO27TangerTNG
TetouanTetouanTetuanTetouanMO40TétouanTET
KenitraKenitraKenitraKenitraMO15KénitraKEN02
Sidi KacemSidi KacemSidi KacemSidi KacemMO38Sidi KacemSIK
KhemissetKhemissetKhemissetKhemissetMO16KhemissetKHE07
RabatRabatRabatRabatRabat-SaleMO24Rabat-SaléRBA
SaleSaleSale
Skhirate - TemaraSkhirate - TemaraSkhirat-Temara
CNAl HoceimaAl HoceimaAl HoceimaAl HoceïmaMO02Al HoceïmaHOC03
TaounateTaounateTaounateTaounateMO37TaounateTAO
TazaTazaTazaTazaMO30TazaTAZ
BoulemaneBoulemaneBoulemaneBoulemaneMO06BoulemaneBOM05
FesFes Jdid - Dar DbibaghFes El Jadid - Dar DbibaghFez Jdid-Dar DbibghFesMO13FèsFES
Fes MedinaFes MedinaFez-Medina
Zouagha - Moulay YacoubZouagha - Moulay YacoubZouagha-Moulay Yacoub
SefrouSefrouSefrouSefrouSEF
ESFiguigFiguigFiguigFiguigMO14FiguigFIG04
NadorNadorNadorNadorMO21NadorNAD
OujdaOujda AnghadOujda-AngadOujdaMO23OujdaOUJ
Berkane TaourirtBerkaneBerkaneBER
Taourirte
JradaJeradaJeradaJRA
CSErrachidiaErrachidiaErrachidiaEr RachidiaMO11ErrachidiaERR06
IfraneIfraneIfraneIfraneMO34IfraneIFR
KhenifraKhenifraKhnifraKhenifraMO17KhenifraKHN
MeknesMeknes el MenzehMeknes-el MenzehMeknes-El ManzehMeknesMO20MeknèsMEK
Meknes el IsmailiaAl IsmailiaEl Ismailia
El HajebEl HajebEl HajebEl HajebHAJ
CECasablancaAin Chok - Hay HassaniAin Chok - Hay HassaniAïn Cock-Hay HassaniCasablancaMO07Casablanca [Dar el Beïda]CAS08
Ain Sebaa - Hay MohammadiAin Sebaa - Hay MohammadiAïn Sbaa-Hay Mohammadi
Al Fida - Derb SultanAl Fida - Derb SultanEl Fida-Derb Soltane
Ben Msik - Sidi OthmaneBen Msick - Sidi OthmaneBen Msik-Sidi Othmane
Casablanca AnfaCasablanca-AnfaCasablanca-Anfa
 Machouar CasablancaEl Machouar
MohammediaMohammediaMohammedia
Sidi Bernoussi - ZenataSidi Bernoussi - ZenataSidi El Bernoussi-Zenata
BenslimaneBen SlimaneBen SlimaneBen SlimaneMO04Ben SlimaneBES09
KhouribgaKhouribgaKhouribgaKhouribgaMO18KhouribgaKHO
SettatSettatSettatSettatMO26SettatSET
AzilalAzilalAzilalAzilalMO03AzilalAZI12
Beni MellalBeni MellalBeni MellalBeni MellalMO05Beni MellalBEM
El JadidaEl JadidaEl JadidaEl JadidaMO09El JadidaJDI10
TSSafiSafiSafiSafiMO25SafiSAF
El Kelaa des SraghnaEl Kelaa SraghnaEl Kelaâ SraghnaEl Kelaa des SraghnaMO10Kelaat SraghnaKES11
EssaouiraEssaouiraEssaouiraEssaouiraMO12EssaouiraESI
MarrakechChichaouaChichaouaChichaouaMarrakechMO19ChichaouaCHI
El HouzAl HaouzEl HaouzAl HaouzHAO
Marrakech MedinaMarrakech-MedinaMarrakech-MedinaMarrakechMAR
Marrakech MenaraMarrakech-MenaraMarrakech-Menara
Marrakech Sidi Youssef Ben AliSidi Youssef - Ben AliSidi Youssef Ben Ali
SUAgadirAgadir Ida ou TananeAgadir-Ida OutananeAgadirMO01AgadirAGD13
Chtouka Ait BahaChtouka-Aït BahaAït BahaBAH
Inezgane Ait MelloulInzegane-Aït MelloulAït MelloulMEL
OuarzazateOuarzazateOuarzazateOuarzazateMO22OuarzazateOUA
TaroudanntTaroudanntTaroudantTaroudanntMO39TaroudanntTAR
TiznitTiznitTiznitTiznitMO32TiznitTIZ
Zag - AssaAssa - ZagAssa-ZagAssa-ZagMO43Assa-ZagASZ14
GuelmimGuelmimGuelmimGuelmimMO42GuelmimGUE
Tan TanTan-TanTan-TanTan-TanMO36Tan-TanTNT
TataTataTataTataMO29TataTAT
EHEssemaraEssemaraEs SemaraEs SmaraMO44Es SmaraESM
BoujdourBoujdourBoujdour  BoujdourBOD15
LaayouneLaayouneLaâyouneLaayouneMO35LaayouneLAA
Oued EddahabOuad EddahabOued ed Dahab  Oued ed DahabOUD16
  • Status: The style of type used for each name represents its status, thus: Province, Wilaya, Prefecture.
  • Re: Economic region. For key to codes, see second table on the Regions page. EH represents Western
    Sahara, which is properly included in SU. FIPS and ISO both treat Western Sahara as a separate country,
    but may include some or all of its territory among the subdivisions of Morocco.
  • Postal code directory: Names and statuses according to "Code postal", Royaume du Maroc, Office National
    des Postes et Télécommunications, Direction Centrale des Postes et Services Financiers. [1996?], 179pp.
  • Census handbook 1995: Names and statuses according to "Population légale du Royaume d'après le
    recensement général de la population et de l'habitat (Septembre 1994)", Royaume du Maroc, Premier
    Ministre, Ministre Chargé de la Population, Direction de la Statistique, May 1995, 309pp.
  • Census Web page 1998: Names and statuses as I copied them from the Morocco Statistics Directorate
    Web page in 1998.
  • FIPS PUB 10-4: Names and statuses according to FIPS PUB 10-4, a U.S. federal standard, as of 2000.
  • FIPS: Codes from FIPS PUB 10-4.
  • ISO 3166-2: Names and statuses according to ISO standard 3166-2 (as revised).
  • ISO: Codes from ISO 3166-2.
  • ER: ISO code for the region containing this division, according to ISO 3166-2 (for key, see top table on the
    Regions page).

 

Some of the discrepancies can be explained as a result of changes in the administrative subdivisions of Morocco. Some are probably errors, due to someone's failure to understand the complexities of Morocco's government structure.

The FIPS standard was revised from time to time. The change that occurred in that standard between February, 1984 (FIPS PUB 10-3) and January, 1995 (provisional draft of first version of FIPS PUB 10-4) were that Larache province was added, with a code of MO41. Some time between then and 2000, the following additional changes were made: Rabat was dropped as an alternate name for Rabat-Sale; the status of Fes and Marrakech was changed from provinces to wilayas; the spelling of one province was changed from El Kelaa des Srarhna to El Kelaa des Sraghna; and Guelmim (MO33) was replaced by Guelmim (MO42), Assa-Zag (MO43), and Es Smara (MO44).

The ISO data are from the first official release dated 1998-12-15. A draft version (ISO/DIS 3166-2) was published about two years earlier. In the draft version, there was no way to tell which divisions were wilayat and which were provinces. Also, two minor spelling errors in the draft version were corrected in the 1998 release. The ISO standard document cites as its source a 1996 document from the Bureau d'études toponymiques, which in turn got its information from Decree No. 2.94.64 Hija 1414, dated 1994-05-24 in the Gregorian calendar.

  1. 1997-03: Following a reorganization, provinces and prefectures became the secondary divisions. These were the secondary divisions as of 1997, according to a Direction de la Statistique web page.
PrefectureHASCPopulation
Agadir-Ida ou TananeMA.SM.AI432,000
Aïn Chock-Hay HassaniMA.GC.AC606,000
Aïn Sebaâ-Hay MohammadiMA.GC.AS571,000
Al Fida-Derb SultanMA.GC.AF378,000
Al HaouzMA.MK.AH456,000
Al HoceimaMA.TH.AH406,000
Al IsmailiaMA.MT.AI336,000
Assa-ZagMA.GE.AZ25,000
AzilalMA.TD.AZ478,000
Béni MellalMA.TD.BM938,000
Ben M'Sick-MédiounaMA.GC.BM782,000
Ben SlimaneMA.CO.BS227,000
BerkaneMA.OR.BE265,000
BoujdourMA.LB.BO31,000
BoulemaneMA.FB.BO171,000
Casablanca-AnfaMA.GC.CA527,000
ChefchaouenMA.TO.CH493,000
ChichaouaMA.MK.CH322,000
Chtouka-Aït BahaMA.SM.CA250,000
El HajebMA.MT.EH197,000
El JadidaMA.DA.EJ1,041,000
El Kelaâ des SraghnaMA.MK.EK723,000
ErrachidiaMA.MT.ER555,000
EssaouiraMA.MK.ES440,000
Es-SemaraMA.GE.ES49,000
Fahs-Béni MakadaMA.TO.FB201,000
FiguigMA.OR.FI121,000
Fès Jdid-Dar DbibaghMA.FB.FD319,000
Fès-MédinaMA.FB.FM298,000
GuelmimMA.GE.GU156,000
IfraneMA.MT.IF137,000
Inezgane-Aït MelloulMA.SM.IA372,000
JeradaMA.OR.JE124,000
KénitraMA.GB.KE1,083,000
KhémissetMA.RZ.KH514,000
KhénifraMA.MT.KH501,000
KhouribgaMA.CO.KH489,000
LaâyouneMA.LB.LA171,000
LaracheMA.TO.LA471,000
Marrakech-MédinaMA.MK.MK184,000
Marrakech-MénaraMA.MK.MM504,000
Mechouar de CasablancaMA.GC.MC5,000
Meknès-El MenzehMA.MT.ME312,000
MohammediaMA.GC.MO199,000
Moulay Rachid-Sidi OthmaneMA.GC.MS[MA.GC.BM]
NadorMA.OR.NA706,000
OuarzazateMA.SM.OU482,000
Oued Ed-Dahab - LaghouiraMA.OL.OL46,000
Oujda-AngadMA.OR.OA457,000
RabatMA.RZ.RA652,000
SafiMA.DA.SA867,000
Salé-Al JadidaMA.RZ.SJ759,000
Salé-MédinaMA.RZ.SM[MA.RZ.SJ]
SefrouMA.FB.SE249,000
SettatMA.CO.SE906,000
Sidi Bernoussi-ZenataMA.GC.SZ291,000
Sidi-KacemMA.GB.SK691,000
Sidi Youssef Ben AliMA.MK.SY282,000
Skhirate-TémaraMA.RZ.ST302,000
Tanger-AssilahMA.TO.TA509,000
Tan-TanMA.GE.TN62,000
TaounateMA.TH.TN654,000
TaourirtMA.OR.TA187,000
TaroudanntMA.SM.TA739,000
TataMA.GE.TA125,000
TazaMA.TH.TZ739,000
TétouanMA.TO.TE599,000
TiznitMA.SM.TI354,000
ZagoraMA.SM.ZA274,000
Zouagha-My YacoubMA.FB.ZM446,000
  • HASC: Hierarchical administrative subdivision
    codes
    . The middle two letters identify the
    province. For key, see Provinces of Morocco page.
  • Population: Projected population as of
    1999-07-01, based on the results of the 1994
    census. In a few cases, populations
    of two prefectures are combined into a
    single figure. The population column
    contains the HASC of the prefecture containing
    the combined total.
  1. 1998-09-27: Oued Ed-Dahab - Lagouira province split into Aousserd and Oued Ed-Dahab. On a page of the Moroccan Ministry of Culture and Communication , its population and area are given as 60,000 inhabitants, 65,917 km.², but those figures are incompatible with those given elsewhere. Another site, that of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce , gives the date as 1998-12-31.
  2. 2003-09: Médiouna and Nouaceur provinces created in Grand Casablanca region.
  3. 2004: Data from the 2004 census have been reported by a slightly different list of provinces and prefectures, as shown in the table below. The correspondence between the divisions of 1997 and those of 2004 is not always clear. It appears that Marrakech-Médina, Marrakech-Ménara, and Sidi Youssef Ben Ali merged to form Marrakech; Salé-Al Jadida merged with Salé-Médina to form Salé; Al Ismailia and Meknès-El Menzeh merged to form Meknès; Fès Jdid-Dar Dbibagh, Fès-Médina, and part of Zouagha-Moulay Yacoub merged to form Fès, leaving the remainder of Zouagha-Moulay Yacoub as Moulay Yacoub; and Aïn Chock-Hay Hassani, Al Fida-Derb Sultan, Aïn Sebaâ-Hay Mohammadi, Ben M'Sick-Médiouna, Casablanca-Anfa, Mechouar de Casablanca, Moulay Rachid-Sidi Othmane, and Sidi Bernoussi-Zenata (which were all préfectures d'arrondissements) merged to form Casablanca prefecture (or urban commune). In fact, the eight préfectures d'arrondissements probably still exist, but the Morocco census now chooses to consider them as third-order divisions.
DivisionHASCISOCodeTypPop-2004Pop-1994Area(km.²)Capital
Agadir-Ida ou TananeMA.SM.AIAGD04.001f487,954366,1932,297Agadir
Al HaouzMA.MK.AHHAO07.041v484,312435,0906,212Tahanaoute, Aït Ourir
Al HoceïmaMA.TH.AHHOC15.051v395,644382,9723,520Al Hoceïma
AousserdMA.OL.AOAOU01.066f20,5132,50765,917Aousserd, Lagouira
Assa-ZagMA.GE.AZASZ03.071v43,53521,84818,428Assa
AzilalMA.TD.AZAZI12.081v504,501454,91410,000Kasba Tadla, Azilal
Béni MellalMA.TD.BMBEM12.091v946,018869,7486,638Béni Mellal
Ben SlimaneMA.CO.BSBES06.111v199,612180,3002,760Ben Slimane
BerkaneMA.OR.BEBER08.113v270,328250,7151,985Berkane
BoujdourMA.LB.BOBOD02.121v46,12921,69143,753Boujdour
BoulemaneMA.FB.BOBOM14.131v185,110161,62214,395Boulemane
CasablancaMA.GC.CBCAS09.141f2,949,8052,717,125873Casablanca
ChefchaouenMA.TO.CHCHE16.151v524,602439,3034,350Chefchaouen
ChichaouaMA.MK.CHCHI07.161v339,818311,8006,872Chichaoua
Chtouka-Aït BahaMA.SM.CACHT04.163v297,245240,092[MA.SM.AI]Biougra, Aït Baha
El HajebMA.MT.EHHAJ13.171v216,388180,4942,209El Hajeb
El JadidaMA.DA.EJJDI11.181v1,103,032970,8946,000El Jadida
El Kelaâ des SraghnaMA.MK.EKKES07.191v754,705682,42810,070El Kelaâ des Sraghna
ErrachidiaMA.MT.ERERR13.201v556,612522,11759,170Errachidia
EssaouiraMA.MK.ESESI07.211v452,979433,6816,335Essaouira
Es-SemaraMA.GE.ESESM03.221v60,42639,72643,327Es-Semara
Fahs AnjraMA.TO.FBFAH16.227f97,29574,379332Fahs-Bni Makada, Anjra
FèsMA.FB.FSFES14.231f977,946796,1805,400Fès
FiguigMA.OR.FIFIG08.251v129,430117,01155,990Figuig
GuelmimMA.GE.GUGUE03.261v166,685147,12428,750Guelmim
IfraneMA.MT.IFIFR13.271v143,380127,6773,310Ifrane
Inezgane-Aït MelloulMA.SM.IAINE04.273f419,614292,571[MA.SM.AI]Inezgane
JeradaMA.OR.JEJRA08.275v105,840117,696[MA.OR.OA]Jerada
KénitraMA.GB.KEKEN05.281v1,167,301979,2104,745Kénitra
KhémissetMA.RZ.KHKHE10.291v521,815485,5418,305Khémisset
KhénifraMA.MT.KHKHN13.301v511,538465,06112,320Khénifra
KhouribgaMA.CO.KHKHO06.311v499,144480,8394,250Khouribga
LaâyouneMA.LB.LALAA02.321v210,023153,97834,139Laâyoune
LaracheMA.TO.LALAR16.331v472,386431,4762,780Larache
MarrakechMA.MK.MRMMD07.351f1,070,838861,2051,671Marrakech
MédiounaMA.GC.MEMED09.355v122,85162,609234Médiouna
MeknèsMA.MT.MEMEK13.061f713,609608,4411,786Meknès
MohammediaMA.GC.MHMOH09.371f322,286257,00134Mohammedia
Moulay YacoubMA.FB.ZMMOU14.591f150,422127,576[MA.FB.FD]Fès, Moulay Yacoub
NadorMA.OR.NANAD08.381v728,634683,9146,130Nador
NouaceurMA.GC.NCNOU09.385v236,11990,050515Nouaceur
OuarzazateMA.SM.OUOUA04.401v499,980439,07241,550Ouarzazate
Oued Ed-DahabMA.OL.OEOUD01.391v78,85434,24476,948Dakhla
Oujda-AngadMA.OR.OAOUJ08.411v477,100419,06318,715Oujda
RabatMA.RZ.RARAB10.421f627,932623,457117Rabat
SafiMA.DA.SASAF11.431v881,007822,5647,285Safi
SaléMA.RZ.SASAL10.441f823,485631,803695Salé
SefrouMA.FB.SESEF14.451f259,577237,095[MA.FB.FD]Sefrou
SettatMA.CO.SESET06.461v956,904847,9389,750Settat
Sidi KacemMA.GB.SKSIK05.481v692,239645,8724,060Sidi Kacem
Skhirate-TémaraMA.RZ.STSKH10.501f393,262244,801463Témara
Tanger-AssilahMA.TO.TATNG16.511f762,583591,858863Tanger
Tan-TanMA.GE.TNTNT03.521v70,14658,07917,295Tan-Tan
TaounateMA.TH.TNTAO15.531v668,232628,8475,585Taounate
TaourirtMA.OR.TATAI08.533v206,762180,292[MA.OR.OA]Taourirt
TaroudanntMA.SM.TATAR04.541v780,661693,96816,460Taroudannt
TataMA.GE.TATAT03.551v121,618119,29825,925Tata
TazaMA.TH.TZTAZ15.561v743,237708,02515,020Taza
TétouanMA.TO.TETET16.571f613,506499,0163,245Tétouan
TiznitMA.SM.TITIZ04.581v344,831347,8146,960Tiznit
ZagoraMA.SM.ZAZAG04.587v283,368255,8124,663Zagora
61 divisions29,891,70826,073,717741,401
  • HASC: Hierarchical administrative subdivision codes.
    The middle two letters indicate region. For key,
    see the Regions of Morocco page.
  • ISO: Codes from ISO 3166-2.
  • Code: Apparently assigned by Haut Commisariat au Plan;
    first two digits indicate region.
  • Typ: f = prefecture, v = province
  • Pop-2004: 2004-09-04 census.
  • Pop-1994: 1994-09-04 census.
  • Area(km.²): Areas of some divisions are shown combined.
  • Capital: Where two names appear, the capital may be either one.

 

Note: ISO shows three subdivisions corresponding to Marrakech: Marrakech-Medina (MMD), Marrakech-Menara (MMN), and Sidi Youssef Ben Ali (SYB). They are all classified as prefectures. Aousserd, Boujdour, Es-Semara, and Oued Ed-Dahab are omitted from some lists because they are in Western Sahara and are disputed.

  1. 2015-09-04: Morocco reorganized from sixteen regions to twelve. Judging from a comparison of before and after maps, Berrechid province split from Settat; Driouch province split from Nador; Fquih Ben Salah province split from Béni Mellal; Guercif province split from Taza; M'diq Fnidq prefecture split from Tétouan; Midelt province formed from parts of Errachidia and Khénifra; Ouezzane province formed from parts of Chefachouen and Sidi Kacem; Rehamna province split from El Kelâa des Sraghna; Sidi Bennour province split from El Jadida; Sidi Ifni province split from Tiznit; Sidi Slimane province split from Kénitra; Tarfaya province split from Laâyoune; Tinghir province formed from parts of Errachidia and Ouarzazate; Youssoufia province split from Safi. A reasonable assumption is that these were formed as part of the reorganization, and in some cases in order to conform province boundaries to the new regional boundaries.

Other names of subdivisions:

Native names are written in the Arabic alphabet. There are many ways to transliterate from Arabic to the Roman alphabet. For example, the definite article can be transliterated el or al. Sources also disagree on the use of diacritical marks, on capitalization, and the use of hyphens. Obsolete names may be for the city rather than the province.

  1. Al Hoceïma: Alhucemas (Spanish); El Hoceïma, El Hosseïma (variant); Rif, Villa Sanjurjo (obsolete)
  2. Béni Mellal: Ben Mellal (variant)
  3. Ben Slimane: Boulhaut (obsolete)
  4. Boulemane: Boulmane (variant)
  5. Casablanca: Dar el Beida, Ed Dar el Baida (variant)
  6. Chefchaouen: Chaouen, Chauen, Xauen (obsolete); Chechaouene, Chefchaouene (variant); Xexauen (Spanish)
  7. El Jadida: Ej Jdida (variant); Mazagan (obsolete)
  8. El Kelâa des Sraghna: El Kalâa des Sraghna, El Kelâa des Srarhna, El Kelâa-Sraghna, Qel'at es Sraghna, Qel'at Sraghna (variant)
  9. Errachidia: Arrachidia, Rachidia, Rachidiya (variant); Ksar es Souk, Tafilalet (obsolete)
  10. Essaouira: Mogador (obsolete); Eç Çaouira, Saouira (variant); Essauira (Italian)
  11. Fahs Anjra: Fahs-Béni Makada (obsolete)
  12. Fès: Fâs, Fez (variant)
  13. Fquih Ben Salah: Fqih Ben Salah (variant)
  14. Guelmim: Aouguelmim (obsolete); Goulimim, Goulimime, Goulimine (variant)
  15. Jerada: Irada, Jrada (variant)
  16. Kénitra: Port-Lyautey (obsolete); Qenitra (variant)
  17. Laayoune: La'youn (variant)
  18. Larache: El-Araïch, Laarach (variant)
  19. Marrakech: Maroc (French-obsolete); Marrakesch (German); Marrakesh (variant); Morocco (obsolete)
  20. M'diq Fnidq: M'Diq-Fnideq (variant)
  21. Meknès: Mekinez (obsolete); Mequinez (Spanish)
  22. Mohammedia: Mohammadia (variant)
  23. Moulay Yacoub: My Yacoub (variant)
  24. Nador: Villa Nador (Spanish-obsolete)
  25. Nouaceur: Nouacer (variant)
  26. Ouarzazate: Ouarzazat, Warzazat (variant)
  27. Oujda: Oudjda (variant)
  28. Rabat-Salé: Er Ribat, Rabat (variant)
  29. Safi: Asfi (variant); Saffi (obsolete)
  30. Sidi Kacem: Petitjean (French-obsolete); Sidi Qassem (variant)
  31. Tangier: Tanger (French); Tânger (Portuguese); Tangeri (Italian); Tanja (variant)
  32. Tan-Tan: Tantane (variant)
  33. Taroudannt: Taroudant (variant)
  34. Tanger-Assilah: Tanger-Asilah (variant)
  35. Tétouan: Tetouane, Tetuan (variant); Tetuán (Spanish)
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