Morocco Overview

Morocco in northwest Africa offers a blissful mix of experiences. Crowded markets, vast beaches, dramatic mountain landscapes and an oriental culture – characterized by both West African, Arab and French traditions.

The mythical country is not only a fascinating mix of Berbers, Arabs, Europeans and Africans, but also of new and old. Here you will find on the one hand modern hotels with French gourmet restaurants, and on the other hand mysterious fairytale cities such as Marrakech with narrow alleys, belly dancers, snake charmers and the world’s most difficult to navigate bazaar area.

The first residents of Morocco were the Berbers, who still live in the country. After political pressure from Spain and France in the 19th century, Morocco became a French protectorate in 1912.

Morocco consists of more than a third of mountains, and is about the same size as Sweden. It is located between the Atlantic Ocean in the west, the Mediterranean Sea in the north and the Sahara in the east.

Morocco has been occupying Western Sahara, located in the southern part of the country, since 1975. The border with Algeria is partly unregulated, and Morocco also claims the two Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.

The film “The Protective Sky” by Bernardo Bertolucci is based on Paul Bowle’s book “The Sheltering Sky” from 1949, and both the book and the film take place largely in Morocco. William S. Burroughs wrote the book “Naked Lunch” while living in Tangier, Morocco, and the 1962 film “Lawrence of Arabia” with Peter O’Toole is also largely filmed in Morocco.

WORLD HERITAGE

The following objects in Morocco are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The year in which the item was added to the list is indicated in parentheses.

• Medinan and Fez (1981)
• Medinan and Marrakech (1985)
• The built environment in Aït-Ben-Haddou (1987)
• Historic city of Meknes (1996)
• The ruin area in Volubilis (1997)
• Medinan and Tétouan (1997)
• Medinan and Essaouira (2001)
• Portuguese city of el-Jadida (2004)
• Rabat, modern capital with historical heritage from the 12th century (2012)

ELECTRICAL OUTLET

Electricity and electrical outlets in Morocco

Voltage: 127 V / 220 V

Frequency: 50 Hz

Type of plug: C, E

Need an adapter: No, you do not need an adapter.

CLIMATE AND WEATHER

Weather in Rabat

Agadir

Agadir is a city in southern Morocco with 346,106 residents (2004). The city’s metropolitan area, Grand Agadir, has about 750,000 residents and includes the cities of Aït Melloul, Dcheïra El Jihadia and Inezgane. It is located on the coast of the Atlantic, near the foot of the Atlas Mountains.

The city was destroyed by a strong earthquake in the 1960s and then had to be rebuilt. Among other things, this helped to attract tourists as the city plan was adapted for the tourism industry.

The city is known for its long beach, but due to the wide roads, the modern hotels and the European cafes, Agadir is not considered a typical Moroccan city. In the city there is also a local market called Souk Al-Had where you can buy electronics, furniture, spices, clothes, souvenirs and much more.

Agadir is also an important fishing and trading port, and renowned for its sea-inspired food.

Casablanca

Casablanca is a city in western Morocco with 3.8 million residents (2005). It is Morocco’s largest city, economic center and also the center of the country’s communications. In addition to two international airports and one of Africa’s most important ports, the city is also the hub of the country’s railway network.

Essaouira

Essaouira is a city in Morocco, near Marrakech on the Atlantic coast, with 69,493 residents (2004). Archaeological excavations have shown that Essaouira was already inhabited in prehistoric times. The large island of Mogador closes almost entirely to the bay off Essaouira. This makes the place a relatively quiet port, which is protected from strong winds.

The city of Essaouira itself was not built until the 18th century by Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah. He wanted to turn his kingdom towards the Atlantic, and improve relations with the European states. He chose Mogador as his capital and called in the French engineer Théodore Cornut and several European architects and specialists to build a fortress of modern design. It was originally called Souira (“the little fortress”). Later it became the name Es-Saouira (“the beautifully designed”). In 1844, Essaouira was bombed and briefly occupied by the French navy.

In 2001, the medina of Essaouira was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Fez

Fez is Morocco’s third largest city, after Casablanca and Rabat, and has 1 million residents (2007). It is one of the four so-called imperial cities (the others are Marrakech, Meknes and Rabat).

The medina in Fez-al-Bali, the larger of the two medinas in Fez, is believed to be the largest adjacent car-free medina in the world. Fez has been the capital of Morocco several times, most recently until 1912 when most of Morocco came under French control and Rabat became the country’s capital.

The city has also given its name to the headdress fez. Fezen got its name from the fact that the red color was originally extracted from berries that grew around the city of Fez in Morocco.

In 1981, the Medina in Fez was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Marrakech

Marrakech is a city in southwestern Morocco, near the Atlas Mountains, and has 1 million residents (2006). Marrakech has the nickname “Pearl of the South”, and in Berber it means “land of God”. The city is famous for its Berber markets.

In 1985, the medina in Marrakech was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Rabat

According to Countryaah, Rabat has been the capital of Morocco since 1912, and has 2.1 million residents (2007). The city was founded in the 12th century as a base in the almohad war against the Christians on the Iberian Peninsula. In the 1610s, it became a refuge for Christian Moors who had been deported from Spain. The city was then, among other things, a base for Arab pirates.

Rabat is an important traffic hub with an international airport. The business community is dominated by the textile, leather, fruit and fish industries.

Tangier

Tangier is a city in Morocco on the Strait of Gibraltar, and has 700,000 residents (2008). The oldest part of the city is surrounded by a wall, and in this part is the castle Kasba, which was built in the 15th century. From 1923 to 1956, Tangier was an international zone, and was administered by France, Spain, Great Britain and Italy.

Tangier has regular ferry services to Algeciras and Tarifa in Spain and to Gibraltar.