Dariusz, SP9DLM will be active from Agadir, Morocco 19 December 2014 - 2 January 2015 as CN2DM.
He will operate on HF bands.
QSL via home call.
Agadir – A beautiful “Winter Sun” Destination
A Brief Introduction:
Agadir is one of the major cities of Morocco situated on the south of its central coast, located in the province of Agadir-Ida-Outanane, while also being the province’s capital city. Agadir is also part of the Souss-Massa-Drâa region.
The city of Agadir is situated 508 kilometres south of Casablanca, 173 kilometres south of Essaouira and 235 kilometres southwest of Marrakech. The city is distributed into four communes and is the municipal for the twelve administrative subdivisions of Agadir-Ida-Outanane.
Agadir means “a fortress or town enclosed by walls” in Berber language, while the Berber root meanings are “a steep slope or an escarpment”. In French Agadir is called “Gadiris” and in Arabic,”Gadiri” or “Gadiria”.
According to the 2012 census, the city’s population is around 615,229, while majority of it speaks Amazigh (Berber) as their mother tongue. Agadir is also the 7th largest municipal of Morocco.
Geographical Aspects:
Agadir is a modern city located in the south of Morocco. It lies between 30°’60 North latitudes and 9°’36 longitudes west in Morocco. The city is located on an Atlantic coast, which welcomes beautiful sandy beaches and azure ocean waters. The city is also located on the foot of the Atlas Mountain, giving the city an elevation of 74 m (243 feet) above sea level.
It is the capital of Agadir-Ida-Outanane’s prefecture in the Souss-Massa-Drâa region of Morocco. The cities of Casablanca and Marrakech are located to the south of Agadir at 508 and 235 kilometres respectively while the city of Essaouira is located southwest of Agadir at a distance of 173 kilometres.
The city is divided into four districts namely; Agadir’s former town, Anza’s urban commune, Ben Sergao’s rural town and Tikiwine’s rural town. The city consists of many residential districts as well, the most famous being the Swiss Village, Founty and High Founty, Mixed Sector district, Illigh, Charaf, Hay Mohammadi and Adrar city.
There was a massive earthquake in 1960 in which Agadir was greatly affected with around 15,000 casualties and 12,000 injured. The new city was built 2 miles away from its previous location.
Climatic Aspects:
Agadir weather can be categorized as Subtropical-semiarid. As it is located on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean, the summers are usually warm and winters are mild. Rainfall is very scarce and the only common source of moisture is Fog.In summer, the temperature is recorded around 27°C during the day and 18°C during the nights. In spring and fall, the temperature varies from 24°C in the day and 13°C at nights. While in winter the temperatures drop around 21°C in the day and 8°C during the nights with occasional frost. The highest temperature ever recorded was 49.1°C on 30 July 2009 and the lowest was recorded as -2.6°C.
While the water temperatures vary from 21°C in summer to 18°C in spring and fall and winter temperatures being 13°C.
Demographics:
The population for Agadir was recorded around 615,229 in the 2012 census. The majority of the people are sunni-muslims. Most of the locals speak Amazigh (Berber) as their first language and Arabic as their second, while French and English are also widely spoken throughout the city.
Though it is an Islamic city, yet Agadir still permits casinos and bars. There is also a homosexual community amongst the European locals. All the locals seem to follow the “live and let live” motto.
Economy and Transportation:
Agadir is basically a tourist resort, having said that, the city does not have many tourist attractions (as most of it was destroyed in the 1960 earthquake) and only comprise of luxurious hotels, beauty and fitness spas, beautiful golf courses and stylish cafes. Agadir is very popular with European tourists; hence the city facilitates them with their respective demands.
Even if Agadir’s economy revolves mostly around tourism and fisheries, the city still performs many agricultural activities. It also has one of the biggest souks in Morocco. There is also a cement industry namely Ciments du Maroc.
The major sources for transportation in Agadir are the Al-Massira Airport, which provides cheap airway facilities to its passengers. The Casablanca-Agadir expressway was inaugurated in June 2010 to give the locals and tourists a route to go into Morocco’s biggest city-Casablanca. “ALSA” was introduced to provide Agadir with bus services. A Port is available for freight and passenger ships.
Culture and Education:
Agadir is well known for being modern and futuristic. Even though the Muslim locals are very proud of their heritage, they also welcome western trends and fashions very warmly. The people are very fond of music and dance. Many music and dance festivals are held all around the year. There are also many museums in which the remaining cultural heritage of the city is showcased.
There are many universities and educational faculties operating in the city. The Ibn Zuhr University provides Science, Law, Economic and Social sciences, Arts and Humanities faculties to its students. Many other higher education faculties are also available like the National School of Applied Sciences, the Graduate School of Agadir technology and the National School of Business and Management. There is a range of many high schools in the city which provide quality education to its students.
Agadir is a great fan of football. Many locals play and follow football. There is also a local football team named Hassania Agadir, they play many home matches in the Stade Al Inbiaâte.
Some Interesting Facts about Agadir:
- Agadir is part of the “Club of the most beautiful bays in the world”.
- There were many movies and documentaries filmed in Agadir.
- Tlemcan in Algeria was also first named as Agadir, but later it was changed.
Video Agadir Morocco
