Morrocco

Morrocco

Official Name: Kingdom of Morocco
Capital: Rabat
Population and composition:

The Kingdom of Morocco that was once ruled by the French and the Spanish has some of their influence left over. The overall composition of the population though mainly Arabs you will find people from Spain and France also co-existing. As per the estimates of 2008 the population of morocco stood over34,343,219. It is a combination of Berbers, Arabs and a mixture of Arab-Berber. The Arab population that is found here originated from the Arab people who conquered the country in the 7th and 11th centuries.

Location: Morocco is located in the northwestern corner of the African continent. The Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and Algeria border it to the east andsoutheast. The Strait of Gibraltar separates it from Spain at its northern tip. Its southern border is the Sahara Desert. With an area of 446,550 square kilometers (172,413 square miles) and a coastline of 1,835 kilometers (1,140 miles).

Type of government:
Morocco has a constitutional monarchy with two legislative houses (House of Councilors and House of Representatives).
Language:
Theofficial languages in Morocco are Arabic and Tamazight.
b) Traditions and customs, religion, art, food, costumes:
Morocco is a country with a very rich culture full of important and interesting traditions and customs. The official religion in there is the Islam, but there also exist other cults and religions less strong.

There are three main social groups in Morocco: Arabs, Imazighen and anadmixture of the two. The majority of the inhabitants of Morocco is Sunni Muslims and belongs to the Mālikī rite, even though Moroccan law lets freedom of religion inside the country.

Morocco has is generally temperate Mediterranean climate with around 33,000 square miles of arable land. Moroccan cuisine is very diverse because of many aspects, but the main one is that Mediterranean culture has beensubject to Berber, Moorish and Arab influences that have enriched Moroccan culture and consequently its food.
Some of the main dishes are:

* Moroccan Couscous: An imperial dish consisting of couscous with seven vegetables
* Briouat: Triangular or cylinder-shaped savory or sweet pastry covered with warqa (a paper-thin Moroccan dough)
* Harira: thick soup based on tomatoes (beans,lentils and other products can be added)
In terms of costumes and clothing, Moroccan women dress a kaftan with open collar with motives in gold sons either silvery. It defers in men because men’s kaftan have short hood and women’s kaftan a long one, also some djellabas are carried by men and women. There also exist takchitas and gandouras that are special dresses used for events like marriages orother ceremonies of Moroccan culture.

Also the art is truly amazing in this country, Moroccan people express themselves in sculptures, carpets, jewelry, calligraphy, carving and painting. Moroccan art is very interesting because it is almost medieval-like and that impress a lot to travelers.

Also they have, once a year, an international art festival to showcase all the talent of Moroccaninhabitants. In terms of historical art of Morocco, you can see it at the local museums and art galleries all around the country.

Scientific / technological progress and contributions
Nowadays, Morocco is one of the most developed countries in Saharan Africa. It is also the main academic center in this geographic zone. Morocco has a lot of Universities, Polytechnics and higher learninginstitutions, between the leading ones stand:
* Muhammad V University: this one is the largest university in Morocco and Saharan Africa, it is located in the capital city of Rabat and it has branches in Fès and Casablanca.
* Hassan II Agriculture and Veterinary Institute: this college is also located in Rabat and it is leads social science and agricultural specialties research.
When the French...