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 For historical references, historians used to refer to Morocco as Al Maghrib al Aqsá ("The Farthest West"), disambiguating it from the historical region called the Maghreb.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

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.

By the 15th century Spain and Portugal began to intrude into Morocco, after having expelled the Moors from their own lands. Although Morocco successfully repulsed these invasions, the tide of European imperialism eventually proved too great. By the middle of the 19th century Morocco's strategic importance had become evident to all of the European powers, and they engaged in a protracted struggle for possession of the country. Finally, in 1911, France was formally acknowledged as protector of the greater part of the country, with Spain receiving a number of isolated locales. French rule came to an end in 1953, although its cultural influence on Morocco remains strongly in evidence. Today the country is ruled by King Mohammed VI. He appears to be leading Morocco toward both long-term stability and a greater degree of economic prosperity.

Macroeconomic stability, coupled with low inflation and relatively slow economic growth, has characterized the Moroccan economy over the past several years. The government continues to pursue reform, liberalization, and modernization aimed at stimulating growth and creating jobs. Employment, however, remains overly dependent on the agriculture sector, which is extremely vulnerable to inconsistent rainfall. Morocco's primary economic challenge is to accelerate growth in order to reduce high levels of unemployment and underemployment. While overall unemployment stands at 7.7%, this figure masks significantly higher urban unemployment, as high as 33% among urban youths.

EThrough a foreign exchange rate anchor and well-managed monetary policy, Morocco has held inflation rates to industrial country levels over the past decade; inflation between 1999 and 2004 remained at 1.5% and fell to 1% in 2005. Despite criticism among exporters that the dirham has become badly overvalued, the country maintains a current account surplus. Foreign exchange reserves are strong, with over $16 billion in reserves, the equivalent of 11 months of imports at the end of 2005. The combination of strong foreign exchange reserves and active external debt management gives Morocco ample capacity to service its debt. Current external debt stands at about $17.9 billion.

Economic growth has been hampered by an over-reliance on the agriculture sector. Agriculture production is extremely susceptible to rainfall levels and ranges from 15% to 20% of GDP. Given that almost 40% of Morocco's population depends directly on agriculture, droughts have a severe negative effect on the economy.The current government is continuing a series of structural reforms begun in recent years. The most promising reforms have been in the labor market and financial sectors, and privatization has accelerated the sale of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) licenses in recent years. Morocco also has liberalized rules for oil and gas exploration and has granted concessions for many public services in major cities. The tender process in Morocco is becoming increasingly transparent. Many believe, however, that the process of economic reform must be accelerated in order to reduce urban unemployment.

In January 2006, the bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the United States and Morocco went into effect. The FTA represents an important step towards President Bush's vision of a Middle East Free Trade Area and is the first in Africa. The U.S.-Morocco FTA eliminated tariffs on 95% of bilateral trade in consumer and industrial products with all remaining tariffs to be eliminated within nine years. The negotiations produced a comprehensive agreement covering not only market access but also intellectual property rights protection, transparency in government procurement, investments, services, and e-commerce. The FTA provides new trade and investment opportunities for both countries and will encourage economic reforms and liberalization already underway.

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 totally dominating religion of Morocco is Islam, in the Sunni variant. Practices from earlier religions still exist, even if they have taken a Muslim cloak. This is the case of the holy man idea, known as marabout.

Christianity is present, with about 100,000 adherents. These are generally of French descent from the colonial times, or immigrants. Judaism still exist in Morocco, with a reported group of 5,000, and decreasing, mainly living in Casablanca and 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.

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.

• Time: GMT+0
• Electricity: 220 volts in new buildings, 110 in older ones Power points are of the French type. The frequency used is 50 Hz.
• Country code: 212

Restricted Items:

• New items less then six months old (Commercial Invoice required)
• Food and beverages
• Electronic and electrical items are dutiable (load near container door for easy access)
• Antiques
• Portable phones must be approved by the Ministry of P.T.T.
• Medicine (permit from Ministry of Health required)
• Weapons and ammunition (hunting permit and firearm acquisition certificate required). Only smooth-barreled hunting weapons are permitted.
• Books, records and cassettes and compact disks

Prohibited Items:

• Moroccan currency
• Pornographic and politically sensitive material
• Narcotics and drugs
• Alcoholic beverages and tobacco products
• Explosives

Getting Around Morocco

Royal Air Maroc is the national air carrier and provides domestic and international service.Many other foreign airlines serve Morocco, including Air France, British Airways and Saudia.Scheduled flights from all major cities in the Middle East, Europe and North America (New York and Montreal) serve Morocco.

Port facilities are well developed in Casablanca, Agadir, Tangier, Kenitra, Safi and Mohamedia.Ferries operate from Algeciras, Malaga and Almeria in Spain, from Sete in France, and from Gibraltar.

Morocco has an outstanding network (59,198km/36,786miles) of paved roads which extend throughout the country, even into the Sahara.The country has an excellent railway system with 1,893km (1,176mi) of track and a fine intercity passenger service utilizing 669,637 passenger cars.Overnight train services running throughout Europe can connect with Morocco.

A full valid passport is required for entry into Morocco. No visa is necessary for nationals of UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and most EC countries.

Visitors can stay for three months. Those who wish to extend their stay may apply to the Immigration or Bureau des Etrangers department of the local police headquarters in most larger towns.

Bou Inania Medersa in Fes, generally considered the most beautiful of the Kairaouine University's 14th-century residential colleges. It was built by order of Abou Inan, the first ruler of the Merenid dynasty, which would become the most decisive ruling clan in Fez's development. The main components of the medersa's stunningly intricate decorative artwork are: the green-tile roofing; the cedar eaves and upper patio walls carved in floral and geometrical motifs; the carved-stucco mid-level walls; the ceramic-tile lower walls covered with calligraphy and geometric designs; and the marble floor.

Andalusian Mosque in Fes was built in AD 859 by Myriam, sister of the Fatima who had erected the Kairaouine Mosque on the river's other side two years earlier. The gate was built by the Almohads in the 12th century. The detailed wood carvings in the eaves, which bear a striking resemblance to those in the Fondouk Nejjarine, are the main thing to see here, as the mosque itself is set back and elevated, making it hard to examine from outside.