Geography and climate
Morocco reclines against the northern edge of Africa spread over 446,550 sq km, roughly the size of France or California, gazing up to the southern Europe and down to the windswept plains of the Western Sahara. To its west lies the Atlantic, to its north, the Mediterranean and to its east, attached by desert and coast, Algeria. Morocco is a country of geographical extremes; agricultural valleys and lunar landscapes, mud packed plains and lush palmeraies , cedar forests and volcanic outcrops, sandy bays and sheer gorges, sand dunes and snowy pistes. Over 3500 km of coastlines runs around Morocco?s four mountain chains, the Rif, Middle Atlas, High Atlas and Anti Atlas, which, like a backbone, sear through the country from the east to the west separating the lush, fertile north from the arid, desert south. The snow capped peak, the tallest, Jbel Toubkal in the high Atlas, exceeding 4000 metres, drain the great rivers of Moulouya , Sebou and Oum er Rbia, whose tributaries feed into the fertile kplains of Fes and Meknes and the date-rich oasis valleys of the south.
Ask about the weather at any time of the year of the year in Morocco and one can pretty safely predict sunshine. Even if there is a chilly Atlantic wind or a desert sandstorm, you can be sure the sun will be around to observe it. Weather forecasters claim 350 days of sunshine a year and if you are unfortunate enough to be around during the 15 cloudy days, you might be pretty glad of the break. The hottest place to live is the desert around Zagora and Merzouga where summer temperatures climb to an average of 42°C with year round averages of 30°C. The coolest place is along the North western edge of the country where Atlantic winds keep conditions at a fair temperature of 28°C during the summer months and around 16°-21°C during the winter. Areas close to the coast are most prone to small amounts of rainfall which spread in from the Atlantic Ocean, while great swathes of the interior fall victim to crippling droughts every couple of years or so. Snow, which is common in the high altitudes of the mountains, making skiing a popular pastime, fell around Casablanca in 2004 but this is not a common event.
History
The history of morocco dates back to between 15,000 and 10,000 BC with evidence of early settlers, thought, due to their fair skin and high cheekbones, to be a mix of European and Asian origin. They became later know as Berber, a name given to them by the Arabs that simply means, not of Arab descent. The Berbers were pastoral dwellers who inhabited the mountain and deserts, working the inhospitable terrain and surviving on very little. Through lumped together and known simply as Berber, There were vast arrays of tribes each fiercely independent and strictly loyal only to their kinsmen end family clan.
Political structure
Morocco has been a constitutional monarchy since 1972, with the king in the role of head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces and in charge of all military and civil appointments. He is also responsible for the appointment and dismissal government, which incorporates a coalition of parties, and in his role as Commander of the faithful, the nation?s spiritual leader. The national parliament is split into two chambers; the lower chamber of representatives (majlis al-nuwab) with 325 members and the upper chamber of counsellors ( majlis al mustasharin) with 279 members. Every five years elections are held for the lower chamber in which 2002 claimed to be the freest and fairest with 35 women elected thanks to a system of ?women only lists?. Unions, local communes and business organisations elect the upper chamber for nine year, non-consecutive terms. Parties receive state funding based on the number of votes received and their number of seats in parliament.
Languages:
Moroccans love to talk. Hours are spent every day conversing in cafés, on street corners, outside doorways, through windows, at shop counters, on telephones. There is no shortage of conversation and anyone and everyone is welcome to put their oar in. modern standard Arabic is the official language of Morocco found in newspapers and magazines, but is not the every day Moroccan spoken on the street. Morocco has its own dialect called d-darija, which has different grammar and vocabulary from official Arabic. Intellecuals frowns upon it as being an inferior language and consider it fine for everyday chat but not worthy of sophisticated discoure. It is, however, the most useful language to learn.
There different dialects of native berber or Amazigh, make up Morocco?s unofficial second language, spoken mainly in rural areas by around a third of all Moroccans either exclusively or bilingually with d-darija. Berber has no alphabet of its own, but uses a mix of Roman and Arabiiic, there is no standard system for writing Berber and it is disimilar to any other tongue. Desoite Berbers being the indigenous people of Morocco, the language had no official status until 2003 when the government allowed it to be taught in schools alongside European languages.the king, being half Berber himself, has geatly aided the indigenous cause. He was instrumental in setting up a Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture, opened in an excllusive part of Rabat, which inhabit the culture, such as the stipulation that all Moroccan children must given Arabic first names.
The average educated Moroccan also speaks French. It is the language of busness, refinement and sophistication in Morocco and some westernised Moroccan?s in cosmopolitan cities such as Casablanca and Rabat choose to speak only French. It is the country?s official second language, taught to children at primary school and written, along with Arabic, on most road signs and shop?s façades. Foreigners are normally addressed in French and it is assumed that the majority will be able to reply.Many Moroccans in the north of the country spaek Spanish while English, though lagging behind, is gradually, thanks to the internet, films and music, becoming the preferred language of the educated youth with a recent government drive to promote it in schools and universities. Though English is far down the pecking order; it would be unusual to find yourself in a situation where someone close by did not speak a smattering of phrases. Most Moroccans are vey keen to speak English and there are ample opportunities for providing English lessons or reciprocal arrangements such as teaching English in return of Arabic.
Food and drinks
Through western inventions such as pressure cookers, instant couscous ( the name for both the separated grain of the wheat plant and a traditional cooked dish) and convenience meals have seeped into some urban kitchens, traditional cuisine remains the mainstay for most Moroccans. Many view it as an art form, born over the centuries, which does more than satisfy the belly. As cooking remains strictly a woman?s craft in a society dominated by males, it has become a form of self-expression through which individuality, mood and creativity can be conveyed to onlookers who, in turn and indirectly, can judge, discuss and admire without stepping over social barriers.
Culinary wisdom is passed down the generations, from mother to daughter. Girls are shown how to cook through the use to tastes, fee and smell as opposed to the more cerebral methods of weighing scales, egg timers and cookbooks. Culinary expertise indicates a sound upbringing and counts as an important, albeit subtle, selling point, when it comes to attractiveness for marriage. This is especially true in fes , where women are considered to be the most skilled cooks and a man is said to be lucky if he marries a Fassi woman.
Shopping
Inevitably, the cost of living in Morocco is considerably cheaper than in Europe. Price comparison between food/alcohol/cigarettes generally brings Morocco in around 30% cheaper than the UK.
Souks: souks are outdoor markets, which can be found in every medina throughout Morocco and in rural towns and villages on certain set days of the week. Souks sell pretty much everything one needs to get by on a day to day basis; Fruit, vegetables, meats, fish, dairy, herbs, spices, grains saucepans, plug, crockery plus many things one simply might want.
