Rif

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This is about a region in Morocco: RIF is also an acronym/initialism.

The Rif (Image:Arif tifinagh.JPG/Arif in Berber, er-Rif الريف in Arabic) is a mainly mountainous region of north Morocco, from Cape Spartel and Tangier in the west to Cape Tres Forcas (Ras Tleta Madari) and Melilla in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the river of Ouargha in the south. It is part of the Cordillera Bética that also includes the mountains of Southern Spain. The Rif mountains are not part of the Atlas Mountain Range. Rif might have its origin in Arif, a Berber word or from Arabic language meaning countryside.

The people of the Rif are Berbers of north Morocco who call themselves Imazighen.

Image:Nador City Center.jpg

Major Rif cities include Nador and Al Hoceima (Also called Biya), Azghenghan, Selwan, Ajdir, Tangiers, Tetouan (originally, was called Tittawin), Tawrirt and Taza, while Melilla and Ceuta though in Spanish hands, are geographically and liguistically parts of it. Achaouen or Ashawen is worth visiting, but Ketama (also known as Issaguen) is known as the center of the hashish trade and is likely not an ideal destination however it possesses great panoramic landscapes. The term "reefer", for marijuana, is derived from Rif.

1 History
2 Tribes
3 Environment
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] History

Image:Atlas-Mountains-Labeled-2.jpg

In the Middle Ages, it was the home of the Kingdom of Nekor. In the 20th century, under the leadership of Abd el-Krim El-Khattabi, the Moroccan guerrilla leader, it struggled against Spanish rule and aimed to free Morocco from French colonization too.

Neighboring groups include Ghomara to the east, Senhaja to the southeast, and Aith Iznacen to the southwest, and Algeria to the east. The principal language of the region is Tarifit.