Guelmim
Encyclopedia
Guelmim is a town
in southern Morocco
, often nicknamed Gateway to the Desert (la porte du désert). The population of the city is 95,749 (2004 census). It is the capital of the Guelmim-Es Semara
region which includes southern Morocco (south of the Souss-Massa-Dra region) and northern Western Sahara
. It is home to a camel
market
. When hippies "discovered" certain types of colorful African trade beads there in the 1960s, these became known as "Goulamine beads" though they were actually manufactured in Europe, primarily in Venice
.
Many of the inhabitants speak the Hassaniya dialect.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in southern Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, often nicknamed Gateway to the Desert (la porte du désert). The population of the city is 95,749 (2004 census). It is the capital of the Guelmim-Es Semara
Guelmim-Es Semara
Guelmim-Es Semara is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It covers an area of 122,825 km² and has a population of 462,410 . The capital is Guelmim. The southern half of the region forms part of the Western Sahara....
region which includes southern Morocco (south of the Souss-Massa-Dra region) and northern Western Sahara
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
. It is home to a camel
Camel
A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
. When hippies "discovered" certain types of colorful African trade beads there in the 1960s, these became known as "Goulamine beads" though they were actually manufactured in Europe, primarily in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
.
Many of the inhabitants speak the Hassaniya dialect.