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Souss-Massa

سوس ماسة (Arabic)
Souss-Massa سوس ماسة (Arabic)
Region
	Location in Morocco
	Coordinates: 30°05′N 8°29′W / 30.08°N 8.48°W
Country	Morocco
Created	September 2015
Capital	Agadir
Government
• Type	Governor–regional council
• Wali	Said Amzazi
• Council president	Ibrahim Hafidi
Area
• Total	51,642 km2 (19,939 sq mi)
Population (1 September 2014)
• Total	2,676,847
• Density	52/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
ISO 3166 code	MA-09
Website	www.soussmassa.ma

Souss-Massa (Arabic: سوس ماسة, romanized: sūs māssa) is one of the twelve regions of Morocco. It covers an area of 51,642 km² and had a population of 2,676,847 as of the 2014 Moroccan census.^[1]^[2] The capital of the region is Agadir.^[3]

Geography

Souss-Massa borders the regions of Marrakesh-Safi to the north, Drâa-Tafilalet to the northeast and Guelmim-Oued Noun to the southwest. To the southeast is Algeria's Tindouf Province. The region faces the Atlantic Ocean on its western side: much of the coast is protected by Souss-Massa National Park. The interior of the region is dominated by the Anti-Atlas mountain range, while the Sous River runs across the northern part of the region, in the valley between the Anti-Atlas and the High Atlas. The capital Agadir is located at the mouth of the Sous. Toubkal National Park extends into the northeastern corner of the region.

Climate

Three factors influence the semi-arid Mediterranean climate of the region: the topography, the oceanic coastline, and the Sahara Desert. In the northern part, dominated by the Atlas Mountains, the climate shifts from humid to semi-arid as one moves towards the plain. This plain, which stretches from the base of the Atlas and includes the basins of the Souss and Massa rivers, experiences an arid climate despite its broad exposure to the Atlantic Ocean. Meanwhile, the southern and southeastern sections of the region, which lie on the northern edge of the Sahara, have a desert climate.

In the Souss plain, average precipitation over the last decade has been 2503 mm, while the high plateaus receive between 350 and 400 mm. The southern part of the region, adjacent to the Sahara, is much drier, but since 2005, the desert has been experiencing a greening trend due to significant winter rains, especially in 2009-2010.

History

Souss-Massa was formed in September 2015 by merging Tata Province, formerly part of Guelmim-Es Semara region, with five provinces of the former Souss-Massa-Drâa region.^[3]

Government

Brahim Hafidi [fr] of the RNI was elected as the regional council's first president on 14 September 2015.^[4] He had previously headed the Souss-Massa-Drâa regional council.^[5] Zineb El Adaoui was appointed governor (wali) of the region on 13 October 2015.^[6] He was succeeded by Ahmed Hajji in 2017.^[7] The current wali of the region since 2023 is Said Amzazi.^[8]

Subdivisions

Souss-Massa comprises two prefectures and four provinces:^[3]

Economy

Agriculture is a major economic activity in the Sous and Massa river basins located in the northwestern part of the region.^[9] Industries related to the processing of agricultural and seafood products are also concentrated in the same area.^[10] Agadir is an important fishing^[11] and tourist port.^[12] Tiznit is known for its traditional silverwork.^[13]

Infrastructure

The A7 motorway connects Agadir with Marrakesh and Casablanca. The major north–south road through the region is the N1, while the N10 runs east–west in the Sous River valley, connecting Agadir to Taroudant and Ouarzazate. Agadir is a major port city in Morocco and also has an international airport.