Casablanca, also known as Dar al-Bayda in
Arabic, is Morocco's largest city and the country's commercial and business
centre. Casablanca is the most populous city in the Maghreb region and the
eighth-largest in the Arab world, with an estimated 3,840,000,people living in
the in the Greater Casablanca. It is located on the Atlantic coast of the
Chaouia plain in central-western Morocco.
Casablanca is Morocco's main port, with the
Port of Casablanca being one of the world's largest artificial ports and the
second largest in North Africa after Tanger-Med (40 kilometres (25 miles) east
of Tangier). In addition, Casablanca is home to the Royal Moroccan Navy's main
naval facility.
Casablanca is a Global Financial Centre,
placing 54th on the Global Financial Centres Index for 2022, outperforming
numerous cities including New Delhi, Jakarta, Istanbul, and Mexico City.
Because of its status as the continent's most important financial hub,
Casablanca is included in the list of Emerging International Competitors.
Casablanca is home to the majority of Morocco's major corporations, including
many multinationals with Moroccan operations. According to recent industry
statistics, Casablanca is the country's primary industrial zone.