World search

Formally called the Kingdom of Morocco, Morocco is a country in North Africa, which forms a part of the Maghreb region. The administrative capital of the country is Rabat, while Casablanca is one of the major cities.

Morocco has an elected parliament with two houses, which take legislative decisions. However, the King of Morocco is vested with powers to dissolve the parliament and issue decrees that can be enforced as law. Morocco is a constitutional monarchy.

Moroccan history dates back to around 110 BC when the Northern portion of current day Morocco was under the rule of King Bocchus I. Muslim rulers came to Morocco in the 7th century, bringing in the Islamic way of life to which several of the native Berbers converted. The Idrisid dynasty ruled in Morocco from AD 780, during which time, the country prospered culturally. A series of Berber dynasties were in power starting from the 11th century. The subsequent years saw a number of dynasties emerge in Morocco, the most powerful of which was the Saadi dynasty, bringing considerable wealth and prosperity to the country. Soon after, due to a variety of political reasons, the kingdom was fractured into independent states. In 1664, the Alaouite dynasty was instrumental in unifying the country again and this is the ruling dynasty in present day Morocco. France and Spain occupied separate portions of Morocco in the early 20th century. It was only recently as 1956 that Morocco became truly independent, gaining freedom from France and Spain.

Given Morocco’s geographical location, its climate varies in different cities, as per their altitude. Along the coastal cities like Casablanca and Rabat, both summers and winters tend to be mild coupled with breeze that blows in from the Mediterranean Sea. As you move inland towards the Sahara desert, the areas experience extremely hot summers and harsh winters. Places along the Atlas Mountain experience some snowfall too.

The indigenous people of Morocco are the Berbers and a vast majority of the Moroccans today have descended from them or from an Arab-Berber mixed linage. Islam is the official religion and majority of the population is Sunni Muslim. As per a 2011 census, the population of Morocco is around 32 million.