Tangier From the 18th century, Tangier served as Morocco's diplomatic headquarters. The United States dedicated its first consulate in Tangier during the George Washington administration. In 1821, the Legation Building in Tangier became the first piece of property acquired abroad by the U.S. government—a gift to the U.S. from Sultan Moulay Suliman. In 1828, Great Britain blockaded the port in retaliation for piracy. As part of its ongoing conquest of neighboring Algeria, France declared war over Moroccan tolerance of Abd el-Kader; Tangier was bombarded by a French fleet under the Prince of Joinville on 6 August 1844. What little of its
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