Kenitra

Kenitra is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is a major urban center on the mouth of the Sebou River with a population of 507,736 as of 2024, with Mehdya counting an additional 58,558. It is one of the three main cities of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region and serves as the primary industrial hub for the region. it is also the capital and namesake of Kénitra Province. During the Cold War, the US Naval Air Station Port Lyautey served as an important stopping point in North Africa, by 1977 the base was fully handed over to the Royal Moroccan Air Force as Kenitra Air Base. The historic coastal town of Mehdya is administered as a separate urban commune within Kénitra Province, though it is functionally integrated as a coastal district of the city of Kenitra.