Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, 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, Spain to the north (a water border through the Strait and land borders with two small Spanish autonomous cities, Ceuta and Melilla), and Mauritania to the south.
History:Morocco's history began with the Berbers, the aboriginal people who have inhabited the country since the end of the 2nd millennium BC Rome extended its rule over the area after defeating Carthage in 146 BC, and testimony to its presence still exists in the fine Roman ruins at Volubilis. As Rome fell into decline Morocco was invaded first by the Vandals and then, in the 7th century, by the Arabs. Although external Arab rule lasted little more than a century, the arrival of Islam proved to be a permanent addition to Moroccan culture. In the ensuing centuries a series of ruling dynasties came to power, including the Idrissids, the Almoravids, and the Almohads, but none seemed capable of long maintaining the critical support of the Berber leaders.
Language: Arabic is Morocco's official language, spoken by about three-quarters of the population.The various Berber dialects are still spoken in rural areas but with less frequency.French is also a common second language among the urban educated classes.Spanish is spoken as a second language by many residents in northern cities like Tangier, Tetuan and Larache.The Berber languages, which was once dominant throughout Morocco, have declined in importance, and in the early 1990's about 25 percent of the people used Berber as their first language. Many of those people also spoke Arabic- the country's official language- which is the primary language of some 75 % of the population.Many Moroccans also use French and Spanish.
Climate:The Moroccan coastal climate is moderate and subtropical, cooled by the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. The average temperature hovers at around 20°C.
In the interior the temperatures are more extreme winters can be quite cold and the summers very hot. In the mountain ranges temperatures can drop to 0°F and mountain peaks in both the Atlas and Rif mountain ranges are snow capped throughout most of the year.The winter in the north of the country is wet and rainy. Winter in the south at the edge of the Moroccan Sahara is dry and bitter cold.
