362 MOROCCO, 



breadth of 80 kilometers. Northward, at the Um-er-Ebia, it narrows 

 down to 70 kilometers; in Shawia, to (50 kilometers. Finally it dis- 

 appears almost completely at Rabat, but in the valley of the lower 

 Sebu it broadens out again to 70 kilometers, and here extends as far 

 inland as the gorge of Sidi Kassem, in which the Rdem plunges down 

 from the upper level. North of the Sebu valley the coast plain nar- 

 rows down rapidly, but probably continues without break as far as 

 the strait at Tangiers. At Arzila I found it still well defined, though 

 with a breadth of only 10 kilometers, extending along the base of the 

 Rif Mountains. 



Thus the lower plain stretches along the ocean for a distance of 

 650 kilometers, but for the most part it rises straight up from the 

 ocean, in the south to a height of 100 meters. Therefore the ocean 

 coast of Morocco is to be regarded chiefly as one without prominent 

 features, the rocky character of which is due to the close proximity of 

 the older formations. The earthquakes that have repeatedly shaken 

 the coast cities give ground for the supposition that there was a fault 

 here. The coast line is therefore almost entirely unbroken, it being 

 an exception when shelter for vessels is afl'orded by a shallow bay, 

 such as at Mazagan, or by a small island produced by erosion, like 

 Mogador, or where the breakers and the tides have cut out a bay from 

 the valley of a small river or from a system of softer strata, as at 

 Saffi and Casa Blanca. Real harbors are found onh^ at the mouths 

 of rivers, as at Azemur, situated at the mouth of the Um-er-Rbia; 

 Rabat, at the mouth of the Bu Regreg; Mehediya, at the mouth of 

 the Sebu, and Larash, at the mouth of the^Lukkos. Unfortunately 

 all these river mouths are practically closed by sand bars, due to the 

 c(mstant shifting of sands during nearly the entire year along the 

 Avhole coast. As a rule only small vessels can cross the bars, and 

 even these but rarely, Avhen the sand is temporarily swept away by 

 high tides. At these ports, as at all JSIoroecan ports, steamers must 

 lie at anchor in the open roadstead and keep up their supply of steam, 

 so as to be ready at a moment's notice to reach dee}) water. Besides, 

 Azennir and Mehediya, situated at the mouths of the greatest rivers, 

 both navigable for some distance, are closed to foreign trade, and are 

 therefore of no significance whatsoevei". Tn places, also, where more 

 recent deposits have created a strip of plain and bays — that is, flat 

 coast lands — as in front of the valley of the Sebu and in Dukkahi. 

 south of Mazagan, geograjjhical conditions more favorable to trade 

 have not arisen. Nevertheless it Avould seem as though the bay of 

 Walidiya, north of Cape Kantin, a pi-ominent landmark, might be 

 turned into an excellent harbor. 



An average height of 150 meters might be ascribed to tlie steep 

 cliff Avith Avhich the coast plain breaks off at the sea. Going inward 

 from this edge the plain imi)erce]:)tibly I'ises to a height of '250 meters 



