Independence Day in Morocco

People all across MOROCCO are celebrating their country's Independence Day today. Morocco achieved independence from France and Spain in 1956. Happy Independence Day!

Morocco is Known for...

●    Couscous and mint tea
●    Carpets and carpet sellers
●    Bogart and Bergman in Casablanca
●    Kasbah fortresses
●    Being the "Last stop before Europe"
●    Magical medinas
●    Marrakesh

Most items were listed in The Africa Book; the MLA citation is below. What are other "trademarks" of this African country? Feel free to share your thoughts with a comment!

Phillips et al. The Africa Book: A Journey through Every
          Country in the Continent. Lonely Planet, 2007.

— #AfricaWeek —

Morocco Exports

According to MIT's Observatory of Economic Complexity (atlas.media.mit.edu), the following items are major exports of MOROCCO: aircraft and vehicle parts, aluminum, animal meal and pellets, animal organs, apples, automobiles, cabbage, calcium phosphates, ceramics, cheese, citrus fruit, clothing and textiles, coal tar oil, copper, corks, delivery trucks, electric control boards, electrical motors, electric transformers, engine parts, equipment and machinery, fish oil, gas turbines, gold, grapes, insulated wire, integrated circuits, iron, jewelry, lead, leather footwear, legumes, locust bean gum, low-voltage protection equipment, luggage, melons, metal insulating fittings, nuts, olive oil, olives, onions, paper containers, pears, perfume plants, petroleum, pitted fruit, preserved vegetables, seafood, seaweed, semiconductors, silver, spices, sugar, tea, tobacco, tomatoes, tropical fruit, valves, vegetable sap, wheat flour, and zinc. According to the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports (February 2017 statistics) include Spain (top importer), France, Brazil, the United States, India, Italy, Germany, Egypt, Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore, China, the Netherlands, Turkey, Algeria, Senegal, Portugal, Mauritania, Belgium, and Côte d'Ivoire.

Western Sahara Endangered Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for Western Sahara in West Africa lists 1 extinct-in-the-wild species (Scimitar-Horned Oryx antelope mammal), 4 critically endangered species, and 13 endangered species. These species are critically endangered in Western Sahara: the Addax antelope, Squatina aculeata monkfish, Squatina oculata monkfish, Northern Bald Ibis bird, and Scimitar-Horned Oryx antelope. Western Sahara's endangered species are the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, Blackchin Guitarfish, Dusky Grouper fish, Edmi (Cuvier's Gazelle) antelope, Egyptian Eagle, Ladyfish, Mediterranean Monk Seal, Pollack Whale, Pygmy Blue Whale, Senegalese Hake fish, Spearnose Skate, Undulate Ray, and Violinfish.

Species Named After Morocco

Plenty of butterfly species live in MOROCCO and are named after this North African Maghreb country. Fish, lizards, skinks, a type of tree, and a type of toad all top off the list of species named after Morocco. These species include the Moroccan Cypress tree, Moroccan Dusky Heath butterfly, Moroccan Glass Lizard, Moroccan Grayling butterfly, Moroccan (Segonzaci) Green-veined White butterfly, Moroccan Hairstreak butterfly, Moroccan Marbled White butterfly, Moroccan Meadow Brown butterfly, Moroccan Midwife Toad, Moroccan Orange Tip butterfly, Moroccan Pearly Heath butterfly, Moroccan Rock Grayling butterfly, Moroccan Rock Lizard, Moroccan Three-toed Skink, Moroccan Wall Brown butterfly, Moroccan Worm Lizard, and Morocco Dentex fish.

Morocco Endangered Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for MOROCCO in Northwestern Africa lists two extinct species (Hydrobia gracilis snail and Salmo pallaryi trout), one extinct-in-the-wild species (Scimitar-horned Oryx), 31 critically endangered species, and 68 endangered species. Some of Morocco's critically endangered species include the Addra Gazelle, Blunt-nose Rattail (Roundnose Grenadier) fish, Ebner's Skink, Lotus benoistii flower, Margaritifera marocana freshwater mussel, Monkfish, Slender-billed Curlew, and Sociable Plover. The aforementioned mussel species is endemic to Morocco and is only found in two rivers: Oued Beth and Oued Derna.

Some endangered species include the Atlas Cedar tree, Atlas Grayling butterfly, Barbary Ape, Edmi (Cuvier's Gazelle), Glittering Demoiselle damselfly, Green Psammodromus (Small-fingered Psammodromus) lizard, Moroccan Cypress tree, Moroccan Wall Brown butterfly, Spanish Fir tree, Varaldi's Spadefoot Toad, and Vogel's Blue butterfly.

Castle Community in Central Morocco

Post #4 of Castles Week

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Less than 50 kilometers south of the mighty Atlas mountain range, a fortified city serves as a gem and ancient trading center for the Ounila Valley in northwestern Africa's MOROCCO. Featuring corner towers, this walled ksar is named Aït Ben Haddou (آيت بن حدّو), a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Ouarzazate Province of the Souss-Massa-Drâa Region. The UNESCO webpage features dozens of photographs in an image gallery. The oldest buildings in Aït Ben Haddou were constructed in approximately the 17th century (1600s).

Monarchies in Africa

Three African countries, LESOTHO, SWAZILAND, and MOROCCO, have monarchial systems of government. Swaziland is the only absolute monarchy in Africa, while Lesotho and Morocco are constitutional monarchies.

Kings of Africa

There are 3 kingdoms in Africa: LESOTHO, SWAZILAND, and MOROCCO. Lesotho’s king is King Letsie III, Swaziland’s king is King Mswati III, and Morocco’s king is King Mohammed VI. Lesotho’s and Morocco's monarchial systems are constitutional monarchies, while Swaziland's system is an absolute monarchy.

Does Western Sahara Have a Capital?

A territory that is controlled by Morocco in northwestern Africa, WESTERN SAHARA does not have a formal capital. The largest city is Laâyoune. For more information on Western Sahara, visit my Western Sahara post!

Western Sahara

WESTERN SAHARA is a territory and non-country predominantly controlled by Morocco in Northwestern Africa. Three countries border Western Sahara: Algeria to the east (a small border), Mauritania to the south and east, and Morocco to the north. Western Sahara also borders the North Atlantic Ocean and is southeast of the Canary Islands. There is not a formal capital, but the largest city is Laâyoune. There are two currencies that W. Sahara uses: the Moroccan Dirham and Sahrawi Peseta, a locally issued currency.

Morocco

Map Credit: © Maps of the World (mapsofworld.com)
Click on map to enlarge it in a lightbox window.

With over 33 million people, the Kingdom of MOROCCO (Arabic: المغرب; Berber: see image below) is a North African country bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Morocco shares a border with only one country, Algeria, which is located east. A territory currently belonging to Morocco, Western Sahara is located to the south. Morocco is also east of the Canary Islands (link to Canary Islands post) — which belong to Spain — and is south of the Strait of Gibraltar which separates Morocco from Spain and Gibraltar. Like Lesotho and Swaziland, Morocco is one of only three monarchical kingdoms in Africa.

Berber version of Morocco's name

● ● ● ● ●  People and Places  ● ● ● ● ●  The ethnicities of Moroccan people are predominantly Arabic and Berber. Arabic is Morocco's official language, with distinct varieties and dialects such as Hassaniyya, Judeo-Moroccan, Moroccan, and standard Arabic. Other languages spoken include French, Ghomara, Senhaja Berber, Spanish (particularly in northern and coastal areas), Tachelhit, Tamazight, Tarifit (Riffian Berber), and Taznatit. At least 90% of the population are Muslims, and some estimates say 99%. In addition to mosques, there are several churches, cathedrals, synagogues, and other places of worship — particularly in Morocco's cities, such as Casablanca and Rabat.

Containing over 1.6 million residents, Morocco's capital is Rabat; this city captivates residents and tourists alike with sites of interest such as the Jardin d’Essais, Medina of Rabat market, Chellah fortification and necropolis, Kasbah of the Udayas, and Old Town district. Several of these attractions are components of UNESCO's Rabat World Heritage Site. Made famous around the world thanks in part to the namesake 1940s film, Casablanca boasts a population greater than 3.1 million and features sites of interest such as the Hassan II Mosque, Old Medina markets, Quartier Habous markets and stores, L'église du Sacré-Coeur cathedral, and an Art Deco-style Cinema Rialto theater. Listed in higher-to-lower population order, other Moroccan cities include Fez, Marrakech, Agadir, Tangier, Meknès, Oujda, Kenitra (Qnitra), and Tétouan. Moroccans use the Moroccan Dirham as their currency, and its ISO 4217 currency code is MAD.

● ● ● ● ●  Land Features  ● ● ● ● ●  Along with Algeria and Tunisia, Morocco is home to the Atlas Mountains, a range stretching about 2,000 kilometers and 1,200 miles parallel to the Mediterranean Sea. Mount Toubkal is the highest mountain in the mountain range, North Africa, and Morocco. It stands 13,671 feet and 4,167 meters tall in elevation above sea level. The Sahara Desert is found in Morocco's southern and southeastern regions and southward into Western Sahara. Moroccan rivers and intermittent streams (wadis) include Oued Drâa in the south, Oued Guir in the east, Oued Moulouya in the northeast, Oued Sebou in the north, and Oued Sous in the south-center area.