The Souss-Massa Region, whose capital is located in the city of Agadir, was established like the 11 other Regions of the Kingdom, in accordance with decree n ° 2.15.10 of February 20, 2015, reforming the number regions, their names, their chief towns and the prefectures and provinces composing them.
The Region covers an overall area of 53,789 km², 7.6% of the national territory. It is bordered by the Marrakech-Safi Region to the North, by the Drâa-Tafilalet Region and by the Moroccan-Algerian border to the East, by the Guelmim-Oued Noun Region to the South and by the Atlantic Ocean to the West.
Administratively, the Souss-Massa Region has two prefectures: Agadir Ida Outanane and Inzegane Ait Melloul; as well as four provinces: Chtouka Ait Baha, Taroudannt, Tiznit and Tata. Which include 175 municipalities, 21 of which are urban.
According to the RGPH 2014, the Souss-Massa Region had 2,676,847 inhabitants, the equivalent of approximately 7.9% of the total population of the Kingdom. The prefectures of Agadir Ida Outanane and Inzegane Ait Melloul, and the province of Taroudannt make 75%. 56.3% of the Regional population lives in urban areas.
Arabic and Amazigh are the official languages and are mainly spoken in Souss-Massa. The Amazigh of the Region is Tachelhite, whose dialects vary according to the province. French, the administrative language, is also widely spoken there. Among tourism professionals, English is spoken, in addition to Spanish, German, Italian and sometimes Russian and Mandarin.
As elsewhere throughout the Kingdom of Morocco, Islam is the main religion in Souss-Massa. The Region has always been a land of coexistence and religious tolerance, and Judaism is very old there and is part of the history of the local tribes. The old synagogue of Aguerd north of Foum Zguid testifies to this coexistence. As for active places of worship other than Muslims, we cite the Evangelical Church, the Church of Saint Anne and a synagogue in Agadir, as well as the Catholic Church of Taroudannt.
The Moroccan Dirham is of course the currency used in the Region, but it is quite possible to convert the main foreign currencies in bank branches spread over all the provinces and also in exchange agencies and approved hotels.