Morocco
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The '''Kingdom of Morocco''' (Arabic language|Arabic '''المملكة المغربية''') is a country in northwest Africa. It has a long coastline on the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Algeria to the east, though the Algerian border is closed, Western Sahara #History|to the south, the Mediterranean Sea and Spain to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to its west. Morocco claims ownership of Western Sahara and has administered most of the territory since 1975. Its status is disputed, pending a MINURSO|United Nations referendum.
Name
The full Arabic language|Arabic name of the country translates to ''The Western Kingdom''. '''Al Maghrib''' (meaning ''The West'') is commonly used. For historical references, historians used to refer to Morocco as '''Al Maghrib al Aqşá''' (''The Furthest West''). The name '''Morocco''' in most other languages originates from the name of the former capital, Marrakech. Marrakech means in Berber language|Berber "the land of God" with "mur" meaning ''Land'' and "Akush" meaning ''God''.
History
''Main article: History of Morocco''
Morocco's indigenous people are called the Berbers. The old name of Morocco was Mauretania. There have been several dynasties and kingdoms in Morocco before and after the rise of Islam.
Morocco became a France|French protectorate by the signing of the Treaty of Fez on March 30, 1912. The northern area of Morocco was under a Spain|Spanish protectorate concurrently. The Alaouite dynasty lasted through this period and upon independence in 1956, Sultan Mohammed V of Morocco|Mohammed V adopted the title of 'King' and Morocco became an independent Kingdom. Morocco then recovered Tangier, formerly an international city. Morocco annexed Western Sahara in the 1970s, which had been a colony under the Spaniards since the 19th century. Previous to that it had been an area of Moroccan influence, but this annexation has not been recognized by any nation.
Morocco was the first nation to recognize the fledgling United States in 1777 and has the oldest non-broken friendship treaty with the country, the Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship, which has been in effect since 1783. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were the American signatories. The United States legation (consulate) in Tangier, is the first property the U.S. owned abroad. It now houses the Tangier American Legation Museum. Morocco was granted Major Non-NATO Ally status in June 2004 and signed free trade agreements with the United States and the European Union.
In 2003, Morocco's largest city, Casablanca, was attacked in the Casablanca Attacks|Casablanca terrorist attacks. The attacks left 33 civilians dead and more than 100 people injured.
Politics
''Main article: Politics of Morocco''
Morocco is a constitutional monarchy, with a popularly-elected parliament. The King of Morocco can dissolve government and deploy the military, among other responsibilities. Opposition political parties are legal and several have arisen in recent years.
''See also: List of political parties in Morocco''
Provinces
''Main article: Provinces of Morocco''
Morocco is divided into 37 provinces and 2 wilayas:
Three additional provinces, Ad Dakhla (Oued Eddahab), Boujdour, and Es Smara, as well as parts of Tan-Tan and El Aaiún|Laayoune, primarily fall within Moroccan-claimed Western Sahara.
As part of a 1997 decentralization/regionalization law passed by the legislature, 16 new regions were created, although the full details and scope of the reorganization are limited. These 16 regions are:
Geography
''Main article: Geography of Morocco''
Algeria borders Morocco to the east and southeast. There are also four Spanish enclaves on the Mediterranean coast: Ceuta, Melilla, Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera and Peñón de Alhucemas, as well as several islands including Isla Perejil|Perejil and Islas Chafarinas|Chafarinas. Off the Atlantic coast the Canary Islands belong to Spain, whereas Madeira to the north is Portugal|Portuguese.To the north, Morocco is bordered by and controls part of the Straits of Gibraltar, giving it power over the waterways in and out of the Mediterranean sea. Most of the South East portion of the country is in the Sahara Desert and as such is generally sparsely populated and unproductive economically. The High Atlas Mountains run down the backbone of the country, from the south west to the north east. Most of the population lives to the north of these mountains, while to the south is the desert.
Morocco's capital city is Rabat, and its largest city is the modern port of Casablanca.
Other cities include
Agadir,
Essaouira,
Fes,
Marrakech,
Meknes,
Oujda,
Ouarzazat,
Safi, Morocco|Safi,
Tangier,
Tiznit,
Salè and
Tan-Tan.
List of cities in Morocco and Western Sahara
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