Morocco
The Kingdom of Morocco
is a country located in North Africa. It has an
area of 710,850 kmē, and also primarily administrates the disputed region
of the Western Sahara. Arabic is the official
language.
Morocco has a rich indigenous culture and civilization,
and its cuisine has long been considered to be one of the most diverse in the
world. The history of the country's known human civilization spans over 8000
years, and it was founded by the Berbers who are the original inhabitants. Arabs
conquered the region in the 7th century, bringing their language, their system
of government, and Islam, to which many of the Berbers slowly converted, mostly
after the Arab rule receded. From the 11th century onwards, a series of
powerful Berber dynasties arose. In 1666 the sultanate was reunited by the
Alaouite dynasty, who have since been the ruling house in Morocco. The organization of the
state developed with Ismail Ibn Sharif. With his Black Guard he drove the British
from Tangier (1684) and the Spanish from Larache (1689). In 1912, after the First
Moroccan Crisis and the Agadir Crisis, the Treaty of Fez was signed,
effectively dividing Morocco
into a French and Spanish protectorate. In 1956, after 44 years of occupation, Morocco regained independence from France and Spain
as the "Kingdom
of Morocco".