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81-627: The Libyco-Berber script is found in thousands of stone inscriptions and engravings throughout Morocco , northern Algeria , Tunisia , northern Libya and the Canary Islands, with inscriptions of the later (transitional) Saharan variant in rocky outcrops in Mali and Niger. Apart from thousands of small inscriptions, some of the best known and significant Libyco-Berber inscriptions are in the Massinissa Temple (discovered in 1904) and

162-837: 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

243-422: A proposed referendum on the future of the territory but the deadlock was not broken. Political reforms in the 1990s resulted in the establishment of a bicameral legislature with Morocco's first opposition-led government coming to power. King Hassan II died in 1999 and was succeeded by his son, Mohammed VI . He is a cautious moderniser who has introduced some economic and social liberalisation. Mohammed VI paid

324-624: A ' Greater Morocco ', claimed all of Spanish West Africa as Moroccan land. In 1958 Spain merged Rio de Oro and Saguia el-Hamara in 1958 as Spanish Sahara ; that same year Spain ceded the Tarfaya Strip to Morocco (via the Treaty of Angra de Cintra ), thereby re-instating the 1904 border. Ifni was ceded in 1969 (following a failed Moroccan attempt to capture the region by force in 1957). Morocco then turned its sights to Spanish Sahara, however Mauritania (independent since 1960) also contested

405-577: A church. The Muslim conquest of the Maghreb that had begun during the mid-7th century was completed under the Umayyad Caliphate by 709. The caliphate introduced both Islam and the Arabic language to the area; this period also saw the beginning of a trend of Arab migration to the Maghreb which would last for centuries and effect a demographic shift in the region. While constituting part of

486-685: A controversial visit to the Western Sahara in 2002. Morocco unveiled an autonomy blueprint for Western Sahara to the United Nations in 2007. The Polisario rejected the plan and put forward its own proposal. Morocco and the Polisario Front held UN-sponsored talks in New York City but failed to come to any agreement. In 2010, security forces stormed a protest camp in the Western Sahara, triggering violent demonstrations in

567-576: A delicate time, keen to avoid the kind of drawn-out colonial war that had bedevilled Portugal in its African colonies. Spain therefore signed a treaty with Morocco and Mauritania, splitting Spanish Sahara roughly in two, roughly two-thirds in Morocco's favour. Morocco thereafter the absorbed their section into Morocco and the Morocco–Western Sahara border de facto ceased to exist, with subsequent Moroccan administrative reorganisations ignoring

648-612: A distinctive Maghrebi ancestry formed from a mixture of Near Eastern and African ancestry, which is still found as a part of the genome of modern Northwest Africans. Later during the Neolithic , from around 7,500 years ago onwards, there was a migration into Northwest Africa of European Neolithic Farmers from the Iberian Peninsula (who had originated in Anatolia several thousand years prior), as well as pastoralists from

729-554: A few official governmental and possibly religious inscriptions have been found. The Libyco-Berber script was a pure abjad ; it had no distinct vowels. However, it had equivalents for "w" and "y", and "h" was possibly used as an "a" too. Gemination was not marked. The writing was usually from the bottom to the top, although right-to-left, and even other orders, were also found. The letters took different forms when written vertically than when they were written horizontally. The letters were highly geometrical. There are multiple variants of

810-615: A joint Moroccan-French administration, while creating a modern school system. Several divisions of Moroccan soldiers ( Goumiers or regular troops and officers) served in the French army in both World War I and World War II , and in the Spanish Nationalist Army in the Spanish Civil War and after ( Regulares ). The institution of slavery was abolished in 1925. Between 1921 and 1926, an uprising in

891-537: A new constitution curbing the powers of the king. In July 2011, the King won a landslide victory in a referendum on a reformed constitution he had proposed to placate the Arab Spring protests. In the first general elections that followed, the moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party won a plurality of seats, with Abdelilah Benkirane being designated as head of government per the new constitution. Despite

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972-472: A result of this process, Spain announced its intention to declare a protectorate over the north-west African coast between Cape Bojador and Ras Nouadhibou (Cape Blanco/Cap Blanc), which was formally created as the Rio de Oro colony the following year. On 27 June 1900 France and Spain signed a treaty which created a border between Rio de Oro and French West Africa starting at Ras Nouadhibou and terminating at

1053-418: A state of emergency and suspended parliament in 1965. In 1971 and 1972, there were two failed attempts to depose the king and establish a republic. A truth commission set up in 2005 to investigate human rights abuses during his reign confirmed nearly 10,000 cases, ranging from death in detention to forced exile. Some 592 people were recorded killed during Hassan's rule according to the truth commission. In 1963,

1134-566: A strong reaction from the German Empire ; and a crisis loomed in 1905. The matter was resolved at the Algeciras Conference in 1906. The Agadir Crisis of 1911 increased tensions between European powers. The 1912 Treaty of Fez made Morocco a protectorate of France, and triggered the 1912 Fez riots . Spain continued to operate its coastal protectorate. By the same treaty, Spain assumed the role of protecting power over

1215-650: A thinly populated section of the Sahara desert . The border emerged during the ' Scramble for Africa ', a period of intense competition between European powers in the later 19th century for territory and influence in Africa. The process culminated in the Berlin Conference of 1884, in which the European nations concerned agreed upon their respective territorial claims and the rules of engagements going forward. As

1296-694: A variety of terms denoting the Sharifi heritage of the 'Alawi dynasty , such as al-Mamlakah ash-Sharīfah ( المملكة الشريفة ), al-Iyālah ash-Sharīfah ( الإيالة الشريفة ) and al-Imbarāṭūriyyah ash-Sharīfah ( الإمبراطورية الشريفة ), rendered in French as l'Empire chérifien and in English as the 'Sharifian Empire'. The area of present-day Morocco has been inhabited since at least Paleolithic times , beginning sometime between 190,000 and 90,000 BC. A recent publication has suggested that there

1377-485: Is al-Maghrib ( المغرب , transl.  the land of the sunset; the west ), with the Kingdom's official Arabic name being al-Mamlakah al-Maghribīyah ( المملكة المغربية ; transl.  the kingdom of sunset/the west ). In Turkish , Morocco is known as Fas , a name derived from its medieval capital of Fes which is derived from the Arabic word Faʾs ( فأس ; transl.   pickaxe ), as

1458-524: Is 444 kilometres (276 mi) in length and runs from Atlantic Ocean in the west, to the tripoint with Algeria in the east. The border has existed purely in a de jure sense since Morocco's annexation of Western Sahara in 1976–1979. The border starts in the west at the Atlantic coast and consists of a single horizontal line, terminating in the east at the Algerian tripoint. The border traverses

1539-467: 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

1620-730: Is evidence for even earlier human habitation of the area: Homo sapiens fossils that had been discovered in the late 2000s near the Atlantic coast in Jebel Irhoud were recently dated to roughly 315,000 years ago. During the Upper Paleolithic , the Maghreb was more fertile than it is today, resembling a savanna , in contrast to its modern arid landscape. DNA studies of Iberomaurusian peoples at Taforalt , Morocco dating to around 15,000 years ago have found them to have

1701-708: The Abbasids in the Hejaz . He convinced the Awraba Berber tribes to break their allegiance to the distant Abbasid caliphs and he founded the Idrisid dynasty in 788. The Idrisids established Fes as their capital and Morocco became a centre of Muslim learning and a major regional power . The Idrisids were ousted in 927 by the Fatimid Caliphate and their Miknasa allies. After Miknasa broke off relations with

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1782-819: The Banu Hilal Arab tribes. In the 13th and 14th centuries the Zenata Berber Marinids held power in Morocco and strove to replicate the successes of the Almohads through military campaigns in Algeria and Spain. They were followed by the Wattasids . In the 15th century, the Reconquista ended Muslim rule in Iberia and many Muslims and Jews fled to Morocco. Portuguese efforts to control

1863-519: The Berber people . Its total area is about 446,300 km (172,317 sq mi). Algeria borders Morocco to the east and southeast, though the border between the two countries has been closed since 1994. Spanish territory in Northwest Africa neighbouring Morocco comprises five enclaves on the Mediterranean coast: Ceuta , Melilla , Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera , Peñón de Alhucemas ,

1944-582: The Chafarinas islands, and 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 the Strait of Gibraltar, where international shipping has unimpeded transit passage between the Atlantic and Mediterranean. The Rif mountains stretch over the region bordering the Mediterranean from

2025-528: The Draa River and the Saguia el-Hamra border at 27°40'N agreed upon in 1904. From 1946 to 1958 Spanish Morocco, the Tarfaya Strip, Ifni, Rio de Oro and Saguia el Hamra were united as Spanish West Africa . Morocco gained independence from France in 1956, including Spanish Morocco (minus the plazas de soberanía which remain part of Spain today). The newly independent state, inspired by the idea of creating

2106-491: 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

2187-516: The ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 geographical encoding standard by the symbol MA . This code was used as the basis for Morocco's internet domain, .ma . In area, Morocco's climate is mainly " hot summer Mediterranean " ( Csa ) and " hot desert " ( BWh ) zones. Central mountain ranges and the effects of the cold Canary Current , off the Atlantic coast, are significant factors in Morocco's relatively large variety of vegetation zones, ranging from lush forests in

2268-551: The Levant , both of whom also significantly contributed to the ancestry of modern Northwest Africans. The proto-Berber tribes evolved from these prehistoric communities during the late Bronze - and early Iron ages. In the early part of Classical Antiquity , Northwest Africa and Morocco were slowly drawn into the wider emerging Mediterranean world by the Phoenicians , who established trading colonies and settlements there,

2349-839: The Prince Ateban Mausoleum in Dougga / Thugga (TBGG), northern Tunisia. Other significant Libyco-Berber inscription are the Azib N'Ikkis and the Oukaimeden, both found in the High-Atlas Mountains of Morocco . The use of the Libyco-Berber alphabet died out in northern areas during or after the reign of the Roman and Byzantine empires , but it spread south into the Sahara desert and evolved there into

2430-778: The Rif Mountains, led by Abd el-Krim , led to the establishment of the Republic of the Rif . The Spanish used anti-civilian bombing raids and mustard gas to prevent the Rif republic from gaining independence. They lost more than 13,000 soldiers at Annual in July–August 1921 alone. The Riffi were eventually suppressed by 1927 by the Franco-Spanish military. The casualties on the Spanish-French side were 52,000 and from

2511-837: The Rif Mountains . It was founded by Salih I ibn Mansur in 710, as a client state to the Umayyad Caliphate. After the outbreak of the Berber Revolt in 739, the Berbers formed other independent states such as the Miknasa of Sijilmasa and the Barghawata . The founder of the Idrisid dynasty and the great-grandson of Hasan ibn Ali , Idris ibn Abdallah , had fled to Morocco after the massacre of his family by

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2592-517: The SADR 's admission to the body. Polisario claimed to have killed more than 5,000 Moroccan soldiers between 1982 and 1985. Algerian authorities have estimated the number of Sahrawi refugees in Algeria to be 165,000. Diplomatic relations with Algeria were restored in 1988. In 1991, a UN-monitored ceasefire began in Western Sahara, but the territory's status remains undecided and ceasefire violations are reported. The following decade saw much wrangling over

2673-547: The Sand War was fought between Algerian and Moroccan troops over Moroccan claims to parts of Algerian territory. A formal peace agreement was signed in February 1964; however, relations remained strained between the two countries following the conflict. The Spanish enclave of Ifni in the south was returned to Morocco in 1969. The Polisario movement was formed in 1973, with the aim of establishing an independent state in

2754-569: The Tuareg Tifinagh alphabet used by the Tuareg Berbers to this day. Before, during, and after the existence of the ancient Berber kingdoms of Numidia (northern Algeria, 202 BC–40 BC) and Mauretania (northern Morocco, 3rd century BC – 44 AD) many inscriptions were engraved using the Libyco-Berber script, although the overwhelming majority of the found ones were simple funerary scripts, with rock art, cave art, graffiti, and even

2835-605: The siege of Melilla against the Spanish ended in defeat in 1775. Morocco was the first nation to recognise the fledgling United States as an independent nation in 1777. In the beginning of the American Revolution , American merchant ships in the Atlantic Ocean were subject to attacks by other fleets. On 20 December 1777, Morocco's Sultan Mohammed III declared that American merchant ships would be under

2916-606: 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

2997-433: The 17th century. Morocco faced aggression from Spain in the north, and the Ottoman Empire's allies pressing westward. Under the Saadis, the sultanate ended the Portuguese Aviz dynasty in 1578 at the Battle of Alcácer Quibir . The reign of Ahmad al-Mansur brought new wealth and prestige to the Sultanate, and a large expedition to West Africa inflicted a crushing defeat on the Songhay Empire in 1591. However, managing

3078-433: The 24 have been deciphered. Libyco-Berber inventory (compared to equivalent Tifinagh letters by sound): The Western variant was used along the Mediterranean coast from Kabylia to the Canary Islands. It used 13 supplementary letters. As of 2002, much of the Western variant has yet to be deciphered. Western variant signs have also been observed to be used in combination with possible pictograms of animals. The origin of

3159-434: The Atlantic sea trade in the 15th century did not greatly affect the interior of Morocco even though they managed to control some possessions on the Moroccan coast but not venturing further afield inland. In 1549, the region fell to successive Arab dynasties claiming descent from the Islamic prophet Muhammad : first the Saadi dynasty who ruled from 1549 to 1659, and then the 'Alawi dynasty , who have remained in power since

3240-402: The Fatimids in 932, they were removed from power by the Maghrawa of Sijilmasa in 980. From the 11th century onward, a series of Berber dynasties arose. Under the Sanhaja Almoravid dynasty and the Masmuda Almohad dynasty , Morocco dominated the Maghreb, al-Andalus in Iberia , and the western Mediterranean region. From the 13th century onward the country saw a massive migration of

3321-457: The Kingdom of Morocco, the United States of America and the State of Israel was signed on 22 December 2020. On 24 August 2021, neighbouring Algeria cut diplomatic relations with Morocco, accusing Morocco of supporting a separatist group and hostile actions against Algeria. Morocco called the decision unjustified. On 8 September 2023, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit Morocco killing more than 2,800 people and injuring thousands. The epicentre of

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3402-487: The Kingdom of Morocco. A month later Spain forsook its protectorate in Northern Morocco to the new state but kept its two coastal enclaves ( Ceuta and Melilla ) on the Mediterranean coast which dated from earlier conquests, but over which Morocco still claims sovereignty to this day. Sultan Mohammed became King in 1957. Upon the death of Mohammed V, Hassan II became King of Morocco on 3 March 1961. Morocco held its first general elections in 1963 . However, Hassan declared

3483-461: The Libyco-Berber script is still debated by academic researchers. The leading theories regarding its origins posit it as being either a heavily modified version of the Phoenician alphabet, or a local invention influenced by the latter, with the most supported view being that it derived from a local prototype conceptually inspired by a Phoenician or archaic Semitic model. Other unlikely explanations include Greek, Punic or South Arabian influences. One of

3564-531: The Libyco-Berber script; some studies divide these varieties into eastern and western, while others have identified more than 25 "dialects" grouped in 5 different families. The eastern variant was used in what is now Constantine and the Aurès regions of Algeria and in Tunisia , and to an extent Kabylia. It is the best-deciphered variant, due to the discovery of several Numidian bilingual inscriptions in Libyco-Berber and Punic (notably so-called KAI 100 and 101 at Dougga in Tunisia). Since 1843, 22 letters out of

3645-413: The Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and the annexed Western Sahara. It is one of only three nations (along with Spain and France ) to have both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines. A large part of Morocco is mountainous. The Atlas Mountains are located mainly in the centre and the south of the country. The Rif Mountains are located in the north of the country. Both ranges are mainly inhabited by

3726-463: The Riffi 10,000 died. In 1943, the Istiqlal Party (Independence Party) was founded to press for independence, with discreet US support. Moroccan nationalists drew heavily on transnational activist networks for lobbying to end colonial rule, primarily at the United Nations. The Istiqlal 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

3807-415: The Saharawi people should be allowed to determine their own future. Morocco thereafter sought to settle the matter militarily, and in November 1975 conducted the ' Green March ', in which thousands of soldiers and Moroccan nationalists forcibly crossed the Morocco-Spanish Sahara border. Spain's dictator Francisco Franco was at this time near-death, and the country was unwilling to respond militarily at such

3888-429: The Spanish Sahara. On 6 November 1975, King Hassan asked for volunteers to cross into the Spanish Sahara. Some 350,000 civilians were reported as being involved in the " Green March ". A month later, Spain agreed to leave the Spanish Sahara, soon to become Western Sahara, and to transfer it to joint Moroccan-Mauritanian control, despite the objections and threats of military intervention by Algeria. Moroccan forces occupied

3969-406: 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. The English Morocco is an anglicisation of the Spanish name for the country, Marruecos , derived from the name of

4050-406: The border entirely. Polisario forces declared a Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic based on the boundaries of Spanish Sahara, thus starting a long war against Morocco and Mauritania. Unwilling to continue the conflict, Mauritania pulled out of their zone in 1979, which was then annexed by Morocco. In the 1980s, in an effort to control the territory and stymie the Polisario, Morocco began building

4131-413: The city of Marrakesh , which was the capital of the Almoravid dynasty , the Almohad Caliphate , and the Saadian dynasty . During the Almoravid dynasty, the city of Marrakesh was established under the name of Tāmurākušt , derived from the city's ancient Berber name of amūr n Yakuš ( lit.   ' land/country of God ' ). In English, the first vowel has been changed, likely influenced by

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4212-493: The city's founder Idris I ibn Abd Allah reputedly used a silver and gold pickaxe to trace the outlines of the city. In other parts of the Islamic world, for example in Egyptian and Middle Eastern Arabic literature before the mid-20th century, Morocco was commonly referred to as Murrakush ( مراكش ). The term is still used to refer to Morocco today in several Indo-Iranian languages, including Persian , Urdu , and Punjabi . Morocco has also been referred to politically by

4293-406: 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

4374-475: 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

4455-504: The growth of different species of oaks, moss carpets, junipers, and Atlantic fir which is a royal conifer tree endemic to Morocco. In the valleys, fertile soils and high precipitation allow for the growth of thick and lush forests. Cloud forests can be found in the west of the Rif Mountains and Middle Atlas Mountains. At higher elevations, the climate becomes alpine in character, and can sustain ski resorts. Morocco%E2%80%93Western Sahara border The Morocco – Western Sahara border

4536-476: The illegal migrants to Morocco from Melilla. In 2006, the Spanish Premier Zapatero visited Spanish enclaves. He was the first Spanish leader in 25 years to make an official visit to the territories. The following year, Spanish King Juan Carlos I visited Ceuta and Melilla, further angering Morocco which demanded control of the enclaves. During the 2011–2012 Moroccan protests , thousands of people rallied in Rabat and other cities calling for political reform and

4617-402: The junction of the 12th meridian west and the 26th parallel north (i.e. the bulk of the modern Mauritania–Western Sahara border ). This boundary was then extended by a treaty of 3 October 1904 north up to what is now the tripoint with Algeria and then west along the parallel of 27°40'N, this latter line forming the modern Morocco-Western Sahara boundary; the new Spanish territory thus formed

4698-418: The kingdom was smaller than previous ones in the region, it remained quite wealthy. Against the opposition of local tribes Ismail Ibn Sharif (1672–1727) began to create a unified state. With his Riffian army, he re-occupied Tangier from the English who had abandoned it in 1684 and drove the Spanish from Larache in 1689. The Portuguese abandoned Mazagão , their last territory in Morocco, in 1769. However,

4779-422: The larger empire, Morocco was initially organised as a subsidiary province of Ifriqiya , with the local governors appointed by the Muslim governor in Kairouan . The indigenous Berber tribes adopted Islam, but retained their customary laws . They also paid taxes and tribute to the new Muslim administration. The first independent Muslim state in the area of modern Morocco was the Kingdom of Nekor , an emirate in

4860-512: The late 3rd century, direct Roman rule had become confined to a few coastal cities, such as Septum ( Ceuta ) in Mauretania Tingitana and Cherchell in Mauretania Caesariensis . When, in 429 AD, the area was devastated by the Vandals , the Roman Empire lost its remaining possessions in Mauretania, and local Mauro-Roman kings assumed control of them. In the 530s, the Eastern Roman Empire , under Byzantine control, re-established direct imperial rule of Septum and Tingi , fortified Tingis and erected

4941-430: The modern state of Mauritania ) flourished around 225 BC or earlier. Mauretania became a client kingdom of the Roman Empire in 33 BC. Emperor Claudius annexed Mauretania directly in 44 AD, making it a Roman province ruled by an imperial governor (either a procurator Augusti , or a legatus Augusti pro praetore ). During the Crisis of the Third Century , parts of Mauretania were reconquered by Berbers. By

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5022-432: The most substantial of which were Chellah , Lixus , and Mogador . Mogador was established as a Phoenician colony as early as the 6th century BC. Morocco later became a realm of the Northwest African civilisation of ancient Carthage , and part of the Carthaginian empire. The earliest known independent Moroccan state was the Berber kingdom of Mauretania , under King Baga . This ancient kingdom (not to be confused with

5103-410: The north-west to the north-east. The Atlas Mountains run down the backbone of the country, from the northeast to the southwest. Most of the southeast 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 lies the Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony that

5184-436: The northern and central mountains, giving way to steppe, semi-arid and desert areas in the eastern and southern regions. The Moroccan coastal plains experience moderate temperatures even in summer. In the Rif, Middle and High Atlas Mountains, there exist several different types of climates: Mediterranean along the coastal lowlands, giving way to a humid temperate climate at higher elevations with sufficient moisture to allow for

5265-606: The northern coastal and southern Saharan zones. Tens of thousands of colonists entered Morocco. Some bought up large amounts of rich agricultural land, while others organised the exploitation and modernisation of mines and harbours. Interest groups that formed among these elements continually pressured France to increase its control over Morocco – with some Moroccan tribes allying with the French against other competing tribes from early on in its conquest. The French colonial administrator, Governor general Marshal Hubert Lyautey , sincerely admired Moroccan culture and succeeded in imposing

5346-423: The oldest known variants of the script is found in inscriptions in Dugga dating from Numidian times. Morocco 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

5427-420: 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

5508-426: The protection of the sultanate and could thus enjoy safe passage. The 1786 Moroccan–American Treaty of Friendship stands as the United States' oldest unbroken friendship treaty. As Europe industrialised, Northwest Africa was increasingly prized for its potential for colonisation. France showed a strong interest in Morocco as early as 1830, not only to protect the border of its Algerian territory, but also because of

5589-428: The quake was around 70 km southwest of city of Marrakech. Morocco has a coast by the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea . It is bordered by Spain to the north (a water border through the Strait and land borders with three small Spanish-controlled exclaves , Ceuta , Melilla , and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera ), Algeria to the east, and Western Sahara to

5670-404: The reforms made by Mohammed VI, demonstrators continued to call for deeper reforms. Hundreds took part in a trade union rally in Casablanca in May 2012. Participants accused the government of failing to deliver on reforms. On 10 December 2020, Israel–Morocco normalisation agreement was announced and Morocco announced its intention to resume diplomatic relations with Israel. Joint Declaration of

5751-431: The regional capital El Aaiún . In 2002, Morocco and Spain agreed to a US-brokered resolution over the disputed island of Perejil . Spanish troops had taken the normally uninhabited island after Moroccan soldiers landed on it and set up tents and a flag. There were renewed tensions in 2005, as dozens of African migrants stormed the borders of the Spanish enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta. In response, Spain deported dozens of

5832-539: 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 approximately 37 million. Islam is both the official and predominant religion, while Arabic and Berber are the official languages. Additionally, French and the Moroccan dialect of Arabic are widely spoken. The culture of Morocco

5913-545: The south. Since Morocco controls most of Western Sahara, its de facto southern boundary is with Mauritania . The internationally recognised borders of the country lie between latitudes 27° and 36°N, and longitudes 1° and 14°W . The geography of Morocco spans from the Atlantic Ocean, to mountainous areas, to the Sahara desert. Morocco is a Northern African country, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and

5994-525: The strategic position of Morocco with coasts on the Mediterranean and the open Atlantic. In 1860, a dispute over Spain's Ceuta enclave led Spain to declare war. Victorious Spain won a further enclave and an enlarged Ceuta in the settlement. In 1884, Spain created a protectorate in the coastal areas of Morocco. In 1904, France and Spain carved out zones of influence in Morocco. Recognition by the United Kingdom of France's sphere of influence provoked

6075-520: The territories across the Sahara proved too difficult. Upon the death of al-Mansur, the country was divided among his sons. After a period of political fragmentation and conflict during the decline of the Saadi dynasty, Morocco was finally reunited by the Alawi sultan al-Rashid in the late 1660s, who took Fez in 1666 and Marrakesh in 1668. The 'Alawis succeeded in stabilising their position, and while

6156-576: The territory, claiming the former colony of Rio de Oro as part of ' Greater Mauritania '. Saharawi nationalists had meanwhile formed the Polisario , seeking independence for the whole of Spanish Sahara as Western Sahara, and began a low-level guerrilla campaign. An International Court of Justice ruling on the matter in October 1975 stated that neither the Moroccan nor Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara were strong enough to justify annexation, and that

6237-499: The territory. Moroccan and Algerian troops soon clashed in Western Sahara . Morocco and Mauritania divided up Western Sahara. Fighting between the Moroccan military and Polisario forces continued for many years. The prolonged war was a considerable financial drain on Morocco. In 1983, Hassan cancelled planned elections amid political unrest and economic crisis. In 1984, Morocco left the Organisation of African Unity in protest at

6318-468: The unpopular Mohammed Ben Aarafa sparked active opposition to the French and Spanish protectorates. The most notable violence occurred in Oujda where Moroccans attacked French and other European residents in the streets. France allowed Mohammed V to return in 1955, and the negotiations that led to Moroccan independence began the following year. In March 1956 Morocco regained its independence from France as

6399-830: The word "Moor". Historically, the territory has been part of what Muslim geographers referred to as al-Maghrib al-Aqṣā    [ ar ] ( المغرب الأقصى , 'the Farthest West [of the Islamic world]' designating roughly the area from Tiaret to the Atlantic ) in contrast with neighbouring regions of al-Maghrib al-Awsaṭ    [ ar ] ( المغرب الأوسط , 'the Middle West': Tripoli to Béjaïa ) and al-Maghrib al-Adnā    [ ar ] ( المغرب الأدنى , 'the Nearest West': Alexandria to Tripoli ). Morocco's modern Arabic name

6480-415: 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 recording a population over 500,000 in the 2014 Moroccan census are Fes , Marrakesh , Meknes , Salé and Tangier . Morocco is represented in

6561-495: Was named Saguia el-Hamra . Another Franco-Spanish treaty was signed on 27 November 1912 which created a French protectorate over most of Morocco, whilst ceding parts of the country to Spain viz. the Mediterranean littoral (the 'Northern Zone', or more commonly Spanish Morocco ), the exclave of Ifni and the Cape Juby /Tarfaya Strip (aka the 'Southern Zone'), the latter forming what is now the far south of Morocco proper, between

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