Official Name: | Sidi Kacem, Morocco |
Sidi Kacem | |
Native Name: | سيدي قاسم |
Settlement Type: | Town |
Pushpin Map: | Morocco#Africa |
Pushpin Relief: | 1 |
Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
Pushpin Mapsize: | 300 |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Morocco |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | Morocco |
Subdivision Type1: | Region |
Subdivision Name1: | Rabat-Salé-Kénitra |
Subdivision Type2: | Province |
Subdivision Name2: | Sidi Kacem |
Government Type: | Governor, Pacha, Mayor |
Leader Title1: | Governor |
Leader Name1: | El Habib Nadir |
Leader Title3: | Mayor |
Leader Name3: | Abdelilah Ouaissa |
Population As Of: | 2014 |
Population Footnotes: | [1] |
Population Total: | 75672 |
Population Density Km2: | auto |
Timezone: | WET |
Utc Offset: | +0 |
Timezone Dst: | WEST |
Utc Offset Dst: | +1 |
Coordinates: | 34.2167°N -47°W |
Elevation M: | 194 |
Elevation Ft: | 636.5 |
Postal Code: | 16000 |
Area Code: | 212 |
Sidi Kacem (Arabic: سيدي قاسم|sidi qasəm) is a city in Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, Morocco. It is the capital of Sidi Kacem Province.
During the French period, the city was called Petitjean, in reference to a French captain who was killed in May 1911 during the "pacification" of Morocco. The French started oil drilling exploration in the vicinity of Sidi Kacem in 1934; production of crude oil began locally in 1939.[2]
Slightly to the south of Sidi Kacem lies Volubilis, which was in antiquity an important Roman town near the westernmost border of the Roman Empire. It was built on the site of a previous Mauretanian settlement from the third century BC, if not earlier.[3]
Summers are hot to very hot, highs clock between . Winters in the other hand are comparatively chilly, especially at night, and lows usually go beyond the freezing point. During the winter it rains with an average precipitation of . It does not snow in Sidi Kacem.
There are no universities in Sidi Kacem, and the only higher education available is in the Prince Moulay Abdellah Technical High School, where students can get a Higher Diploma in Electrical studies. Most residents of the city who seek higher education travel to Kenitra, where they can attend Ibn Tofail University, or other larger cities.
Sidi Kacem's small taxis have fixed tolls depending on from where you are going and your destination. Add 50% of the toll at night.
Sidi Kacem is located along Morocco's national ONCF railway line and was considered a crossroads because passengers going to the North had to switch trains in its station. This is not longer the case as the ONCF has constructed a direct railway which doesn't cross Sidi Kacem.
The town has a local bus station, which serves all the regions of the country, in addition to multiple grand-taxis stations, for the nearest cities and villages.