Al-Mamlakah al-Maghribiyyah
Kingdom of Morocco
Coat of Arms Flag
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country in North Africa with a population of 33,241,259.
It has a coast on the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea .
Morocco has international borders with Algeria to the east, Spain to the north (a water border through the
Strait and land borders with two small Spanish exclaves , Ceuta and Melilla ), and Western Sahara or
Mauritania to the south.
Did you know? -At 172,402 sq.mi (446,550 sq.km), Morocco is the fifty-seventh largest
country in the world (after Uzbekistan ). It is comparable in size to Iraq , and is somewhat
larger than the US state of California .
GEOGRAPHY
Much of Morocco is mountainous. The Rif Mountains along the Mediterranean coast rise to heights
of almost 2,000 metres. To the south rise the Atlas Mountains: the Middle Atlas, the High Atlas and
the Anti-Atlas ranges. Mount Jebel Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak at 4,165 metres, is in the High
Atlas Mountains. The river valleys between the mountains are among Morocco's most fertile areas.
South of the mountains lies the Sahara Desert, which is sparsely populated.
Sahara Desert Mountain Atlas-under the clouds
Did you know? -Marrakesh is called the "Red City," because of the colour of its buildings, which
were constructed using the red sand found in that region.
Marakech One street in Marakech
CLIMATE
The climate varies depending on latitude, altitude and the distance from the sea, which has
a cooling effect. Temperatures are moderate along the coast and more extreme inland. The
mountains have cold snowy winters and warm summers. The lowland areas are very hot in the
summer, and cold and damp in the winter. The Atlas Mountains prevent the movement of moist
winds from the Atlantic, thereby creating desert conditions in the south. The Sahara receives little
rainfall.
Morocco's climate is moderate and subtropical, cooled by breezes off the Mediterranean Sea and
Atlantic Ocean. In the interior the temperatures are more extreme, winters can be fairly cold and
the summers very hot. Marrakech has an average winter temperature of 21ºC (70ºF) and 100°F (38°C)
in summer. In the Atlas Mountains temperatures can drop below zero and mountain peaks are snow
capped throughout most of the year. The winter in the north of the country is wet and rainy, while
in the south, at the edge of the Moroccan Sahara, it is dry and bitterly cold.
Morocco landscape Beautiful Sahara
Olive trees and eucalyptus grow on the plains, evergreen oaks in the mountainous areas. Aromatic
herbs, patches of coarse grass, stunted bushes and date palms grow in the arid regions of the
country. Lizards, chameleons, and snakes inhabit the dry regions. "Sand fish" or Berber skink,
camouflaged by their yellow-brown colour, move through the sand the way fish move through water.
Monkeys, commonly called Barbary apes, live in the mountains. These monkeys are unique because
of their ability to live in snowy regions.
DEMOGRAPHICS
Morocco is the fourth most populous Arab country, after Egypt , Sudan and Algeria .Most Moroccans
are Sunni Muslims of Arab, Berber, or mixed Arab-Berber stock.About three-quarters of all present-day
Moroccans are of Berber descent, while Arabs form the second largest ethnic group. The Arabs
invaded Morocco in the seventh century and established their culture there. Morocco's Jewish minority
has decreased significantly and numbers about 7,000 (see Jewish exodus from Arab lands ). Prior to
mass emigration, Morocco was home to more Jews than any other Muslim country in the world.Most
of the 100,000 foreign residents are French or Spanish; many are teachersor technicians and more and
more retirees, especially in Marrakech .There is no significant genetic difference between Moroccan
Arabs and Moroccan non-Arabs (i.e. Berbers). Thus, it is likely that Arabization wasmainly a cultural
process without genetic replacement. However, andaccording to the European Journal of Human
Genetics , North-Western Africans were genetically closer to Iberians and to other Europeans than
to sub-Saharan Africans .Morocco's official language is classical Arabic . The country's distinctive Arabic
dialect is called Moroccan Arabic . Approximately 12 million (40% of the population), mostly in rural
areas , speak Berber – which exists in Morocco in three different dialects( Tarifit , Tashelhiyt , and
Tamazight) – either as a first language or bilingually with the spoken Arabic dialect. French , which
remains Morocco's unofficial second language, is taught universally and still serves as Morocco's primary
language of commerce and economics. It also is widely used in education and government.
About 20,000 Moroccans in the northern part of the country speak Spanish as a second language in parallel
with Tarifit . English , while still far behind French and Spanish in terms of number of speakers,
is rapidly becoming the third foreign language of choice among educated youth (after Arabic and French).
As a result of national education reforms entering into force in late 2002, English will be taught in all
public schools from the fourth year on. French however, will remain the second foreign language due
to Morocco`s close economic and social links with France.
Maroccan Marrakesh
Most people live west of the Atlas Mountains , a range that insulates the country from the Sahara Desert . Casablanca is the center of commerce and industry and the leading port; Rabat is the seat of government; Tangier is the gateway to Morocco from Spain and also a major port; Fez is the cultural and religious center; and Marrakech is a major tourist center.
Education in Morocco is free and compulsory through primary school (age 15). Nevertheless, many children – particularly girls in rural areas – still do not attend school. The country's illiteracy rate has been stuck at around 50% for some years, but reaches as high as 90% among girls in rural regions. On September 2006, UNESCO awarded Morocco amongst other countries; Cuba , Pakistan , Rajastan ( India ) and Turkey the "UNESCO 2006 Literacy Prize".
Morocco has about 230,000 students enrolled in fourteen public universities. The Mohammed V University in Rabat and Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (a private university) are highly regarded. Al-Akhawayn, founded in 1993 by King Hassan II and King Fahd of Saudi Arabia , is an English-language American-style university comprising about 1,000 students. The University of Al Karaouine , in Fez, is considered the oldest university in the world and has been a center of learning for more than 1,000 years.
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