The region constituting Morocco has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era, more than 300,000 years ago. The Moroccan state traces its origins to the establishment of the Idrisid dynasty by Idris I in 788, and the country is regarded as one of the world's oldest continuously existing states. Morocco was subsequently ruled by a series of other independent dynasties, reaching its zenith as a regional power in the 11th and 12th centuries, under the Almoravid and Almohad dynasties, both Berber kingdoms, when it controlled most of the Iberian Peninsula and the Maghreb. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Morocco faced external threats to its sovereignty, with Portugal seizing some territory and the Ottoman Empire encroaching from the east. The Marinid and Saadi dynasties otherwise resisted foreign domination, and Morocco was the only North African nation to escape Ottoman dominion. The Saadi dynasty expanded its territory through the conquest of the Songhai Empire in the late 16th century. The Alawi dynasty, which rules the country to this day, seized power in 1631, and over the next two centuries expanded diplomatic and commercial relations with the Western world. It is among the world's oldest reigning royal dynasties. Morocco's strategic location near the mouth of the Mediterranean drew renewed European interest. In 1912, France and Spain established protectorates over the country and designated Tangier as an international zone, while the Sultan remained the formal sovereign with limited authority under colonial control. Following intermittent riots and revolts against colonial rule, Morocco regained its independence and reunified in 1956 under the leadership of Sultan Mohammed V.
Since independence, Morocco has remained relatively stable. It has the fifth-largest economy in Africa and wields significant influence in both Africa and the Arab world; it is considered a middle power in global affairs and holds membership in the Arab League, the Arab Maghreb Union, the Union for the Mediterranean, and the African Union. It is one of the few countries in Africa ranking high on the Human Development Index and is Africa's leading industrial economy. Morocco is a unitary semi-constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. The executive branch is led by the King of Morocco and the prime minister, while legislative power is vested in the two chambers of parliament: the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors. Judicial power rests with the Constitutional Court, which may review the validity of laws, elections, and referendums. The king holds vast executive and legislative powers, especially over the military, foreign policy and religious affairs; he can issue dahirs, decrees which have the force of law, and he can also dissolve the parliament after consulting the prime minister and the president of the constitutional court. Morocco is classified as a hybrid regime and, as of 2025, holds the highest ranking in the Arab world, according to The Economist Democracy Index. Islam is both the official and predominant religion, with nearly all of the population identifying as Muslims. Arabic and Berber are the official languages, though the Moroccan dialect of Arabic (known locally as Darija) is widely spoken and considered the lingua franca. The culture of Morocco is a mix of Arab, Berber, European (specifically Andalusian), and African cultures.
Salé is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the right bank of the Bou Regreg river, opposite the national capital Rabat, for which it serves as a commuter town. Along with some smaller nearby towns, Rabat and Salé together form a single metropolitan area.
Founded in the 11th century, Sale became a medieval merchant port and entrepot. Salé became a haven for pirates in the 17th century as an independent republic before being incorporated into Alawi Morocco. It recorded a population of 1,089,554 in the 2024 Moroccan census. The city still preserves its historic medina (old town), with many major monuments dating from the Marinid period (13th–15th centuries). Salé is connected to Rabat by a tramway and also contains the Rabat–Salé Airport, the main international airport serving both cities. (Full article...)
Image 5A window displaying a wrought iron window grill in Asila. The knots are tied with bent metal in the traditional way, rather than soldered. (from Culture of Morocco)
Image 6Map of the Wattasid sultanate (dark red) and its vassal states (light red) (from History of Morocco)
Image 15A cannon from the republican era in Salé (from History of Morocco)
Image 16The ancient harbor at the Bou Regreg, taken from Salé facing Rabat (from History of Morocco)
Image 17French artillery in Rabat in 1911. The dispatch of French forces to protect the sultan from a rebellion instigated the Agadir Crisis. (from History of Morocco)
Image 23Couscous is traditionally enjoyed on Friday, the holy day in Islam. Garnished with vegetables and chickpeas, it is served communally. (from Culture of Morocco)
Image 34Sultan Abd-al-Aziz with his bicycle in 1901. The young sultan was noted for his capricious spending habits, which exacerbated a major trade deficit (from History of Morocco)
Image 36Extent of the Saadian empire at the beginning of the 17th century (from History of Morocco)
Image 37Taburida, a traditional Arab exhibition of horsemanship performed during festivals (from Culture of Morocco)
Image 38The Berber entrepot Sijilmassa along the trade routes of the Western Sahara, c. 1000–1500. Goldfields are indicated by light brown shading (from History of Morocco)
Image 39Idrisid state, around 820 CE, showing its maximal extent (from History of Morocco)
Image 43Portrait of his excellency Mohamed Ben Ali abgali with Al sulham, ambassador of the King of Morocco to the court of Saint James. August 1725. (from Culture of Morocco)
Image 47Idrisid dirham, minted at al-'Aliyah (Fes), Morocco, 840 CE. The coin features the name of Ali: a son-in-law of Muhammad, the fourth Caliph, and an ancestor of the Idrisids.
Central Atlas Tamazight is one of the most-spoken Berber languages, along with Tachelhit, Kabyle, Riffian, Shawiya and Tuareg. In Morocco, it comes second as the most-spoken after Tachelhit. All five languages may be referred to as "Tamazight", but Central Atlas speakers are the only ones who use the term exclusively. As is typical of Afroasiatic languages, Tamazight has a series of "emphatic consonants" (realized as pharyngealized), uvulars, pharyngeals and lacks the phoneme /p/. Tamazight has a phonemic three-vowel system but also has numerous words without vowels. (Full article...)
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In the 2014 census, the High Commission for Planning gave the legal population of Casablanca as 3,359,818,[1] which corresponds to the population of Casablanca Prefecture.[2]
In the 2014 census, the High Commission for Planning gave the legal population of Fez as 1,112,072,[1] which corresponds to the combined population of those parts of Fez Prefecture not within the cercle of Fez Banlieue ("suburbs").[2]
In the 2014 census, the High Commission for Planning gave the legal population of Tangier as 947,952,[1] which corresponds to the combined population of the four arrondissements of Bni Makada, Charf-Mghogha, Charf-Souani and Tanger-Médina.[2]
In the 2014 census, the High Commission for Planning gave the legal population of Marrakesh as 928,850,[1] which corresponds to the combined population of the municipality of Méchouar-Kasba and the five arrondissements of Annakhil, Gueliz, Marrakech-Médina, Ménara and Sidi Youssef Ben Ali.[2]
In the 2014 census, the High Commission for Planning gave the legal population of Salé as 890,403,[1] which corresponds to the combined population of the five arrondissements of Bab Lamrissa, Bettana, Hssaine, Layayda and Tabriquet.[2]
In the 2014 census, the High Commission for Planning gave the legal population of Meknes as 632,079,[1] which corresponds to the combined population of the municipalities of Meknes, Al Machouar – Stinia, Toulal and Ouislane.[2]
In the 2014 census, the High Commission for Planning gave the legal population of Rabat as 577,827,[1] which corresponds to the population of Rabat Prefecture.[2]
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