Rif

The Rif, also called the Rif Mountains or Rif Region is a geographic region in northern Morocco. The region is bounded to the north by the Mediterranean Sea, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Ouergha River, and to the east by the Moulouya River. The region is the homeland of the Riffians, the Senhaja de Srair, the Jebala, and the Ghomara. Historically, the Rif was the heart of the Republic of the Rif, led by Abd el-Krim during the Rif War (1920–1927) against Spanish colonial forces. The mountains are divided into the eastern Rif (Nador, Driouch, Al Hoceima) and the western Rif (Tangier, Tétouan, Chefchaouen, Taounate). The western part is often called the Jebala, while the eastern part is referred to as the Rif proper. Linguistically, the western Rif is predominantly Arabized, with Moroccan Arabic as the main language, though the Ghomara people retain their Ghomara Berber language. The eastern Rif is predominantly Berber, with Tarifit (Riffian) as the main language. In the central Rif (Ketama, Issaguen, Targuist), a Berber-speaking community of Senhaja de Srair exists.