Intro

Morocco, (Arabic: المغرب‎),officially the Kingdom of Morocco (Arabic: المملكة المغربية‎), is a country in North Africa with a population of 33,241,259. It has a coast on the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea. Morocco has international borders with Algeria to the east, Western Sahara to the south and Spain to the north (Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla).

Morocco is the only African country that is not currently a member of the African Union. However, it is a member of the Arab League, Arab Maghreb Union, the Francophonie, Organization of the Islamic Conference, Mediterranean Dialogue group, and Group of 77, and is a major non-NATO ally of the United States.

The full Arabic name Al-Mamlaka al-Maghribiya translates to "The Western Kingdom." Al-Maghrib (meaning "The West") is commonly used. For historical references, medieval Arab historians and geographers used to refer to Morocco as Al-Maghrib al Aqşá ("The Farthest West"), disambiguating it from neighboring historical regions called al-Maghrib al Awsat ("The Middle West", Algeria) and al-Maghrib al Adna ("The Nearest West", Tunisia).

The latinized name "Morocco" originates from medieval Latin "Morroch," which referred to the name of the former Almoravid and Almohad capital, Marrakech. The Persians straightforwardly call it "Marrakech" while the Turks call it "Fas" which comes from the ancient Idrisid and Marinid capital, Fès.

It is that the word "Marrakech" is presumably derived from the Berber word Mur-Akush meaning Land of God.

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Safi (French: Safi, Arabic: آسفي‎) is a city in western Morocco on the Atlantic Ocean. The capital of the Doukkala-Abda Region, it has a population of 284,750 (2004 census), but is also the centre of an agglomeration which has an estimated 793,000 inhabitants (1987). Safi is a city that concentrates roughly nearly around 6000 hab/km².

Safi is the main fishing port for the country's sardine industry and the moroccan traditional industry homeland. Safi also exports phosphates, textiles and ceramics. During the Second World War, Safi was one of the landing sites for Operation Torch.

Safi, under the name Safim, was under Portuguese rule between 1488 and 1541.

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Moroccan History

• Ancient History:

Mauretania Tingitana - Kingdom of Nekor -

• Medieval History:

Idrisid dynasty - Maghrawa dynasty - Almoravid dynasty - Almohad dynasty - Marinid dynasty - Wattasid dynasty - Saadi dynasty

• Modern History:

Abd el-Krim - Alaouite dynasty - Casablanca Attacks - History of Western Sahara - Ismail of Morocco - Republic of the Rif - Treaty of Fez -

Did you know

• ...that the word "Morocco" was derived from Marrakech, the name of the capital city in the 11th and 12th centuries?
• ...that the word tangerine came from Tangier?
• ...that Morocco was the first country in the world to recognize the United States' independence?

Featured Moroccan

• Driss Ksikes, A journalist and editor-in-chief and director of publication of the arabophone and darijophone Nichane magazine.

Featured Foreigner

• Hu Jintao, the president of the People's Republic of China.

Reason: His visit to Morocco on April 26, 2006. Chinese-Moroccan trade increased by 28 percent year in year to reach 150 million U.S. dollars in 2005.[1]

Culture

• Languages:

Moroccan Arabic - Berber languages - Maghrebi Arabic - Judeo-Berber languages - French - Spanish - Classical Arabic -

• Literature

List of Moroccan writers - Leo Africanus - Muhammad Awzal - Tahar Ben Jelloun - Mohamed Choukri - Hemmou Talb - Literature of Morocco

• Cuisine:

Couscous - Harira - Tajine - Cuisine of Morocco -

• Music:

Andalusian classical music - Berber music - Chaabi - Gnawa - Malhun - Sephardic music - Music of Morocco -

• Places

Djemaa el Fna - Hassan II Mosque - Majorelle Garden - Riad (Morocco) -

• Sport

Morocco national football team - Morocco at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Hicham El Guerrouj - Said Aouita - Nawal El Moutawakel - Mustapha Hadji - Noureddine Naybet - Younes El Aynaoui - Marathon des sables -

• Other

Moroccan style -

Moroccan Websites

• Moroccan American Community Board
• Emploi MAROC
• A Directory & Information Guide of Morocco
• The official Moroccan Communication ministry website
• The Moroccan search engine and directory
• Moroccan news and information website (In French)
• Information Guide of Morocco
• Riad en plein coeur de Marrakech
• All About Morocco, Photos-Food-Weather-Forums...etc
• Forum des Marocaines
• Riad in Marrakesh
• workshops and studio work yoga throughout Morocco

Morocco in the News

• 2006-01-07: Hundreds of demonstrators demonstrated in the streets of Montreal, Canada after the Shooting of a Moroccan man by the Police. [2]
• 2006-01-06: King Mohammed VI regrets human rights abuses during the Years of lead and calls for drawing lessons from the past. [3]
• 2006-01-01: US-Morocco Free trade agreement starts today and becomes the first MENA country to have free trade with the US. [4]
• 2005-12-11: An Ethiopian student in the UK claims that he was tortured in Morocco by CIA agents. This claims follows recent accusations that the US is sending and torturing terrorist suspects to foreign countries in Eastern Europe and North Africa. [5]
• 2005-10-26: Two Moroccans (a driver and his assistant) were abducted by Al-Qaeda members in Iraq. [6]
• 2005-10-26: Moroccan authorities admit the shooting of 4 illegal immigrants at the borders in Ceuta, after a joint investigation with Spain. [7]
• October 17, 2005: Authorities of both Morocco and Spain are under pressure from human right groups investigating the recent incidents in both Melilla and Ceuta's borders. Many illegal immigrants were killed. [8]
• September 29, 2005: 5 Sub-Saharan illegal immigrants were killed while trying to jump the fences separating the border between Morocco and Spain, in both Ceuta and Melilla. [9]
• September 11, 2005: FIFA congress starts in Marrakech for the first time in Africa after 101 years. [10]
• August 26, 2005: Farid Essebar, an 18 years old Moroccan hacker suspect is arrested in Morocco for being behind the last Computer virus Zotob that attacked lately Windows 2000 platforms affecting CNN, The New York Times and United States Department of Homeland Security. [11]
• August 25, 2005: New socio-economic projects are announced in Morocco. Around 20 million dollars are being allocated. [12]
• August 25, 2005: New Algerian ambassador to Rabat is nominated. Army General Larbi Belkheir promised to develop ties with Morocco. [13]
• August 25, 2005: Cotroversy around the [Adil Charkaoui] case in Canada. The Moroccan national is being accused of being a sleeping terrorist agent. The man is facing extradition to Morocco. [14]
• August 20, 2005: Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade ends visit to Morocco. [15]
• August 19, 2005: Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika promises better ties with Morocco. [16]
• August 19, 2005: Moroccan national Mounir El Motassadeq is sentenced to 7 years of prison in Germany for his role in September 11 attacks. [17]
• August 19, 2005: MEDA announces that an amount of 1, 25 billion Euro was invested in Morocco in the past decade. [18]
• August 18, 2005: Polisario releases Moroccan POW's after almost 25 years. [19]
• August 18, 2005: Intel opens offices in Morocco. [20]
• August 17, 2005: More than a dozen of terrorist supects are arrested in Morocco. [21]
• August 13, 2005: Jaouad Gharib defends his title as the World champion in Marathon in Helsinki. [22]
• August 10, 2005: Royal Air Maroc is negotiating the purchase of 5 Dreamliners with Boeing. [23]