A small town in the Middle Atlas region of northern Morocco, Ifrane is the coldest city in Africa, with the population of about 15,000 people.
Known by locals as "the Switzerland of Morocco," the town is usually covered by snow for half of the year.
The city was established by the French in 1929 as a resort town to help European colonisers find relief from the summer heat of Morocco’s interior plains.
Home to Lake Dayet Iffer, the beautiful town is located 1700 meters high in the Atlas Mountains making it a popular altitude training destination.
Here are some interesting things about the coldest city in Africa:
One of the cleanest cities
Ifrane was ranked the second cleanest city in the world in 2016, making it the perfect place for vacations.
With no industries to pollute air or water supply, small population and minimal traffic, the city is heaven for tourists, who wants to get away from the hassle of big cities.
French-styled Architecture
As the city was build for the upper-middle European class, who could afford a car and a home in the suburbs, Ifrane’s houses were built in traditional European styles and resembled those in the suburbs of contemporaneous French cities.
Weather of Ifrane
The city has a continental-influenced hot-summer Mediterranean climate with short, somewhat dry, warm summers and long, cool, damp winters when nights can be severely cold.
Due to the town’s elevation and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, rainfall is very heavy, especially between October and April.
The town also receives high snowfall starting as early as October and lasting well into the spring season.
Meanwhile, Ifrane holds the record for the lowest temp ever observed in Africa and the Arab world, which is -23.9 C in 1935.
Diversity of life
Ifrane’s biodiversity is unique, with many rare and endangered species.
It is home to the majority of world's population of the threatened Barbary macaque, the golden jackal, the caracal, and the African crimson-winged finch.
