Discovering the World
Morocco 🇲🇦
Basic facts
Official name: المملكة المغربية (al-Mamlakah al-Maghribīyah)/ⵜⴰⴳⵍⴷⵉⵜ ⵏ ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ (Tageldit n Lmeɣrib) (Arabic/Tamazight) (Kingdom of Morocco)
Capital city: Rabat
Population: 37.7 million (2023)
Demonym: Moroccan
Type of government: unitary parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy
Head of state: Mohammed VI (Monarch)
Head of government: Aziz Akhannouch (Prime Minister)
Gross domestic product (purchasing power parity): $385.33 billion (2023)
Gini coefficient of wealth inequality: 40.3% (medium) (2015)
Human Development Index: 0.698 (medium) (2022)
Currency: Moroccan dirham (MAD)
Fun fact: It is home to the oldest university in the world.
Etymology
The country’s English name comes from the Spanish name, Marruecos, which derives from the city of Marrakesh. The Arabic name al-Maghrib means “the land of the sunset/the west”.
Geography
Morocco is located in North Africa and borders the Mediterranean Sea and Spain to the north, Algeria to the east, and Western Sahara to the south.
There are six main climates: hot-summer Mediterranean in the northwest, cold steppe in the northeast and west, cold desert in the northeast, hot steppe in the west, warm-summer Mediterranean in the center, and hot desert in the south. Temperatures range from 2 °C (35.6 °F) in winter to 38 °C (100.4 °F) in summer. The average annual temperature is 14.5 °C (58.1 °F).
The country is divided into twelve regions (jihāt), which are further divided into 62 provinces (ạlmuqāṭaʿātu) and thirteen prefectures (ạlmuḥāfaẓātu). The largest cities in Morocco are Casablanca, Fez, Tangier, Marrakesh, and Salé.
History
6400-550 BCE: Cardium Pottery culture
2800-1800 BCE: Bell Beaker culture
800-300 BCE: Phoenicia
5th century-3rd century BCE: Carthaginian Empire
3rd century BCE-40 CE: Amazigh kingdoms
25 BCE-430 CE: Roman Empire
534-661: Byzantine Empire
661-750: Umayyad Caliphate
710-1019: Emirate of Nekor
740-743: Amazigh Revolt
744-1058: Barghawata Confederacy
756-929: Emirate of Córdoba
757-976: Emirate of Sijilmasa
788-974: Idrisid dynasty
929-1031: Caliphate of Córdoba
1060-1147: Almoravid dynasty
1121-1269: Almohad Caliphate
1232-1492: Emirate of Granada
1244-1465: Marinid Sultanate
1472-1554: Wattasid dynasty
1510-1659: Saadi Sultanate
1627-1668: Bou Regreg Republic
1637-1668: Zawiya Dilaʾiya
1666-1912: Alawi Sultanate
1844: Franco-Moroccan War
1859-1860: Hispano-Moroccan War
1905-1906: Tangier Crisis
1911: Agadir Crisis
1912-1956: French protectorate; Spanish protectorate
1921-1926: Republic of the Rif
1953: Revolution of the King and the People
1956-present: Kingdom of Morocco
1963-1964: Sand War
2002: Perejil Island crisis
2003: Casablanca bombings
2011: Marrakesh bombing
2011-2012: protests
2016-2017: Hirak Rif Movement
2018: Moroccan boycott
2021: Morocco-Spain border incident
Economy
Morocco mainly imports from Spain, China, and France and exports to Spain, France, and India. Its top exports are tomatoes, fertilizers, and fruit.
It has oil and phosphate reserves. Services represent 36% of the GDP, followed by industry (19.2%) and agriculture (14.7%).
Morocco is a member of the African Union, the Arab League, the Arab Maghreb Union, the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Demographics
Arabs represent 67% of the population, Imazighen 31%, and Sahrawis 2%. The main religion is Islam, practiced by 99.6% of the population, 99.2% of which is Sunni.
It has a negative net migration rate and a fertility rate of 2 children per woman. 64.6% of the population lives in urban areas. Life expectancy is 73.6 years and the median age is 29.1 years. The literacy rate is 73.8%.
Languages
The official languages of the country are Arabic and Tamazight. Moroccan Arabic is spoken by 91.2% of the population, Hassaniya Arabic by 0.8%, and Tamazight by 7.9%. French is spoken by 32% and Tashelhit by 14.1%.
Culture
Morocco is a blend of Amazigh and Arab cultures with French and Spanish influences. Traditional elements of artistic expression include architecture, calligraphy, and carpet weaving.
Men traditionally wear a long, loose robe with a hood (djellaba) and leather slippers (balgha). Women wear a long dress with embroidery (kaftan), balgha, and a headscarf (hijab).
Architecture
Traditional houses in Morocco have mud brick walls, flat roofs, and an inner courtyard with a fountain or pool.
Cuisine
The Moroccan diet is based on meat, rice, and vegetables. Typical dishes include couscous (steamed granules of semolina with meat and vegetables), harira (a soup of lentils, meat, noodles, and onions), jawhara (a pastry with milky cream between the sheets), rfissa (a dish of spiced chicken and lentils), and zaalouk (a salad of cooked eggplants and tomatoes).
Holidays and festivals
Like other Muslim countries, Morocco celebrates Islamic New Year, Mawlid, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid al-Adha. It also commemorates New Year’s Day and Labor Day.
Specific Moroccan holidays include Proclamation of Independence Day on January 11, Amazigh New Year on January 14, Throne Day on July 30, Oued Ed-Dahab Day on August 14, Revolution Day on August 20, Youth Day on August 21, Green March Day on November 6, and Independence Day on November 18.
Amazigh New Year
Other celebrations include the Kalaat Mgouna Rose Festival, the Imilchil Marriage Festival, which celebrates the legend of two lovers who drowned themselves after their parents forbade their marriage, and the Marrakesh Popular Arts Festivals, which features dance, fire swallowing, music, and snake charming.
Imilchil Marriage Festival
Landmarks
There are nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Archeological site of Volubilis, Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou, Historic City of Meknes, Medina of Essaouira, Medina of Fez, Medina of Marrakesh, Medina of Tétouan, Portuguese City of Mazagan, and Rabat, Modern Capital and Historic City: a Shared Heritage.
Archeological site of Volubilis
Other landmarks include the Bahia Palace, the Hassan II Mosque, the Khnifiss National Park, the Taforalt Cave, and the Talassemtane National Park.
Hassan II Mosque
Famous people
Badr Hari - kick boxer
French Montana - rapper
Gad Elmaleh - actor and comedian
Hicham El Guerrouj - athlete
Leila Abouzeid - writer
Mohammed Khair Eddine - writer
Rhizlane Siba - athlete
Shatha Hassoun - singer
Soumaya Akaaboune - actress
Yasmine Kabbaj - tennis player
Yasmine Kabbaj
You can find out more about life in Morocco in this post and this video.
