Location
Located in northeastern Africa with the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Morocco has many miles of beaches. The Sahara desert is to the south and the Atlas Mountains run in a north-south line through the center of the country.
Government
Morocco has a constitutional monarchy with a king who appoints a prime minister and cabinet. Rabat is the capital. Casablanca is another large city.
People
Most people are farmers raising wheat, barley, corn, sugar beets, and citrus fruits on farms of less than 10 acres. A "suq" or outdoor market is where goods are sold and bought. Fishermen work in both the Atlantic and Mediterranean and the canned fish are generally exported. The people are Arab or Berber and mostly Muslim. Many people speak French or Spanish as well as Arabic.
Houses may be made of wood, stone, or dried mud and bricks in the south, or nomadic people may live in tents. Men wear a red, brimless hat called a "fez" and loose-fitting hooded robes called a "jellaba" or "burnoose". Women may cover their face with a veil and for special occasions will wear a "caftan".
History
The Arabs conquered Morocco from Carthage and Rome in the 7th and 8th centuries. The Berbes ruled both Morocco and Spain, which is only nine mile across the Mediterranean Sea, between the 11th and 13th centuries. Morocco won its independence in 1956 from France and Spain.
Arts
Craftsmen make leather products, rugs, pottery and metalwork products.
Food and Drink
Couscous is a well-known Moroccan dish that consists of steamed wheat served with meat or fish and vegetables. Honey and almonds in pastries served with mint tea would round out a typical Moroccan meal. Olive, fig and nut trees grow in irrigated areas.
Miscellaneous
- Useful Information
- Go To Morocco
|
