Rabat

Capital and industrial port of Morocco, on the Atlantic coast, 177 km/110 mi west of Fès; population (2004) 1,622,900 (Rabat-Salé urban area). It is situated on the Bou Regreg River, opposite Salé. Industries include textiles, asbestos, carpets, pottery, leather goods, fishing; carpets, blankets, and leather handicrafts are also important, and other exports include skins, wax, cork, slippers, and beans. Founded in 1190, it is named after its original ribat or fortified monastery. From 1912 Rabat was the capital of the French protectorate of Morocco and became the capital of the newly-independent state of Morocco in 1956.