Kenitra (Arabic: القُنَيْطَرَة, al-qunayṭara, [alqunajtˤira], lit. 'the little bridge'[2]) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is a port on the Sebou River with a population of 431,282 as of 2014.[3] It is one of the three main cities of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region and the capital of the similarly named Kénitra Province. During the Cold War, the US Naval Air Station Port Lyautey served as a stopping point in North Africa. The history of the city begins with the foundation of a trading post by Carthaginian explorer Hanno. It was known back then as Thamusida.[4] In March 1912 the French government and the Sultan of Morocco, Abd al-Hafid, signed the Treaty of Fez. Because of his growing unpopularity, the Sultan asked the French government for protection against the Berber rebel tribes surrounding Fez. France appointed Hubert Lyautey resident-general in Morocco.