Oriental région or Oujda region (; ) is one of the twelve regions of Morocco, located in the north-eastern part of the country. It covers an area of 90,127 km² and has a population of 2,314,346 (2014 census) and is the easternmost region of Morocco.
The capital and the largest city is Oujda, and the second largest city is Nador. The region includes 7 provinces and one prefecture.
A majority of the population of Oriental speak Moroccan Arabic (86.2%) as a first or second language. A large minority speak the Rif-Berber language (38.4%) as a first language. Small numbers speak Eastern Middle Atlas Tamazight and Figuig Tamazight, principally in the south of Oriental.
Etymology
The English name Oriental is derived from the French term L'Oriental (for "the east") and comes directly from the Latin orientalis, "of the east", being that the region is located in the east of Morocco. The Arabic name Ash-Sharq also means "the east", as does the Berber name Tagmuḍant (from agmuḍan).
Geography
Oriental is situated in the northeastern part of the country, with a northern coastline on the Mediterranean Sea. The region of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, lie to its northwest, Fès-Meknès to its west, Drâa-Tafilalet to the southwest, with the Algerian provinces of Tlemcen and Naâma to its east and Béchar to the south. Melilla, a Spanish autonomous city, also borders the region. In 2015, Oriental was expanded to include Guercif Province.
The region is made up into the following prefectures and provinces:
Berkane Province
Driouch Province
Figuig Province
Guercif Province
Jerada Province
Nador Province
Oujda-Angad Prefecture
Taourirt Province
Municipalities by population (2014)
History
Administration
Notable Personalities from the Oriental Region
Arts & Cinema
Hafid Bouazza – Writer
Hamid Bouchnak – Moroccan raï singer and songwriter
Nathalie Delon – Actress and director
Douzi – Singer and songwriter
Les Freres Megri – Rock band very popular in the Arab world, composers and producers. Philippe Faucon – Filmmaker Fouad Laroui – Writer and economist Michel Qissi – Actor Mimoun El Oujdi – Raï singer Younes Megri – Actor, singer author of 'Leli Touil' sung by Maria de Rossi & Boney M. Abdelkrim Derkaoui – Cinematographer, film director and screenwriter Bassouar Al Maghnaoui – Singer Cheikh Mohamed Salah Chaabane – Musician Gharnati Music Simon Basinger – Musicologist, essayist, producer and author Charlotte Slovack – Filmmaker Douzi – Pop singer Serge Guirao – Singer Bayane Belayachi – Singer Elwalid Mimoun – Artist Khalid izri – Artist Namika – Musician
Sports
Hakim Ziyech – International Footballer, Semi Final World Cup 2022
Adil Belgaid – Olympic judo fighter (3 times World Champion, 6 times African Champion, 3 times Arab Champion, 3 times Olympian) Achraf Ouchen – professional karateka Abdelatif Benazzi – Rugby player Philippe Casado – Cyclist Selim Amallah – Football player Abdelkarim Kissi – Footballer Soufiane Kourdou – Professional basketball player Moha Rharsalla – Footballer Mohammed Qissi – Actor (Kickboxer, Bloodsport with Jean Claude Vandamme) Mohcin Cheaouri – Track and Field Athlete, 2 times African champion Yahya Berrabah – Olympic Athlete, African champion in Long Jump Daniel Sanchez – Footballer Gilles Simon – Formula 1 Ahmed Belkedroussi – Football manager Khadfi Rharsallah – Footballer Marianne Agulhon – Slalom Canoeist Mohammed Berrabeh – International footballer Hassan Alla – Footballer Mohammed Ben Brahim – Footballer Khalid Chalqi – Footballer Gerard Soler – Footballer midfielder Khalid Lebji – Footballer midfielder Abou El Kacem Hadji – Footballer Ryad El Alami – Footballer Abdelah Kafifi – Footballer Mohamed Atmani – Boxer (Summer Olympics) Soufiane Kourdou – Basketball player Houssam Amaanan – Footballer Habib Allah Dahmani – Footballer Abdelkader El Brazi – Former international goalkeeper Aziz Bouhaddouz – International footballer Fouzi Lekjaa – Football administrator and businessman Hicham El Guerrouj – Former Olympic athlete, world record holder for the fastest mile also the current world record holder in the 1500m and 2000m Mohammed Hendouf – Moroccan-Belgian kickboxer