Morocco

The Kingdom of Morocco is a country of northwest Africa. It has a long coastline on the Atlantic Ocean which reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea.

Morocco has annexed Western Sahara, but this is not universally recognised.

[Top]

History

Main article: History of Morocco

Morocco was a French protectorate from 1912, remaining a Kingdom, and achieved independence in 1956, and it took control over Tangier, formerly an international city. It annexed Western Sahara in the 1970s, but this has not been recognised by many nations.

Morocco was the first nation to recognize the fledging American republic in 1777, and has the oldest non-broken friendship treaty with this country since 1783 : the Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were the American signatories. The US legation (embassy) in Tangier, now a museum, is one of the oldest official American buildings outside the US.

[Top]

Politics

Main article: Politics of Morocco

The King of Morocco is an active leader, although decreasingly so. Political parties are legal, and a plethora of them exist.

[Top]

Provinces

Provinces of Morocco

Morocco is divided into 37 provinces and 2 wilayas*: Agadir, Al Hoceima, Azilal, Beni Mellal, Ben Slimane, Boulemane, Casablanca*, Chaouen, El Jadida, El Kelaa des Sraghna, Er Rachidia, Essaouira, Fes, Figuig, Guelmim, Ifrane, Kenitra, Khemisset, Khenifra, Khouribga, Laayoune, Larache, Marrakech, Meknes, Nador, Ouarzazate, Oujda, Rabat-Sale*, Safi, Settat, Sidi Kacem, Tanger, Tan-Tan, Taounate, Taroudannt, Tata, Taza, Tetouan, Tiznit; three additional provinces of Ad Dakhla (Oued Eddahab), Boujdour, and Es Smara as well as parts of Tan-Tan and Laayoune fall within Moroccan-claimed Western Sahara

note: as part of a 1997 decentralization/regionalization law passed by the legislature 16 new regions (provided below) were created although full details and scope of the reorganization are limited : Casablanca, Chaouia-Ourdigha, Doukkala-Abda, Fes-Boulmane, Gharb-Chrarda-Beni Hssen, Guelmim-Es Smara, Laayoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra, Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz, Meknes-Tafilalet, Oriental, Oued Eddahab-Lagouira, Rabat-Sale-Zemmour-Zaer, Souss-Massa-Draa, Tadla-Azilal, Tangier-Tetouan, Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate

[Top]

Geography

Geography of Morocco

Neighbouring countries are Mauritania to the southwest and Algeria to the east and southeast (the Algerian border is closed ). There are also four Spanish enclaves on the Mediterranean coast: Ceuta, Melilla Peñon Velez de la Gomera and Peñon de Alhucemas, as well as several islands including Perejil (status disputed) and Chafarinas. Off the Atlantic coast are the Canary Islands and Madeira and across the Mediterranean to the north is Spain.

The capital city is Rabat. Its largest city is Casablanca.

Other cities include Agadir, Dakhla, Essaouira, Fes, Laayoune, Marrakech, Meknes, Oujda, Safi, Smara, Tanger, Tiznit, Salè and Tan-Tan.