Tan-Tan

Tan-Tan is a city in Tan-Tan Province in the region of Guelmim-Oued Noun in south-western Morocco. It is a desert town with a population (2014 census) of 73,209. It is the largest city in the province and second largest city in the region after the capital Guelmim. It is located on the banks of the wadi Oued Ben Jelil, which flows into the Draa River 15 km north of the town. The Draa River, at 1,100 km is the longest in Morocco and flows into the Atlantic Ocean soon after the confluence with the wadi. The town also has an airport, Tan Tan Plage Blanche Airport.HistoryThe quartz figurine Venus of Tan-Tan was found in a river terrace deposit on the north bank of the Draa River. Dated between 200,000 and 500,000 BCE, it is considered one of the oldest human-form sculptures in the world, although its formation may actually be natural.PortThe nearby port, known as Tan-Tan Plage in French; Port of Tan-Tan in English; and El Ouatia, al-Watiyah or الوطية in Arabic is about 25 kilometres west from Tan-Tan on the Atlantic Ocean. With a population in 2004 of 6,294 it is the second largest settlement in the province and ninth in the region. Both Tan-Tan and Tan-Tan Plage are on Morocco's main highway, the N1.