Tangier the years leading up to the First World War, Tangier had a population of about 40,000, about half Muslim, a quarter Jewish, and a quarter European Christians. Of the Europeans, about three-quarters were Spanish artisans and labourers. In 1912, Morocco was effectively partitioned between France and Spain; Spanish Morocco covered the country's far north and far south while the French protectorate covered the central remainder. The last Sultan of independent Morocco, Moulay Hafid, was exiled to the Sultanate Palace in the Tangier kasbah after his forced abdication in favour of his brother Moulay Yusef. Tangier was made an international zone
Casablanca–Tangier high-speed rail line the test program an African rail speed record of was set.<ref name="rg 7/18"></ref> In October 2017, track construction was completed, followed by the new electric catenary in November. The electrical system was energised for the first time in January 2018, and the line's control facility came online in February. By mid-2018, construction of stations had been completed, though the estimated beginning of service had been pushed back until the end of the year as trial runs over the route had yet to be operated. On 15 November 2018, the service was inaugurated in a ceremony at Tangier and a special