Morocco

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For other uses, see Morocco (disambiguation).
Coordinates: 32°N 6°W

Kingdom of Morocco

 ‫( المملكة المغربية‬Arabic)

 ⵜⴰⴳⵍⴷⵉⵜ ⵏ ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ (Standard Moroccan

Tamazight)

Flag

Coat of arms

Motto:
‫ الملك‬،‫ الوطن‬،‫( ا‬Arabic)
ⴰⴽⵓⵛ, ⴰⵎⵓⵔ, ⴰⴳⵍⵍⵉⴷ (Standard Moroccan Tamazight)
"God, Homeland, King"

Anthem:
‫( النشيد الوطني المغربي‬Arabic)
 ⵉⵣⵍⵉ ⴰⵏⴰⵎⵓⵔ ⵏ ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ (Standard Moroccan Tamazight)
(English: "Cherifian Anthem")

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Dark green: Undisputed territory of Morocco

Lighter green: Western Sahara, a territoryclaimed and occupied
mostly by Morocco as its Southern Provinces

Capital Rabat
34°02′N 6°51′W

Largest city Casablanca

33°32′N 7°35′W

Official languages Arabic

Berber

Spoken languages Moroccan Arabic

 Berber

Hassaniya Arabic

Foreign languages French[note 1]

English

Spanish

Ethnic groups Arab-Berber 99%

(2014 )
[2]
Other 1%

[1]

Religion Sunni Islam[a] (official)[3]

Demonym(s) Moroccan

Government Unitary parliamentary

constitutional monarchy[4]

• King Mohammed VI

• Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani

Legislature Parliament

• Upper house House of Councillors

• Lower house House of Representatives

Establishment

• Idrisid dynasty(first dynasty) 788

• Alaouite dynasty(current 1631
dynasty)

• Protectorate established 30 March 1912

• Independence 7 April 1956

Area

• Total 710,850 km2(274,460 sq mi)

or 446,550 km2[b] (40th or 57th)

• Water (%) 0.056 (250 km2)

Population

• 2017 census 35,740,000[5]

• Density 50.0/km2 (129.5/sq mi)

GDP (PPP) 2019 estimate

• Total $332.358 billion[6]

• Per capita $9,339[6]

GDP (nominal) 2019 estimate

• Total $122.458 billion[6]

• Per capita $3,441[6]

Gini (2013) 39.5[7]

medium

HDI (2017) 0.667[8]

medium · 123rd

Currency Moroccan dirham (MAD)

Time zone UTC+1[9]

 Driving side right

Calling code +212

ISO 3166 code MA

Internet TLD .ma

‫المغرب‬.

a. ^ Official religion.

b. ^ The area 446,550 km2 (172,410 sq mi) excludes all

disputed territories, while 710,850 km2 (274,460 sq mi) includes
the Moroccan-administered parts of Western Sahara (claimed as
the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic by the Polisario Front).

Morocco (/məˈrɒkoʊ/ ( listen); Arabic: ‫المغرب‬, romanized: al-maġhrib, lit. 'place the sun sets; the west'; Standard Moroccan
Tamazight: ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ, romanized: Lmeɣrib; French: Maroc), officially the Kingdom of Morocco (Arabic: ‫المملكة المغربية‬, romanized: al-Mamlakah al-Maghribiyah, lit. 'The
Western Kingdom'; Standard Moroccan Tamazight: ⵜⴰⴳⵍⴷⵉⵜ ⵏ ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ, romanized: Tageldit n Lmaɣrib; French: Royaume du Maroc), is a country located in
the Maghreb region of North Africa with an area of 710,850 km2 (274,460 sq mi). Its capital is Rabat, the largest city Casablanca.[10] It overlooks the Mediterranean
Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Morocco claims the areas of Ceuta, Melilla and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, all of them
under Spanish jurisdiction.[11]
Since the foundation of the first Moroccan state by Idris I in 788 AD, the country has been ruled by a series of independent dynasties, reaching its zenith under
the Almoravid and Almohad dynasties, spanning parts of Iberiaand northwestern Africa. The Marinid and Saadi dynasties continued the struggle against foreign
domination, allowing Morocco to remain the only northwest African country to avoid Ottoman occupation. The Alaouite dynasty, which rules to this day, seized
power in 1631. In 1912, Morocco was divided into French and Spanish protectorates, with an international zone in Tangier. It regained its independence in 1956,
and has since remained comparatively stable and prosperous by regional standards.
Morocco claims the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara, formerly Spanish Sahara, as its Southern Provinces. After Spain agreed to decolonise the
territory to Morocco and Mauritania in 1975, a guerrilla war arose with local forces. Mauritania relinquished its claim in 1979, and the war lasted until a cease-fire in
1991. Morocco currently occupies two thirds of the territory, and peace processes have thus far failed to break the political deadlock.
The unitary sovereign state of Morocco is a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. The King of Morocco holds vast executive and legislative powers,
especially over the military, foreign policy and religious affairs. Executive power is exercised by the government, while legislative power is vested in both the
government and the two chambers of parliament, the Assembly of Representatives and the Assembly of Councillors. The king can issue decrees called dahirs,
which have the force of law. He can also dissolve the parliament after consulting the Prime Minister and the president of the constitutional court.
Morocco's predominant religion is Islam, and its official languages are Arabic and Berber; the latter became an official language in 2011, [12] and was the native
language of Morocco before the Muslim conquest in the seventh century C.E.[13] The Moroccan dialect of Arabic, referred to as Darija, and French are also widely
spoken. Moroccan culture is a blend of Berber, Arab, Sephardi Jews, West African and European influences.
Morocco is a member of the Arab League, the Union for the Mediterranean and the African Union. It has the fifth largest economy of Africa.[14]