Agadir

Seaport city (pop., 2004: 678,596), southwestern Morocco on the Atlantic coast. It was occupied in the 16th century by the Portuguese but later became an independent Moroccan port. After the 1911 Moroccan Crisis, it was occupied by French troops in 1913. Modern growth began with the port's construction in 1914 and the development of the fishing industry. In 1960 the city was virtually destroyed by a pair of earthquakes, a tidal wave, and a fire; a new city centre was rebuilt south of its original location. It is also a marketplace for the surrounding agricultural area.

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