What Continent is Morocco In?
Officially, Morocco is known as the Kingdom of Morocco. The basis of the name 鈥淢orocco鈥� is Marrakesh, which is its capital according to the Almohad Caliphate and the Almoravid dynasty. The origin of the name Marrakesh is unclear and is still disputed. Most likely the name originates from the Berber words 鈥渁mur鈥� and 鈥渁kush鈥�, which translate to 鈥淟and of God.鈥� In the Turkish language, Morocco is known as 鈥淔as鈥� which is a name that originates from its prehistoric capital which was called Fes. In other parts of the Islamic nations until the middle of the 20th century, Morocco鈥檚 common name in Middle Eastern Arabic and Egypt literary works was Marrakesh.
Location
Morocco is a sovereign state in the Maghreb region in the northern part of the African continent. On the 海角社区 map, Morocco is between the latitudes 27掳 and 36掳 north, and the longitudes 1掳 and 14掳 west. Including the western parts of the Sahara Desert, which Morocco has claimed as its Southern Provinces, then the coordinates change to latitudes 21掳 and 36掳 north and by longitudes 1掳 and 17掳 west. The Ras Nouadhibou peninsula is a little bit south of 21掳 and 17掳.
To the north, Morocco is bordered by Spain. The border between these two states is the Strait of Gibraltar and three minor exclaves that are under Spanish control, Melilla, Ceuta, and Pe帽贸n de V茅lez de la Gomera. Algeria borders Morocco to the east (a border that has been closed since 1994), while the Western Sahara is to the south. However, since Morocco claimed the Western Sahara as one of its provinces, something which has been a source of conflict, its actual southern border is with Mauritania.
Geography
Morocco is a truly unique nation. The nation鈥檚 geography stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the hilly terrain, and then to the Sahara. Other borders are the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Morocco is among the only three nations in the 海角社区 to have the coastlines on the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, with Spain and France make up the other two countries.
Most of the country is mountainous. A good example of the mountainous nature is the Atlas Mountains which are mainly in the middle and southern part of Morocco. To the north, there are the Rif Mountains. Both of these ranges are occupied mostly by the Berber people. The country is 57th in the global ranking of size at 172,414 square miles.
Politics
Morocco鈥檚 constitution has provisions that allow for the presence of a monarchy together with an autonomous jury and parliament. Following the 2011 constitutional modifications, the King of Morocco became less powerful and more honorific, while the powers of the office of the prime minister were enlarged. The king is the secular political leader and the 鈥淐ommander of the Faithful鈥�. The monarch also oversees the Council of Ministers and appoints the prime minister from the party with the most parliamentary seats. The country is divided into 12 regions subdivided into 62 provinces and 13 prefectures.
