|
|
 40 A.D.: Morocco comes under Roman rule. 7th century: Arabs rule Morocco, most people switch to Islam. 8th century: King Idris ibn Adballah unites the Berbers and Arabs in a monarchy that lasts 200 years. Early 1800s: American and British forces combat Moroccan piracy in the Mediterranean. Early 1900s: France begins exerting control over Morocco and takes over in 1912. 1943: Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt meet in Casablanca during World War II to discuss wartime strategy. 1947: Independence forces begin open warfare on French forces in Morocco. Morocco become independent on March 2, 1956 Recent years: The Moroccan government has shown rapid improvement, though there were hardships during the Gulf War of 1992. |
MOROCCO Kingdom of Morocco
|
| Noun People from Morocco are called Moroccans. | |
 |
Location Morocco is located in Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara. |
 |
Size slightly larger than California |
 |
Coastline Morocco borders the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. |
 |
Terrain Morocco's northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas of bordering plateaus and rich coastal plains. |
 |
Climate Morocco's climate is Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior. |
 |
Land use 18% of Morocco is fertile and can be used to grow crops. 1% of the land is used for permanent crops. 28% is taken up by pastures and meadows. 12% of the land is made up of forests. 41% is left over for other uses. |
 |
Capital Rabat, which is home to more than 1,200,000 people, is Morocco's capital (1987 estimate). |
 |
Independence On March 2, 1956 Morocco gained independence from France. |
 |
National holiday National Day, March 3 (1961) |
 |
Languages Arabic is the official language and some speak several Berber dialects. French is often the language of business, government, and diplomacy. |
 |
Population Over 29 million (1996 est.) |
 |
Age 38% of all Moroccans are between 0-14 years of age. 58% of the population is between 15-64 years old. The remaining 4% are 65 years and over. |
 |
Life expectancy at birth Male Moroccans are expected to live to be 67. Female Moroccans are expected to live to be 71. |
 |
Total fertility rate Women have an average of 3 children each. |
 |
Ethnic divisions Arab-Berber 99.1%, other 0.7%, Jewish 0.2% |
 |
Religions Muslim 98.7%, Christian 1.1%, Jewish 0.2% |
 |
Literacy 43% of all Moroccans are literate. 57% of males can read and write. 31% of females can read and write. |
