Khouribga

Khouribga, city, northwestern Morocco. The city is situated on an infertile upland plateau (unofficially called the Plateau des Phosphates) west of the Middle Atlas (Moyen Atlas) mountains. It owes its growth to the nearby phosphate deposits, first exploited in 1921. The city is connected by road and railway with Casablanca, about 68 miles (110 km) to the northwest.

The region surrounding Khouribga contains one of the world’s largest phosphate reserves. The town of Oued Zem, east of Khouribga, is also a phosphate-mining centre. Subsistence agriculture in the region produces cereals (wheat and barley), and sheep and goats are grazed. Pop. (2004) 166,397.