Morocco's long struggle for independence from France ended in 1956. The internationalized city of Tangier was turned over to the new country that same year. Morocco virtually annexed Western Sahara during the late 1970s, and even though the status of the territory remains unresolved, the government is trying to conceal this, e.g. on all maps in Morocco, Western Sahara is drawn as an integrated part of the country.

Gradual political reforms in the 1990s resulted in the establishment of a bicameral legislature in 1997, although the king still possesses the actual political power. The press is relatively free, although clampdowns have occurred following criticism of the authorities or articles concerning the Western Sahara situation.

 

Regions

Mediterranean Morocco
Hosts all sorts of towns and cities, a couple Spanish enclaves and some important ports

North Atlantic Coast
The northern half of Morocco's coast is home to the capital and Casablanca, interspersed with more laid back beach towns

South Atlantic Coast
The southern coast is more laidback, home to gorgeous beach towns like Essaouira and Agadir

High Atlas
Covering the High Atlas mountains and the surrounding areas including Marrakech

Middle Atlas
covering the Middle Atlas mountains and the surrounding areas including Fez and Meknes

Saharan Morocco
The vast desert region of Morocco runs along the border with Algeria; camel safaris and sand dunes are the name of the game here

Anti Atlas
The southern portion, covering Tarouddant down to the Western Sahara border

Talk

 * Moroccan Arabic is a dialect of Maghreb Arabic. The language is fairly different from the Arabic traditionally spoken in the Middle East and is also slightly influenced by French or Spanish, depending on where in the country you are. This dialect is also related to Spanish, as Spanish was heavily influenced by Arabic from Morocco before the expulsion of 1492.

* Berber, or the Amazigh language, is spoken by Morocco's Berber population. In the mountainous regions of the north the dialect is Tarifit, the central region the dialect is Tamazight, and in the south of the country the dialect is Tachelheet.

* French is still widely understood in Morocco, and it is the most useful non-Arabic language to know.
* Although you will find people who speak English and Spanish in tourist centers, many of these will be touts and faux guides, who may become a burden. Some shop owners and hotel managers in urban centers also speak English, but outside of that English is not widely understood.

 

Related Link: Highlights of Morocco