Al Hoceima is a Moroccan port on the Mediterranean Sea, and it is the main city in the Rif.
The Spanish started to develop Al Hoceima from 1925, then known as Villa Sanjurjo, named after the general that landed there during the Rif Rebellion that was led by Abd al-Karim Al-Khattabi against Spanish and French colonial rule in North Africa.
The town and surrounding villages were hit by a large earthquake (6.5 on the Richter scale) on February 24, 2004. More than 560 people were killed.
Alfred