Morocco Map

 

Morocco is the nearest African country to Europe and the most accessible

Located between the 36th and 28th parallel north, it is separated from Europe by the straits of Gibraltar.

Five aspects to note:

1-the Atlantic coastline with its tides, ocean rollers, and fresh sea breezes.

2-the Mediterranean coastline has sandy beaches, cliffs, and calm sea.

3-the Sahara desert.

Four arid and windy plateaux, such as the Haouz and the Tadla, are characterized by their dry climate, strong winds, and sparse vegetation. While challenging for agriculture, these plateaux offer unique landscapes and are home to various desert-adapted flora and fauna.

5-the high mountain ranges that make an incomparable chain.

In addition, there are areas unique to Morocco: the hills of the Zaer country, known for their picturesque landscapes and traditional Berber villages; the orchards of the Souss, where you can find a variety of fruits and vegetables; and the forests of oaks, cedars, and Argan trees, which are home to a diverse range of wildlife.

Four mountain chains divide the country from north to south.

The Rif:

It is rising to a maximum height of 2,456 m at Mount Tidiquin. It is a chain shaped like a crescent composed of small ranges.

The Rif Mountains, with their unique climate and conditions, provide the northern area with the ideal environment for Mediterranean cultivation. This includes a variety of crops such as olives, citrus fruits, and grapes, which are an important part of the region's agricultural economy.

The Middle Atlas:

Where you will find forests, springs, lakes, streams, and pastures with numerous summits over 2,000 m and several between 2,500m. This area is the most European-looking of our mountainous regions.

The High Atlas:

They are raising a barrier between the world of grass and vineyards and the world of rocks and salt. On one side are farmers and villages; on the other are nomads who wander around and live in tents. Over almost 800 km, the high Atlas range is crossed by three passes at 2.100 m (Tizi n Test), 2.260 m (Tizi n Tichka), and 1.947 m (Tizi n Telghemt).

There are three prominent peaks: the Ayachi summit at 3.747 m, Toubkal at 4.167 m, the highest point in the Atlas and the north of Africa, and Ighil Mgoun at 4.068 m.

One can imagine why the ancient thought that the summit was the shoulder of the giant (Atlas) holding up the heavens.

The Anti–Atlas:

The range rising from the ocean and the desert is at the same altitude as Cairo and the Canary Islands. Its highest point is 3.304 m on the extinct volcano of Siroua. The range has high plateaux with granite formations. At its southern end, it protects the fertile Souss valley from the searing winds of the Sahara. Rarely are Moroccan mountains impassable, a fact that makes all passages through them important from economic and human viewpoints. The passages are called Tizi (pass) in the Berber language.

As you will see for yourselves, the physical aspects of the mountains are very diverse, like the rest of Morocco.

The high mountains have inexhaustible resources, notably skiing, and alpine excursions, which contribute significantly to the country's tourism industry. The mountains also provide a natural barrier, protecting the fertile plains from the searing winds of the Sahara. This, in turn, supports agricultural activities, which are a major part of Morocco's economy.

The middle Atlas is a paradise for winter sports enthusiasts in the Fez vicinity (Michlifen). Near Marrakech, Oukaimeden is the best ski resort in the High Atlas, where skiing is possible starting in November.

There are very few real plains. The Gharb is a river valley (the Sebou and its tributaries). The Souss is named after the river of the same name.

Elsewhere, there are plateaux covered with more or less fertile soils called(meseta) a small table in Spanish on the Atlantic seaboard, or glacier-eroded areas of the south, the lake bottom plain of Saiss near Fez and Meknes, the high plateaux of the east, and infertile, rocky areas like the Oulmes central plateau of granite, the Hamada of Guir and the Draa.

The (Meseta) is very rich in the Casablanca and Rabat hinterland. The Saiss is also very fertile. Only irrigation has rendered the Tadla area fit for farming.

Morocco is the only Maghreb country with natural rivers with permanent and fairly regular flows: the Lukus, the Sebou, the Oum-er-Rabia, and the Tensift flow into the Atlantic, while the Moulouya (450 km long) flow into the Mediterranean and the longest river in Morocco.

Deep in the south, the Ziz and Draa rivers rarely reach the sea because they are bled dry by irrigation or evaporation in the desert heat.

The Saharan rivers, like the Gheris, Guir, and Saoura, get lost in the desert sands after giving life, like the Draa, to numerous oases. These oases are important for their agricultural value and cultural significance, as they have been inhabited by nomadic tribes for centuries, contributing to Morocco's rich cultural heritage.

Morocco has a great deal of modern equipment and infrastructure, such as dams for irrigation and electric power, large mines, sugar and oil refineries, fruit and vegetables, thousands of kilometres of paved roads, plenty of sports facilities, hotels, and many other amenities tourists may desire.

Agriculture is the principal economic resource, feeding the population, which grows faster than the harvests. Morocco's population is diverse, with Arab Amazigh being the largest ethnic group, followed by Arabized Berbers and other smaller ethnic groups. Life depends on strict water discipline in the oases, and there are date palms.

The crops are good when there is sufficient and timely rainfall, which sometimes causes rivers to overflow. Fruit tree cultivation improves a lot of farmers (olives, figs, and walnuts in the north, Argan trees, and date palms in the south). Traditional agricultural practices, such as terracing and irrigation, are still widely used in Morocco, contributing to the country's food production and self-sustainability.

Today, experiments are being made with new crops like oil seeds, cotton, and sugar beet. However, agriculture continues to be based on cereal crops. Regarding trade, the open-door system instituted at Algeciras in 1906 has been abrogated.

Since 1956, a Moroccan merchant fleet has been set up, which plays a crucial role in the country's foreign trade. However, it's important to note that most foreign trade is still carried under foreign flags, indicating the global nature of Morocco's trade relations.

Various minerals are mined in the country, but phosphates at Khouribga and Youssoufia are especially important, followed by argent at Imiter Tinghir. These mineral resources play a significant role in Morocco's economy, contributing to its industrial development and export earnings.

Agriculture, industrialization, professional training, and tourism are the top priorities in government economic planning.

Investment of foreign capital is encouraged by incentives offered in special (investment codes).

Climate:

Might I start by saying that you won't be able to fully appreciate the climate of Morocco if you spend all your time inside the garden of some sumptuous residence or on the first beach you find? I would suggest the deep south, the imperial cities and the ski resorts in winter, Marrakech in the spring, Chaouen and the sea at Al Hoceima in the autumn, and in the summer, the Rif coastline, Tangier, Martil together with Mohammedia and the other seaside resorts around Casablanca. The climate in Morocco varies from the Mediterranean in the north to the desert in the south. The Atlantic coastline has always been popular with tourists.

Springtime, the ideal season for those who want to explore a Morocco full of enchantment and colour, begins here at the end of January: you will find that the time is just right, the sun bursting out of a clear blue sky, the temperature perfect, and landscapes more beautiful than ever, together with pleasant evenings that are perhaps just a little chilly.

A look at the readings taken at various meteorological stations throughout Morocco will show various findings, which nonetheless display a common denominator: Morocco's climatic conditions are bracing and healthy. The temperatures in Morocco vary between moderate and warm, as can be seen from average temperatures noted in various regions of the kingdom during the year.

Morocco's summer is warm. The average temperature hovers around 30 centigrade, with the notable exceptions of the Sahara and the areas lying just north, where the temperature might be 5 to 6 degrees higher.

Therefore, although Morocco's climate offers appreciable differences between maximum and minimum temperatures, the overall weather conditions here fall in the moderate category, which puts Morocco in the all-year-round tourism class.

Morocco's rainfall is relatively light, except, perhaps, for the north and the middle Atlas: the average annual rainfall for the east and the Atlantic coastline strip is 200 mm.

Population:

Morocco's total population is 34,000,000 inhabitants.

The Berbers are the most numerous (three principal groups: the Masmouda, the Zenata, and the Zenaga).

The Riffis (inhabitants of the Rif Mountains).

The Chleuh (inhabitants of the high Atlas, anti-Atlas, and the Souss) probably derived from the Masmouda, like the Almohads.

The Berbers living in central Morocco are connected with the Sanhadja or Zenaga, like the Almoravids. They are found in the Middle Atlas, the Rif, and the Zemmour.

The Touareg, who live in the desert, are the same family.

The Zenata came from central Algeria in the 12th and 13th centuries and produced the Merinid dynasty. They occupy the north and east of Morocco, although some are in the Chaouia and Tangier. The Drawa, coloured people of the Draa, are sometimes considered a mixture of freemen and enslaved Black people, but this is not certain. Under the name of Haratine(singular: Hartani), they form the more significant part of the population of the oases south of the Anti-atlas.

The Arabs arrived first with Oqba ben Nafi in 683 A.D. and then in 707 with Moussa ibn Nasser. At first, they were few. In 788, Idriss (who took refuge at Moulay Idriss, near Meknes ), a descendant of Ali, the prophet's son-in-law, settled here, and his son founded Fez.

A second wave of Arabs arrived in the 12th century with Abd El Moumen. They were much more numerous, and the influx continued until the 16th century. They mixed with Berbers in many places, while those who settled on the plains kept their language, Arabic (except for the Jebala). Jews arrived in Morocco at various times; the first was said to have come from Jerusalem after the destruction of the temple by Titus. A second emigration, more recent, originated in Europe (Spain and Portugal )following persecution. There were already Jews in Carthage .in the 3rd century B.C. Jewish colonies were already established in Morocco, and in the 5th century, new groups came with the Vandals. In the 5th and 7th centuries, the Visigoth invasions evicted others.

The fairly numerous coloured people did not form distinct tribes; they lived scattered as enslaved people or freemen. The Almoravids brought some with them when they moved north. In the 16th century, the Saadian sultan returning from Timbuktu was accompanied by a personal bodyguard of black fighters.