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.
Morocco is the only African country that is not currently a member of the African Union. However, it is a member of the Arab League, Arab Maghreb Union, the Francophonie, Organization of the Islamic Conference, Mediterranean Dialogue group, and Group of 77, and is a major non-NATO ally of the United States.
The full Arabic name of Morocco is Al-Mamlaka al-Maghribiya translates to The Western Kingdom. Al Maghrib (meaning "The West") is commonly used. For historical references, historians used to refer to Morocco as Al Maghrib al Aqsá ("The Farthest West"), disambiguating it from the historical region called the Maghreb. The name "Morocco" in many other languages originates from the name of the former capital, Marrakech.
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 .
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.
The Moroccan coastal climate is moderate and subtropical, cooled by the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. The average temperature hovers at around 20°C.
The Moroccan currency is the Dirham (DH) divided into 100 centimes. There are 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 DH notes, 1, 5 and 10 DH coins and 5, 10, 20 and 50 centime coins. You can only obtain Dirhams in Morocco. Do not change money in the streets, it is illegal.
The best place to change it is at a bank or approved change office (indicated by a golden sign). No commission is charged and you will be given a slip which will be required at the end of your stay to change any remaining Dirhams back into the original currency. You can withdraw money in banks with a credit card and a cheque book, or directly from a cash dispenser in some large towns. Credit cards are generally accepted in major hotels, shops and restaurants, and sometimes even in the souks.
Alphabetical Listing of Hotels and Resorts in Morocco (Casablanca)
ASIA TRAVEL'S TOP SELLING HOTELS WITH PAYMENT DIRECTLY AT THE HOTEL FRONT DESK
