General info about Morocco

General info about Morocco

Marrakech lies on a plain between the Middle and High Atlas mountains. It is one big oasis in a desertlike landscape. We have seen mainly palmtrees (dades) and olive trees, but also orange trees and cactusses. Except for a lot of birds we have seen some exotic animals on Jemaa el Fna square (snakes, monkeys) but they live in captivity.
Click for more information about the flora and fauna in Morocco.

In 788, about a century after the Arab conquest of North Africa, successive Moorish dynasties began to rule in Morocco. In the 16th century, the Sa'adi monarchy, particularly under Ahmad AL-MANSUR (1578-1603), repelled foreign invaders and inaugurated a golden age. In 1860, Spain occupied northern Morocco and ushered in a half century of trade rivalry among European powers that saw Morocco's sovereignty steadily erode; in 1912, the French imposed a protectorate over the country. A protracted independence struggle with France ended successfully in 1956. The internationalized city of Tangier and most Spanish possessions were turned over to the new country that same year. Morocco virtually annexed Western Sahara during the late 1970s, but final resolution on the status of the territory remains unresolved. Gradual political reforms in the 1990s resulted in the establishment of a bicameral legislature, which first met in 1997. The country has made improvements in human rights under King MOHAMMED VI and its press is moderately free. Despite the continuing reforms, ultimate authority remains in the hands of the monarch.
Morocco has a subtropical climate, tempered by oceanic influences that give the coastal regions moderate temperatures. Toward the interior, winters are colder and summers warmer, a more continental climate. At high altitudes temperatures of less than -17.8° C (0° F) are not uncommon, and mountain peaks are covered with snow during most of the year.


Rain falls mainly between November and April. Precipitation is heaviest in the northwest and lightest in the east and south. The last few years there almost has been no rain in the south and east of Morocco.
The warmest month in Marrakech is August, with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius. We visited in September and at day it was between 32 and 40 degrees, at night between 24 and 29 degrees.
Morocco is surrounded by the Mediterranean in the north, the Atlantic Ocean in the west, Algeria in the east and Mauretania in the south. There are two mountain ranges in Morocco: the Rif Mountains and the Atlas. The Rif lies parallel to the Mediterranean coast, it's highest peak being the Tidirhine (2,456 m). It is an inaccesible range with a lot of erosion. The Atlas consists of the Middle Atlas (the northwestern range) and the High Atlas which is connected to the southern range, the Anti-Atlas. In the High Atlas, which separates the Atlantic coast from the Sahara, lies the highest peak of North Africa (Djebel Toubkal, 4,165 m). The greater part of the population lives on the fertile plains along the coast. South and east of the Atlas Mountains are dry steppes and deserts.

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