Portal:Morocco

Morocco — المغرب

Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to the east, and the disputed territory of Western Sahara to the south. Morocco also claims the Spanish exclaves of Ceuta, Melilla and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, and several small Spanish-controlled islands off its coast. It has a population of roughly 37 million, the official and predominant religion is Islam, and the official languages are Arabic and Berber; French and the Moroccan dialect of Arabic are also widely spoken. Moroccan identity and culture is a mix of Arab, Berber, African and European cultures. Its capital is Rabat, while its largest city is Casablanca.

The region constituting Morocco has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era over 300,000 years ago. The Idrisid dynasty was established by Idris I in 788 and was subsequently ruled by a series of other independent dynasties, reaching its zenith as a regional power in the 11th and 12th centuries, under the Almoravid and Almohad dynasties, when it controlled most of the Iberian Peninsula and the Maghreb. Centuries of Arab migration to the Maghreb since the 7th century shifted the demographic scope of the region. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Morocco faced external threats to its sovereignty, with Portugal seizing some territory and the Ottoman Empire encroaching from the east. The Marinid and Saadi dynasties otherwise resisted foreign domination, and Morocco was the only North African nation to escape Ottoman dominion. The 'Alawi dynasty, which rules the country to this day, seized power in 1631, and over the next two centuries expanded diplomatic and commercial relations with the Western world. Morocco's strategic location near the mouth of the Mediterranean drew renewed European interest; in 1912, France and Spain divided the country into respective protectorates, reserving an international zone in Tangier. Following intermittent riots and revolts against colonial rule, in 1956, Morocco regained its independence and reunified.

Since independence, Morocco has remained relatively stable. It has the fifth-largest economy in Africa and wields significant influence in both Africa and the Arab world; it is considered a middle power in global affairs and holds membership in the Arab League, the Arab Maghreb Union, the Union for the Mediterranean, and the African Union. Morocco is a unitary semi-constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. The executive branch is led by the King of Morocco and the prime minister, while legislative power is vested in the two chambers of parliament: the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors. Judicial power rests with the Constitutional Court, which may review the validity of laws, elections, and referendums. The king holds vast executive and legislative powers, especially over the military, foreign policy and religious affairs; he can issue decrees called dahirs, which have the force of law, and can also dissolve the parliament after consulting the prime minister and the president of the constitutional court.

Morocco claims ownership of the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara, which it has designated its Southern Provinces. In 1975, after Spain agreed to decolonise the territory and cede its control to Morocco and Mauritania, a guerrilla war broke out between those powers and some of the local inhabitants. In 1979, Mauritania relinquished its claim to the area, but the war continued to rage. In 1991, a ceasefire agreement was reached, but the issue of sovereignty remained unresolved. Today, Morocco occupies two-thirds of the territory, and efforts to resolve the dispute have thus far failed to break the political deadlock. (Full article...)

El Jebha is a little port town in the northern part of Morocco. This Mediterranean coastal place is situated in the Rif Mountains, and across the route that takes traffic from the Northwestern part to the Northeastern part of Morocco. El Jebha, is the capital of the district (cercle) Mtiwa, which is part of Chefchaouen Province in the region of Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima. (Full article...)
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Morocco competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The country's participation at Vancouver marked its fifth appearance at a Winter Olympics since its debut in 1968; no athlete had won any medals. The 2010 delegation consisted of a single athlete competing in alpine skiing, Samir Azzimani, who was also the nation's flag bearer in the Parade of Nations. Azzimani brought a group of schoolchildren from a suburb of Metz, France, which had seen rioting in January that year. Azzimani was one of three African skiers at the Games, and did not win any medals. (Full article...)

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Moroccan cities

RankCityPopulation
(2014 census)[1][2]
Region
1Casablanca[a]3,359,818Casablanca-Settat
2Fez[b]1,112,072Fès-Meknès
3Tangier[c]947,952Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima
4Marrakesh[d]928,850Marrakesh-Safi
5Salé[e]890,403Rabat-Salé-Kénitra
6Meknes[f]632,079Fès-Meknès
7Rabat[g]577,827Rabat-Salé-Kénitra
8Oujda494,252Oriental
9Kenitra431,282Rabat-Salé-Kénitra
10Agadir421,844Souss-Massa
11Tetouan380,787Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima
12Temara313,510Rabat-Salé-Kénitra
13Safi308,508Marrakesh-Safi
14Mohammedia208,612Casablanca-Settat
15Khouribga196,196Béni Mellal-Khénifra
16El Jadida194,934Casablanca-Settat
17Beni Mellal192,676Béni Mellal-Khénifra
18Aït Melloul171,847Souss-Massa
19Nador161,726Oriental
20Dar Bouazza151,373Casablanca-Settat
21Taza148,456Fès-Meknès
22Settat142,250Casablanca-Settat
23Berrechid136,634Casablanca-Settat
24Khemisset131,542Rabat-Salé-Kénitra
25Inezgane130,333Souss-Massa
26Ksar El Kebir126,617Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima
27Larache125,008Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima
28Guelmim118,318Guelmim-Oued Noun
29Khenifra117,510Béni Mellal-Khénifra
30Berkane109,237Oriental
31Taourirt103,398Oriental
32Bouskoura103,026Casablanca-Settat
33Fquih Ben Salah102,019Béni Mellal-Khénifra
34Dcheira El Jihadia100,336Souss-Massa
35Oued Zem95,267Béni Mellal-Khénifra
36El Kelaa Des Sraghna95,224Marrakesh-Safi
37Sidi Slimane92,989Rabat-Salé-Kénitra
38Errachidia92,374Drâa-Tafilalet
39Guercif90,880Oriental
40Oulad Teima89,387Souss-Massa
41Ben Guerir88,626Marrakesh-Safi
42Tifelt86,709Rabat-Salé-Kénitra
43Lqliaa83,235Souss-Massa
44Taroudant80,149Souss-Massa
45Sefrou79,887Fès-Meknès
46Essaouira77,966Marrakesh-Safi
47Fnideq77,436Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima
48Sidi Kacem75,672Rabat-Salé-Kénitra
49Tiznit74,699Souss-Massa
50Tan-Tan73,209Guelmim-Es Semara
51Ouarzazate71,067Drâa-Tafilalet
52Souk El Arbaa69,265Rabat-Salé-Kénitra
53Youssoufia67,628Marrakesh-Safi
54Lahraouyine64,821Casablanca-Settat
55Martil64,355Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima
56Ain Harrouda62,420Casablanca-Settat
57Suq as-Sabt Awlad an-Nama60,076Béni Mellal-Khénifra
58Skhirat59,775Rabat-Salé-Kénitra
59Ouazzane59,606Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima
60Benslimane57,101Casablanca-Settat
61Al Hoceima56,716Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima
62Beni Ansar56,582Oriental
63M'diq56,227Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima
64Sidi Bennour55,815Casablanca-Settat
65Midelt55,304Drâa-Tafilalet
66Azrou54,350Fès-Meknès
67Drargua[h]50,946Souss-Massa


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