Tangier

views updated May 17 2018

Tangier (Tanger) Port on the Strait of Gibraltar, n Morocco. An ancient Greek, Phoenician, and then Roman port, it was later occupied by Moors and taken by the Portuguese in 1471. Tangier passed to England in 1662, but the English abandoned the city to the Sultan of Morocco in 1684. Under international control from 1904 to 1956 (except during World War 2), it became part of Morocco in 1956. Industries: rugs, pottery, shipping, fishing, tourism. Pop. (2002 est.) 591,300.