Morocco

Morocco is a country in the northwest corner of Africa. It sits across a narrow strip of water from Spain, with the Atlantic Ocean on its west coast and the Mediterranean Sea on its north coast. The Strait of Gibraltar, the water between Morocco and Spain, is only about 9 miles wide at its narrowest point. On a clear day, you can stand in Morocco and see Europe.

About 37 million people live in Morocco. The capital is Rabat, but the biggest city is Casablanca, a busy port on the Atlantic. Other famous cities include Marrakech, Fez, and Tangier. The official languages are Arabic and Amazigh (also called Berber). Many Moroccans also speak French, and some speak Spanish or English.

Morocco has many kinds of land packed into one country. The Atlas Mountains run through the middle like a long spine. Their highest peak, Toubkal, rises to 13,671 feet, tall enough to be covered in snow even though Africa is mostly known for heat. South and east of the mountains, the land dries out and becomes the Sahara Desert, the biggest hot desert in the world. In the north, green forests and farmland roll down to the sea.

The Amazigh people have lived in this region for thousands of years. They are the oldest known group in Morocco. Arab armies arrived in the 600s and 700s CE and brought the religion of Islam, which is still the main religion today. Over the centuries, Morocco was ruled by powerful dynasties that built grand mosques, palaces, and walled old cities called medinas. A medina is a maze of narrow streets packed with shops, markets, and homes. Some of them are more than 1,000 years old.

Morocco is a kingdom. A king rules the country along with an elected government. The current royal family, the Alaouite dynasty, has been in power since the 1600s. From 1912 to 1956, France and Spain controlled most of Morocco as colonies. Morocco won back its independence in 1956.

Moroccan food is famous around the world. A tagine is a stew cooked slowly in a clay pot with a cone-shaped lid. Couscous, tiny balls of steamed wheat, is often served with vegetables and meat on Fridays. Mint tea is poured into small glasses from high in the air, which cools it and makes foam on top.

Morocco is also a country of sound. In many cities, five times a day, the call to prayer rings out from the towers of mosques, echoing over rooftops where storks build their enormous nests.