Explore the
real Morocco - Walking,
Trekking, Hiking, Adventure & Holidays in Morocc
Kingdom of Morocco (Morocco
in Brief)
National name:
Kingdom of Morocco — المملكة المغربية (al-Mamlaka al-Maghribiyya)
Location: Kingdom of Morocco is
situated in northwestern Africa with coasts on the Atlantic Ocean
and the Mediterranean Sea; it is bordered by Algeria to the east
and Mauritania to the south.
Area: From 1912 to 1956
Morocco itself was divided into French and Spanish protectorates.
The area of Morocco is 458,730 sq km (177,120 sq mi). Since 1979
Morocco has also occupied the adjacent region known as Western
Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara).
Ruler: King Muhammed VI (1999)
Prime Minister: Abbas El Fassi
(2007)
Current government officials :
Constitutional monarchy.
Land area: 172,317 sq mi
(446,301 sq km); total area: 172,413 sq mi (446,550 sq km)
Population (2007 est.): 33,757,175 (growth rate: 1.5%); birth rate: 21.6/1000; infant
mortality rate: 38.9/1000; life expectancy: 71.2; density per sq
mi: 196
Capital (2003 est.): Rabat,
1,636,600
Largest cities: Casablanca,
3,397,000; Fez, 941,800; Marrakech, 755,200
Currency: Dirham (1 euro =
11 Mad).
Languages: Arabic (official),
Berber dialects, French often used for business, government, and
diplomacy
Ethnicity/race: Arab-Berber
99.1%, Jewish 0.2%, other 0.7%
Religions: Islam 99%,
Christian & Jewish 1%.
Currency:
The Moroccan Dirham is a floting currency, subdivided into 100
centimes. In various parts of Morocco you may hear prices quoted
in francs, pesetas, or rials, units of currency used during
colonial periods.
Morocco Time Difference: GMT (GMT + 1 in summer)
Geography:
Morocco, about one-tenth larger than California, lies across the
Strait of Gibraltar on the Mediterranean and looks out on the
Atlantic from the northwest shoulder of Africa. Algeria is to the
east and Mauritania to the south. On the Atlantic coast there is a
fertile plain. The Mediterranean coast is mountainous. The Atlas
Mountains, running northeastward from the south to the Algerian
frontier, average 11,000 ft (3,353 m) in elevation.
Official name:Kingdom
of Morocco — المملكة المغربية (al-Mamlaka al-Maghribiyya) Political system :Constitutional
monarchy
Head of state :King
Mohammed VI
Area:710,850
km2 Population:33,750,000
(est. 2007) Capital:Rabat
(1.6 million) Biggest city and economic center:Casablanca
(3.4 million) Languages:Arabic
(official), French (not official, but spoken nearly everywhere),
Amazigh (Berber), Spanish (in the north, especially Tangier) Currency:Moroccan
dirham (MAD) Time zone:UTC
(GMT, without daylight saving time/summer time) Internet TLD:.ma Official website:www.maroc.ma International dialing code:+212
Climate
Moroccan climate varies greatly from region to region. There is
the Mediterranean climate on the north of Morocco, the humid but
tempered climate on the north and south Atlantic coast, the cold
and snowy Atlas mountains, while the desert climate reigns in
the south.
Winters in Moroccoare
cold, but don't be fooled: the sun is very strong and you'll
feel it burning even during winter. Because of intense heat
during summer, all floors in Moroccan houses and hotels are made
from stone or marble. And there is often no heat available!
Central heating is very rare. Therefore, if you are visiting
Morocco sometimes between mid-October/November and April, take
warm clothing too. You'll need it for the evenings and mornings.
In winter, during daytime, it is not so cold if you are spending
your time outside, under the intense Moroccan sun.
Every year, hot and dry winds blow from the Sahara (usually only
during a few days in August), which brings very hot desert air
with it and it tends to raise the temperature to high levels.
It is not recommended visiting the desert and the dunes during
late spring and summer, unless you are a fan of extremely hot
weather.The
best time to visit Morocco is during April, May or September.
Morocco has generally good tap water (in major cities especially),
but it is recommended that you give bottled water to children,
if they are travelling with you, to prevent any diarrhea-related
problems.There
is an excellent choice of local bottled water available in
Morocco(thanks
to the Atlas mountains), like Ain Saiss, Sidi Ali, Sidi Harazem,
Oulmes, etc, that is very cheap too. A big (1.5 l) bottle costs
around 4-5 Dh.
