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Morocco

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Countries;
Countries

   SOS Children works in Morocco. For more information see SOS Children in
   Morocco, Africa
   المملكة المغربية
   Al-Mamlaka al-Maghribiya
   Kingdom of Morocco

   Flag of Morocco Coat of arms of Morocco
   Flag            Coat of arms
   Motto: الله، الوطن، الملك  (Arabic)
   "Allāh, al Waţan, al Malik"  ( transliteration)
   "God, Country, King"
   Anthem: Hymne Chérifien
   Location of Morocco

   The striped area on the map shows Western Sahara, most of which is de
   facto administered by Morocco as its " Southern Provinces". Its
   sovereignty, however, is currently in dispute (see footnote below and
   main article).
   Capital Rabat
   34°02′N 6°51′W
   Largest city Casablanca
   Official languages Arabic
   (French, Amazigh, Moroccan Arabic widely spoken)
   Government Constitutional monarchy
    - King Mohammed VI
    - Prime Minister Driss Jettou
   Independence
    - from France March 2, 1956
    - from Spain April 7, 1956
   Area
    - Total 446,550 km² ( 57th)
   172,414 sq mi
    - Water (%) negligible
   Population
    - 2005 estimate 33,241,259 ( 37th)
    - Density 70/km² ( 122nd)
   181/sq mi
   GDP ( PPP) 2005 estimate
    - Total $135.74 billion ( 54th)
    - Per capita $4,503 ( 109th)
   HDI  (2003) 0.631 (medium) ( 124th)
   Currency Moroccan dirham ( MAD)
   Time zone UTC ( UTC+0)
    - Summer ( DST) UTC ( UTC+0)
   Internet TLD .ma
   Calling code +212
   All data excludes Western Sahara, much of which Morocco is in de facto
   military and administrative control (see " Southern Provinces"). The
   United Nations, however, holds that Western Sahara is a non-
   decolonized territory whose status awaits self-determination. Morocco
   has suggested an autonomous status for the territory.

   The Kingdom of Morocco (Arabic: المملكة المغربية‎) is a country in
   North Africa. It has a long coastline on the Atlantic Ocean that
   reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea. It
   borders Algeria to the east, the Mediterranean Sea and a relatively
   thin water border Spain to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to its
   west. There are also two Spanish exclaves bordering Morocco to the
   north. The border to the south is disputed. Morocco claims ownership of
   Western Sahara and has administered most of the territory since 1975.

   Morocco, a constitutional monarchy, is the only African country that is
   not currently a member of the African Union. However, it is a member of
   the Arab League, Arab Maghreb Union, Organization of the Islamic
   Conference, Mediterranean Dialogue group, and Group of 77, and is a
   major non-NATO ally of the United States.

Name

   The full Arabic name of the country (Al-Mamlaka al-Maghribiya)
   translates to The Western Kingdom. Al Maghrib (meaning The West) is
   commonly used. For historical references, historians used to refer to
   Morocco as Al Maghrib al Aqşá (The Furthest West), disambiguating it
   from the historical region called the Maghreb. The name Morocco in many
   other languages originates from the name of the former capital,
   Marrakech. The Berber/Amazigh word Murakush means Land of God.

History

Berber Morocco

   The area of modern Morocco has been inhabited since Neolithic times, at
   least 8000 BCE, as attested by signs of the Capsian culture, in a time
   when the Maghreb was less arid than it is today. Many theorists believe
   the Berber language probably arrived at roughly the same time as
   agriculture (see Berber), and was adopted by the existing population as
   well as the immigrants that brought it. Modern genetic analyses have
   confirmed that various populations have contributed to the present-day
   population, including (in addition to the main Berber and Arab groups)
   Phoenicians, Sephardic Jews, and sub-Saharan Africans. The Berbers,
   often referred to in modern ethnic activist circles as "Amazigh," are
   more commonly known as "Berber" or by their regional ethnic identity,
   such as Chleuh. In the classical period, Morocco was known as
   Mauretania, although this should not be confused with the modern
   country of Mauritania.

Roman and sub-Roman Morocco

   North Africa and Morocco were slowly drawn into the wider emerging
   Mediterranean world by Phoenician trading colonies and settlements in
   the late Classical period. The arrival of Phoenicians heralded a long
   engagement with the wider Mediterranean, as this strategic region
   formed part of the Roman Empire, as Mauretania Tingitana. In the fifth
   century, as the Roman Empire declined, the region fell to the Vandals,
   Visigoths, and then Byzantine Greeks in rapid succession. During this
   time, however, the high mountains of most of modern Morocco remained
   unsubdued, and stayed in the hands of their Berber inhabitants.

Early Islamic Morocco

   By the seventh century, Arab expansion was at its greatest. In 670 AD,
   that the first Arab invasions of the North African coastal plain took
   place under Uqba ibn Nafi, a general serving under the Umayyads of
   Damascus. His army swept into what is now Morocco, which he called
   "Maghreb al Aqsa" or "The Far West", in the year 683. The Arab invasion
   of Morocco faced strong resistance from local Berbers. After about a
   century of fierce battles with Berbers, the Arabs occupied Morocco.

   The Arab-Muslim Calipahtes (i.e. Umayyads of Damascus and the Abbasids
   of Baghdad) lost political influence over Morocco when the first Arab
   dynasty in the country, the Idrisid, cut ties with the Abbasid
   Caliphate in Baghdad and the Umayyad rule in Al-Andalus. After the
   reign of the Idrisids, Arabs lost political control within Morocco.
   After adopting Islam, several Berber dynasties formed their own Islamic
   dynasties and reigned over the country. This situation lasted until the
   Arab Saadi dynasty took over in the 16th century.

   What became modern Morocco in the seventh century, was the area invaded
   by the Arabs, who brought their customs, culture, and Islam, to which
   most of the Berbers converted, forming states such as the Kingdom of
   Nekor. The country soon broke away from the control of the distant
   Abbasid caliphs in Baghdad under Idris ibn Abdallah who founded the
   Idrisid Dynasty. The Idrisids established Fez as their capital and
   Morocco became a centre of learning and a major regional power.

   Morocco would reach its height under a series of Berber origin
   dynasties that would replace the Arab Idrisids. First the Almoravids,
   then the Almohads would see Morocco rule most of Northwest Africa, as
   well as large sections of Islamic Iberia, or Al-Andalus. Under Islamic
   rule, Spanish cities such as Sevilla and Granada were places where the
   citizenry prospered under a tolerant rule which also focused on
   scholarly advances in science, mathematics, astronomy, geography as
   well as medicine.

   However, Islamic rule in the Iberian Peninsula ended with the fall of
   Granada to the forces of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Under the
   Catholic Inquisition, troops pillaged Granada amongst other Islamic
   cities and persecuted its citizens, Muslims and Jewish. Rather than
   face persecution and possible execution, many Muslims and Jews fled to
   Morocco. The Inquisitors, eager to abolish any trace of Islamic
   culture, destroyed the libraries in Muslim Spain, where thousands of
   priceless texts were kept.

   Smaller states of the region, such as the Berghouata and Banu Isam,
   were conquered. The empire collapsed, however, with a long running
   series of civil wars.

Morocco 1666-1912

   The Alaouite Dynasty eventually gained control. Morocco was facing
   aggression from Spain and the Ottoman Empire that was sweeping
   westward. The Alaouites succeeded in stabilizing their position, and
   while the kingdom was smaller than previous ones in the region it
   remained quite wealthy. In 1684, they annexed Tangier.

   Morocco was the first nation, in 1777, to recognize the fledgling
   United States as an independent nation. In the beginning of the
   American Revolution, American merchant ships were subject to attack by
   the Barbary Pirates while sailing the Atlantic ocean. At this time,
   American envoys tried to obtain protection from European powers, but to
   no avail. On December 20, 1777, Morocco's Sultan declared that the
   American merchant ships would be under the protection of the sultanate
   and could thus enjoy safe passage.

   The Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship stands as the U.S.'s oldest
   non-broken friendship treaty. Signed by John Adams and Thomas
   Jefferson, it has been in continuous effect since 1786. After the
   organization of the American government under the Constitution,
   President George Washington wrote a now venerated letter to the Sultan
   Sidi Mohamed strengthening the ties between the two countries. The
   United States legation (consulate) in Tangier is the first property the
   American government ever owned abroad. The building now houses the
   Tangier American Legation Museum.

European influence

   Successful Portuguese efforts to control the Atlantic coast in the
   fifteenth century did not profoundly affect the Mediterranean heart of
   Morocco. After the Napoleonic Wars, Egypt and the North African maghreb
   became increasingly ungovernable from Istanbul, the resort of pirates
   under local beys, and as Europe industrialized, an increasingly prized
   potential for colonization. The Maghreb had far greater proven wealth
   than the unknown rest of Africa and a location of strategic importance
   affecting the exit from the Mediterranean. For the first time, Morocco
   became a state of some interest in itself to the European Powers.
   France showed a strong interest in Morocco as early as 1830.
   Recognition by the United Kingdom in 1904 of France's sphere of
   influence in Morocco provoked a German reaction; the crisis of June
   1905 was resolved at the Algeciras Conference, Spain in 1906, which
   formalized France's "special position" and entrusted policing of
   Morocco to France and Spain jointly. A second Moroccan crisis provoked
   by Berlin, increased tensions between European powers. The Treaty of
   Fez (signed on March 30, 1912) made Morocco a protectorate of France.
   By the same treaty, Spain assumed the role of protecting power over the
   northern and southern Saharan zones on November 27 that year.

   Many Moroccan soldiers ( Goumieres) who served in the French army
   assisted European and American troops in both World War I and World War
   II.

Resistance

   Nationalist political parties, which subsequently arose under the
   French protectorate, based their arguments for Moroccan independence on
   such World War II declarations as the Atlantic Charter (a joint
   U.S.-British statement that set forth, among other things, the right of
   all people to choose the form of government under which they live). A
   manifesto of the Istiqlal Party (Independence party in English) in 1944
   was one of the earliest public demands for independence. That party
   subsequently provided most of the leadership for the nationalist
   movement.

   France's exile of Sultan Mohammed V in 1953 to Madagascar and his
   replacement by the unpopular Mohammed Ben Aarafa, whose reign was
   perceived as illegitimate, sparked active opposition to the French
   protectorate all over the country. The most notable occurred in Oujda
   where Moroccans attacked French and other European residents in the
   streets. Operations by the newly created "Armée de Libération", were
   launched on October 1, 1955. "L'Armée de Libération" was created by
   "Comité de Libération du Maghreb Arabe" (Arab Maghreb Liberation
   Committee) in Cairo, Egypt to constitute a resistance movement against
   occupation like the National Liberation Front in Algeria. Its goal was
   the return of King Mohammed V and the liberation of Algeria and Tunisia
   as well. France allowed Mohammed V to return in 1955, and the
   negotiations that led to Moroccan independence began the following
   year.

   All those events helped increase the degree of solidarity between the
   people and the newly returned king. For this reason, the revolution
   that Morocco knew was called "la révolution du Roi et du Peuple" (The
   revolution of the King and the People) and it is celebrated every
   August 20.

Independence

   Morocco recovered its political independence from France on March 2,
   1956 and on April 7 France officially relinquished its protectorate.
   Through agreements with Spain in 1956 and 1958, Moroccan control over
   certain Spanish-ruled areas was restored, though attempts to claim
   other Spanish colonial possessions through military action were less
   successful. The internationalized city of Tangier was reintegrated with
   the signing of the Tangier Protocol on October 29, 1956 (see Tangier
   Crisis). Hassan II became King of Morocco on March 3, 1961. His rule
   would be marked by political unrest and the ruthless government
   response led by the Makhzen earned the period the name the "Years of
   Lead". The Spanish enclave of Ifni in the south became part of the new
   Morocco in 1969. Morocco annexed Western Sahara during the 1970s, but
   final resolution on the status of the territory remains unresolved.
   (See History of Western Sahara.)

   Tentative political reform in the 1990s resulted in the establishment
   of a bicameral legislature in 1997. Morocco was granted Major non-NATO
   ally status in June 2004 and signed free trade agreements with the
   United States and the European Union.

   In 2003, Morocco's largest city, Casablanca suffered from terrorist
   attacks. The attacks were targeted against Western and Jewish places
   and left 33 civilians dead and more than 100 people injured, mostly
   Moroccans.

   In November 18 2006, Morocco celebrated the 51st anniversary of its
   independence.

Politics

   Morocco is a de jure constitutional monarchy, with an elected
   parliament. The King of Morocco, with vast executive powers, can
   dissolve government and deploy the military, among other
   responsibilities. Opposition political parties are legal and several
   have arisen in recent years.

Human rights

   Morocco's history after independence and under the reign of Hassan II
   was marked by the period of the so-called Years of Lead. Politically
   motivated persecutions and executions by the Makhzen were common.

   However, under the reign of Mohammed VI, and with the launch of Equity
   and Reconciliation Commission (IER) to investigate into the atrocities,
   Morocco is trying to reconciliate with the victims. Many new laws and
   codes concerning all aspects of life are being launched. The most
   notable event was the creation of the Mudawana- a family code which was
   the first unique initiative of its kind in the Arab and Muslim world.
   The code gives women more rights. Other issues such as the abolition of
   capital punishment are being debated; the Moroccan parliament is due to
   vote on the issue in spring 2007.

   Despite improvements under Mohammed VI, international organisations
   continue raising criticism against the human rights situation in
   Morocco in general (i.e. arrests of suspected Islamist extremists
   during 2004 and 2005 related to 2003 Casablanca bombings), and in
   Western Sahara in particular.

Administrative divisions

   Different versions of maps of Morocco.
   Enlarge
   Different versions of maps of Morocco.

   Morocco is divided into sixteen regions , and subdivided into sixty-two
   prefectures and provinces .
   A detailed map showing the areas administered by Morocco in Western
   Sahara.
   Enlarge
   A detailed map showing the areas administered by Morocco in Western
   Sahara.

   As part of a 1997 decentralization/regionalization law passed by the
   legislature, sixteen new regions were created. These regions are:
     * Chaouia-Ouardigha
     * Doukkala-Abda
     * Fès-Boulemane
     * Gharb-Chrarda-Béni Hssen
     * Grand Casablanca
     * Guelmim-Es Semara
     * Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra
     * Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz

                                          * Meknès-Tafilalet
                                          * Oriental
                                          * Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira
                                          * Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer
                                          * Souss-Massa-Draâ
                                          * Tadla-Azilal
                                          * Tangier-Tétouan
                                          * Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate

Western Sahara status

   Due to the conflict over Western Sahara, the status of both regions of
   "Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra" and "Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira" is
   disputed.

   Morocco suggests, through the CORCAS, a self-governing and autonomy
   status to the whole territory of Western Sahara.

Geography

   Ouzoud Falls
   Enlarge
   Ouzoud Falls
   Map showing the climate in and around Morocco [1]
   Enlarge
   Map showing the climate in and around Morocco

   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.

   Algeria borders Morocco to the east and southeast though the border
   between the two countries has been closed since 1994. There are also
   four Spanish enclaves on the Mediterranean coast: Ceuta, Melilla, Peñón
   de Vélez de la Gomera, Peñón de Alhucemas, and the Chafarinas
   islands,as well as the disputed islet Perejil. Off the Atlantic coast
   the Canary Islands belong to Spain, whereas Madeira to the north is
   Portuguese. To the north, Morocco is bordered by and controls part of
   the Strait of Gibraltar, giving it power over the waterways in and out
   of the Mediterranean sea. The Rif mountains occupy the region bordering
   the Mediterranean from the north-west to the north-east. The Atlas
   Mountains run down the backbone of the country, from the south west to
   the north east. Most of the south east portion of the country is in the
   Sahara Desert and as such is generally sparsely populated and
   unproductive economically. Most of the population lives to the north of
   these mountains, while to the south is the desert. To the south, lies
   the Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony that was annexed by Morocco
   in 1975 (see Green March). Morocco claims that the Western Sahara is
   part of its territory and refers to that as its Southern Provinces.

   Morocco's capital city is Rabat; its largest city is its main port,
   Casablanca.

   Other cities include:  Agadir • Essaouira • Fes • Marrakech • Meknes •
   Mohammadia • Oujda • Ouarzazat • Safi • Salè • Tangier • Tiznit •
   Tan-Tan

Climate

   The climate is Mediterranean, which becomes more extreme towards the
   interior regions where it is mountainous. The terrain is such that the
   coastal plains are rich and accordingly, they comprise the backbone for
   agriculture. Forests cover about 12% of the land while arable land
   accounts for 18%. 5% is irrigated.

Economy

   The Central bank of Morocco (Bank Al Maghrib)
   Enlarge
   The Central bank of Morocco (Bank Al Maghrib)

   Morocco has signed Free Trade Agreements with the European Union (to
   take effect 2010) and the United States of America. The United States
   Senate approved by a vote of 85 to 13, on July 22, 2004, the US-Morocco
   Free Trade Agreement, which will allow for 98% of the two-way trade of
   consumer and industrial products to be without tariffs. The agreement
   entered into force in January 2006.

   Morocco's largest industry is the mining of phosphates. Its second
   largest source of income is from nationals living abroad who transfer
   money to relatives living in Morocco. The country's third largest
   source of revenue is tourism.

   Morocco ranks among the world’s largest producers and exporters of
   cannabis, and its cultivation and sale provide the economic base for
   much of the population of northern Morocco. The cannabis is typically
   processed into hashish. This activity represents 0.57 per cent of
   Morocco's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), estimated at US$ 37.3 billion.
   A UN survey estimated cannabis cultivation at about 1,340 square
   kilometres (515  sq mi) in Morocco's five northern provinces. This
   represents 10 % of the total area and 27 per cent of the arable lands
   of the surveyed territory and 1.5 per cent of Morocco's total arable
   land. Morocco is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention and in 1992
   Morocco passed legislation designed to implement the Convention.

   Morocco has an unemployment rate of 12.1% (2004 Data) and a 1999
   estimate by the CIA puts 19% of the Moroccan population under the
   poverty line.

   Though working towards change, Morocco historically has utilized child
   labor on a large scale. In 1999, the Moroccan Government stated that
   over 500,000 children under the age of 15 were in the labor force.

Demographics

   Ethnolinguistic groups in Morocco.
   Enlarge
   Ethnolinguistic groups in Morocco.

   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). Most of the 100,000 foreign residents are French or Spanish;
   many are teachers or 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 and Saharawis). Thus, it is likely
   that Arabization was mainly a cultural process without genetic
   replacement.. However, and according 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 foreign
   language of choice among educated youth. 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.

   Most people live west of the Atlas Mountains, a range that insulates
   the country from the Sahara Desert. Casablanca is the centre 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 centre; and the
   dominantly "Berber" Marrakech is a major tourist centre.

   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 Fes, is
   considered the oldest university in the world and has been a centre of
   knowledge for more than 1,000 years.

International rankings

     * The 2002 Reporters Without Borders' worldwide press freedom index
       ranked Morocco 119th out of 167 countries.
     * The Economist''s worldwide quality-of-life index 2005 ranked
       Morocco 65th out of 111 countries.

Affliations

                Organization                            Dates
   United Nations                         since November 12, 1956
   Arab League                            since October 1, 1958
   International Olympic Committee        since 1959
   Organization of African Unity          co-founder May 25, 1963; withdrew
                                          November 12, 1984
   Group of 77                            since June 15, 1964
   Organization of the Islamic Conference since September 22, 1969
   Arab Maghreb Union                     since February 17, 1989
   World Trade Organization               since January 1, 1995
   Mediterranean Dialogue group           since February 1995
   Major non-NATO ally                    since January 19, 2004

Bilateral and multilateral agreements

     * Agadir Agreement
     * Middle East Free Trade Area
     * General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
     * Euro-Mediterranean free trade area
     * US-Morocco Free Trade Agreement

Public holidays

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