MOROCCO

Morocco is a mountainous country located in northwestern Africa. It is bounded on the north by the Strait of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean sea, to the south by Mauritania, east by Algeria, and west by the Atlantic Ocean. The Moroccan coast extends over 3500 km. The mountain ranges of the Atlas were long a barrier to communication between the north and south.

The dominant climate in Morocco is Mediterranean, temperate in the west and north by the Atlantic Ocean. inside, the climate is continental with significant differences in temperature, the area of the atlas is wet, snow is common. the south has a desert climate, dry place.

Population: 34,860,000 inhabitants (estimated 2009). / Area: 710,850 km2.
Density: 83.14 inhabit / km2. / Capital: Rabat (1.75 million inhabitants).
Principal cities: Casablanca (pop. 3,000,000). Marrakech (more than 1.3 million inhabitants). Fez (about 1 million inhabitants). Tangier (pop. 746,500).
Languages: Classical Arabic (official), Arabic dialect (Darija), the Berber (tarifite, tamazighte, tachelhite), French (fluent in administration) and Spanish (locally in the north).
State: Constitutional monarchy. / Head of State: Mohamed 6 (since 1999).
Currency: Dirham (1 euro = 11 dirhams).
World Heritage Sites of Unesco: The medina of Fez (1981). The medina of Marrakech (1985). Ksar Ait Ben Haddou (1987). The medina of Meknes (1996). The Medina of Tétouan (1997). The site of Volubilis (1997). The Portuguese medina of Essaouira (2001) and the medina of El Jadida (2004).

As they show Prehistoric utensils found to house the oldest in fact in North Africa. The man is already present to
800,000 years B-JC on the Atlantic shore. Morocco enter in history 800-600 years B-JC. the writing invented by
the Libyan Amazighe appears in the atlas and performances are produced on the Phoenician pottery identified on
the island of Essaouira around 500 B-JC. The years take possession of the Roman Mauritanie Tangitane enhanced by the creation of roads, which resulted in an agricultural boom and intense commercial activity, Tingis, Lexus and Volubilis.

After the death of Prophet Mohammed in 788, the birth of the first Muslim dynasty of Middle East origin. And on 791 creating the Moroccan state is a descendant of Ali son of Prophet Idris I flee Arabia to escape the massacre of his family and will move to Volubilis. Based subsequently Fez. That after his death in 792, will be made ??the capital by his son Idriss II will succeed him. It will handle the construction of the city in 803, died in 828 is several dynasties will succeed in leading the country to this day:

DYNASTY ALMORAVID (less warriors) Amazigh native of Western Sahara. Youssef ibn Tashufin their leader melt Marrakesh as the capital to 1070.
DYNASTY ALMOHAD (unifying) Amazigh of the High Atlas, their founder is el Mehdi ibn Toumart preacher Tinmal. his disciple abd el Moumen take Marrakesh as the capital, and died in Rabat in 1163.
DYNASTY MERINID Amazigh nomadic Zénètes from Basin High Moulouya will capital Fez el Jdid basing several madrasas. in 1269 the Sultan Abu Youssef Yacoub empérera the city of Marrakech.
DYNASTY SAADIENNE Cherifienne of "Chorfas" descendants of the Prophet Mohammed from the Draa Valley, Marrakech will be their capital in 1578 by Sultan Ahmed el Mansour Eddahbi.
DYNSTY ALAOUITE Is Essue of chorfas Tafilalet descendants of Imam Ali, which will be established in the region before a sovereign to establish their authority over the whole country in 1666. their spiritual founder Moulay Ali Cherif, his successor Mohamed Ben Ali Cherif first King from 1640 proclaimed. the king Mouly Ismail take Meknes as its capital in 1672. after his death in 1727, Sidi Mohamed ben Abdallah (Mohamed III) succeeded him in 1757 then became successor Mouly Yazid bin Abdullah (1790-1792) and king Mouly Slimane. After the reign of Mohamed IV will continue until May 1873 Moulay Hassan I until 1894 Mouly abd al Aziz him succeed. Then Mouly Hafid who abdicates the profile of his brother Moulay Youssef. In 1927 the king Mohammed ben Youssef (Mohamed V) proclaimed Sultan of the Kingdom Chérifienne. After his death on 26 February 1961 , Moulay Hassan (Hassan II) was enthroned on March 3 of that year. Late S.M King Hassan II was among the major heads of state in the world in the 1990s. with the death of King Hassan II on 23 July 1999 it will be a sovereign born after independence who now lead the destinies of the Kingdom in this case, His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the enthronement took place on July 30 1999 ... !