Tangier , French Tanger Arabic Ṭanjah ancient Tingis, Seaport city (pop., 2004: 669,685), northern Morocco, located at the western end of the Strait of Gibraltar. It was first known as an ancient Phoenician trading post and later became a Carthaginian and then a Roman settlement. After five centuries of Roman rule, it was captured successively by the Vandals, the Byzantines, and the Arabs. It fell to the Portuguese in 1471 and later passed to the British, who gave it up to Morocco in 1684. When the rest of Morocco became a French protectorate in 1912, Tangier was granted special status; in 1923 it officially became an international city, governed by an international commission. It remained an international zone until 1956, when it was integrated with the independent kingdom of Morocco. It became a free port and a royal summer residence in the 1960s. The old town is dominated by a casbah (citadel) and the Great Mosque. It is a busy port and trade centre; industries include tourism, fishing, and textiles, especially carpets.
