Africa Portal
Kingdom of MoroccoLocated in the northwest corner of Africa.
With an area of 440,000 square kilometers, it is about twice the size of China's Shaanxi Province.
The land border is more than 2,000 kilometers and borders Algeria to the east.
To the south is the disputed Western Sahara region with Mauritania, which is currently largely controlled by Morocco.
Morocco has 1,800 kilometers of coastline, bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and only 13 kilometers from its narrowest partStrait of Gibraltarand Spain.
It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the American continent on the opposite side.
Located at the junction of Europe and Africa, it guards the gateway of the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic.
Northern portTangierIt is the only way to go from Africa to Europe, and Morocco is strategically located.
Atlas Mountain
Morocco is oneMountain country.
The northern Mediterranean coast isRif Mountains,The central part is across the northwest corner of AfricaAtlas Mountains,Mountains account for one-third of the country's total area.
The highest peak in the Atlas Mountains, Toubkal, at 4,167 meters above sea level, is also the highest peak in Morocco, and there is also the largest ski resort in Africa.
The Atlas Mountains used to beNorth African lionIn 1922, the last North African lion was hunted in Morocco and became extinct.
Because the Atlas Mountains block the heat waves in the Sahara, there are dense forests on the western side of the mountains.
Morocco is 12% forested, and the mountains are home to precious Atlantic cedars.
Sahara
Turning over the Atlas Mountains in the southwestern part of Morocco isSahara Desert,Makarass is an important town in southern Morocco in and out of the Sahara Desert.
Morocco has a very mature Sahara tourist route, the road is very long, the itinerary is very hard, but it is worth seeing the bright stars of the Sahara.
Tropical desert climateIt affects most of Morocco, and the daily routine is dry, hot, and changeable.
Even tourists consciously buy a headscarf to wrap their faces, otherwise it will turn into matte skin in a while.
Today, about half of Morocco's working population is engaged in agriculture, but due to the lack of precipitation in most areas, it is barely self-sufficient.
Also because of the lack of water, the locals like to use a steam clay pot to cook rice and stew meat.
Today, this kindTaji potIt has become a national symbol of Morocco.
Atlantic Ocean
The coastal areas of northwestern Morocco along the Atlantic Ocean are narrow plains where most of the arable land and population are concentrated.
Because of the Atlantic coastCanarian cold snapThe flow has brought to Morocco an abundance of fish, MoroccoSardinesThe world's largest export volume.
The plains are influenced by the Mediterranean climate and are rich in flowers and plants, also known as the North African Garden. List of high-quality authors
Olives, grapes, citrus and other Mediterranean crops grow well, and it is also the sixth largest olive producer in the world.
Morocco also grows an ancient oneForrest Gump,The fruit can be squeezed with argan oil and used for beauty and hair care.
The local goats have learned to climb trees in order to eat argan nuts, and everyone has worked hard to eat.
The Rif Mountains also grow a lot of legal **, Morocco is considered the worldThe largest ** exporter.
Morocco** can only be used for medical purposes, and while street peddling is common, it is illegal.
Berbers
According to archaeologists, there were traces of ancient human life in Morocco about 2 million years ago.
The Phoenicians, a maritime people, also visited here and established a port on the coast of Essaouira.
1500 BC, indigenous to North AfricaBerbersFishing and hunting in Morocco have led to petroglyphs carved into the rock walls of the Atlas Mountains.
Berbers are the collective name of the Berber-speaking tribes of North Africa, and the skin color and appearance of each tribe are quite different, and some elderly women even like to get some tattoos on their faces.
In the 4th century BC, the Berbers also built one in North AfricaKingdom of Mautania.
The Berbers originally believed in some primitive religions, but later with the conquest of the Roman Empire, ** religion continued to be introduced.
Today, some Mautanian ruins still contain religious inscriptions, and the Romans often captured lions from Morocco and brought them to the Colosseum.
Traditional cuisine of the Berbers——GusmiIt is still a staple food for Moroccans.
Cousmere looks like millet, but it's actually made from flour and is loved by gymnastics around the world today.
The Arab world
7th century AD,ArabsAt the peak of entrepreneurship, the whole of North Africa was knocked down, and then the car was not stopped, and it hit Spain all at once.
Because Berbers and Arabs are both desert peoples, there is little difference in lifestyle, and soon they can have fun together.
For us, the agricultural conditions in Morocco are really not worth mentioning, but for the Arabs, who have fought against the desert for thousands of years, the coast of the river valleys of Morocco is full of damn charm.
The Arabs brought advanced agricultural and handicraft techniques, and the Berbers were quickly convertedIslam.
The Arabs and Berbers gradually merged to form todayMoroccans,To this day, Arabic and Berber are the official languages of Morocco.
Islam is the state religion, 98% of Moroccans believe in Islam, and the five-pointed star on the national flag represents the five merits of Muslims, that is, the five principles that Muslims should abide by.
Located in Casablanca, MajunaMulberry II MosqueIt is the third largest mosque in the world, and the design idea is derived from the Qur'an ** The throne of Allah should be built on water".
Handicraft center
The Arabs built their capital in the valleyFez,Fez became the birthplace of Moroccan handicrafts.
The Karaviin University in Fez was one of the world's first Islamic institutions.
Morocco also became** Center of the Mediterranean,Some oasis cities and ports gradually prospered.
Spices from Egypt, wool from Spain, and ** from West Africa are all traded in Morocco.
Huida became a source of copperware, Rif for coarse linen, Tafilal for leather, and today Moroccan for blankets, leather, embroidery, etcHandicraftsIt is still very developed, and a large number of exports are abroad.
ChinaGreen teaIt also spread to Morocco and became a part of Moroccan life.
Locals like to use luxury tea utensils to make green tea, plus mint leaves and a lot of sugar cubes, which can make us Chinese dizzy.
The most famous travel blogger of the Middle Ages -Ibn BattutaBorn in Tangier, he traveled the world, even to Quanzhou and Guangzhou, China, and his travelogues are housed in today's Bibliothèque de Paris.
In the 17th century, an Arab ethnic group-AlawitesMigrated to southern Morocco.
The Alawites claim to be direct descendants of Muhammad and united Morocco to establish the Alawite dynasty, which still rules Morocco today, after the Japanese imperial family, and is the second oldest ruling dynasty in the world.
Colony
Morocco's mineral resources are not badPhosphateIt accounts for 75% of the world's reserves, and there are considerable deposits of lead, iron, cobalt, manganese and other metals.
Phosphate is often used in the chemical industry, the Hulibga deposit is the world's largest and best phosphate mining area, and Casablanca is the world's largest phosphate export port.
After the opening of the Atlantic route, Morocco was quickly targeted because of its important geographical location.
Portugal occupied the Atlantic coast, Spain occupied the northern coast, and the British occupied the port of Tangier.
In 1912, Morocco and France signed the Treaty of FesA protectorate of France.
The French colonists moved the capital of Morocco from Fez to itRabat,It is also the capital of Morocco today.
The Western powers were very divided over the partition of Morocco, which is also considered to be one of the triggers of World War I.
It was only in 1957 that Morocco officially became independent from the colonizersConstitutional monarchy.
In the chaotic colonial history, Moroccans have been constantly revolting and resisting, the political situation has been unstable for a long time, and the economic lifeline has been controlled by foreign capital for a long time, which has led to many difficulties for the Moroccan economy even after independence.
North African Garden
Today, although Morocco is already the fifth largest economy in Africa, its overall industry is underdeveloped, mainly mining, and needs large-scale assistance from France and Spain.
In recent years,TourismBecome the backbone of Morocco's economy, becoming the second largest foreign exchange after phosphate**.
It is very close to Europe, ** cheap, and has both the magnificent beauty of the mountains and the sea, and the exotic atmosphere of the castle market, which attracts a large number of European tourists.
At the same time, it has also become a lot of hitsThe location of film and television dramas,Ouarzazate is known as the Hollywood of Africa.
Many popular film and television series "Star Wars", "Game of Thrones", including the Chinese film "Operation Red Sea" were filmed here.
But because of the high unemployment rate, the law is absent in MoroccoThe travel environment is very rough and wild.
Although it is not as exaggerated as the need for AK47 escorts in some African countries, the poor infrastructure, sky-high price hawkers, and thieves running around the streets are the North African version of India.
Life in an exotic land
Situated between the Arab world and the European continent, with the vastness of the Sahara on the left and the majesty of the Atlantic Ocean on the right.
Morocco is full of the wildness of the desert and the intoxication of coastal taverns.
The special geographical location and historical circumstances have forged the MoroccansSuper survivability and complex personality.
Many Moroccans live in Europe to work and go to school, and many Europeans are looking for the true meaning of life in Morocco.
Moroccans are native speakers of French and Arabic, as well as Spanish, Berber and English, who will chase you for half a street in order to buy you something.
Wandering between the conservative Muslim world and the open European civilization, Moroccans sometimes resemble itOld schoolGentle European gentleman,Sometimes it's revealedThe shrewdness and cunning of Arab merchants.
Surrendering to the scorching sun of the Sahara and getting lost in the alleys of the ancient Berber city, Morocco is still fascinating, despite all the disappointments.
This is the noisy world behind the snow and sunshine, and it is not an exotic life in the garden of North Africa