MOROCCO: GENERAL INFORMATION

Thanks to its strategic position, Morocco has always been a kind of bridge between Africa in which it keeps its deep traditions, but from Europe the civilization and culture. So with Europe, it has had a long and close relationship strengthened through the centuries, but also with the Arab countries and the west. These features enable Morocco to be a land of meeting and friendship between people from all parts of the world. In Morocco nature shows off the most beautiful sceneries, enhanced by the Mediterranean weather. Physically Morocco is a mixture of various structures: Mountains chains which temper the climate : Rif, Grand Atlas, Middle Atlas, Anti Atlas. Rich plains in the centre and along the shore A vast desert in the South with beautiful green oases with abundant palms. Annual sunshine levels are more than 8 hours a day at Agadir, Fez, Marrakesh and Ouarzazate with average temperatures above 21'. But if you feel too hot or too cold you only have to travel a few kilometres. You can go from the snow of the Atlas to the Saharan desert in one single day!

CURRENCY - The national currency is Dirhams (DH) divided into 100 centimes. There are 10, 50, 100 and 200 DH notes, I and 5 DH coins and 5, 10, 20 and 50 centime coins. You can only obtain Dirhams in Morocco. 

LANGUAGE - The official language is Arabic, French is the administrative language for the private companies, Spanish is spoken in the north ; English is familiar to a large majority of cultivated people (students, directors ) and is spoken too in the tourist cities.

CLIMATE - In general, the climate is Mediterranean : cool in summer, mild in winter , with the presence of other types of climate : Continental , Saharan in the South and a micro climate in Agadir . 

MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES in C. Degrees for the main cities in Morocco

CITIES FEB/MAR APRIL MAY JUNE/JUL AUG SEPT OCT/NOV DEC/JAN
Tangier 17.4 19.2 21.4 26.4 26.8 25.1 22.1 16.0
Casa/Rabat 19.5 20.8 22.1 26.1 26.7 25.9 23.9 18.0
Marrakesh 23.0 25.7 28.7 37.8 37.5 32.9 28.1 18.3
Meknes/Fez 19.1 21.4 24.5 33.9 33.7 29.9 25.0 15.5
Agadir 22.5 23.3 24.1 26.4 26.9 26.7 25.9 20.6
Ouarzazate 23.0 26.9 30.8 39.4 38.4 33.3 27.0 16.7
Zagora 26.0 30.2 34.5 43.6 42.5 36.4 30.6 21.1

GASTRONOMY :  Estimated to be one of the most refined, Moroccan cuisine varies from one region to another. Moroccan cuisine offers refined preparations of sun-drenched fruit and vegetables, rare and aromatic spices, delicate fish and succulent meats. This is the very best of Oriental cuisine, famous throughout the world - a real delight for your taste buds. Here are the main Moroccan dishes which you must try. The most popular dishes are : Tagine, Couscous, Pastilla. Food is usually well balanced, moderately and carefully spiced. 

Harira is the famous Moroccan soup well spiced and rich in starchy foods, herbs and aromats also meat. Flavour is also added to make it creamy.
Mechoui roasted lamb in a special natural oven served in one piece. It is eaten with salt and cumin.
Couscous it is also the Moroccan national dish cooked mainly on Fridays. A veritable mountain of white granular semolina hides within carrots, turnips, courgettes and various vegetables with pieces of mutton or chicken.
Pastilla is a sweet dish, the most caloric part of the Moroccan menu consisting of wafer-thin layers of flakey feather-light pastry filled with cream
Tagine is specially cooked meat with vegetables in a spiced sauce
Kebabs  you will see delicious kebabs being cooked in front of you at the entrance to the souk, in squares or at the roadside. A convenient and cheap delight.
Mint Tea  Refreshing, warming and stimulating, drunk in the morning, after meals or at any time. A pleasure you should never refuse.
Pastries  Honey cakes, cornes de gazelles, almond feqqas, raisins, ghoriba with almonds or sesame... quite irresistible!!

MAIN CITIES :

RABAT : Capital of the Kingdom of Morocco. One of the imperial cities. CASABLANCA : Big trade and industry centre, economic capital (where the biggest companies have their head office). MARRAKESH : Southern capital, with a big tourist potential. FEZ : Spiritual and cultural capital, the oldest imperial city. AGADIR : Famous and renowned spa resort. TANGIER : The most cosmopolitan city of the Kingdom. MEKNES : Imperial city, with an attractive countryside. OUARZAZATE : A beautiful southern city, with a local charm famous for its amazing countryside .

Way of Life: A respect of local customs is a fundamenta act of courtesy in a welcoming country. To avoid embarrassing situations and misunderstandings, comply with common practise. Here are a few essential rules to follow: In Morocco, access to mosques and holy places is forbidden to non Muslims. A few exceptions are the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, the Mohammed V Mausoleum in Rabat, the Moulay Ismail mausoleum at Meknes and the Moulay Ali Cherif Mausoleum at Rissani.

Avoid provocative clothing.

Accept mint tea when offered, a sign of hospitality.

If you are invited to share in a family meal, you should symbolically use the ewer to wash your hands. The meal begins after the master of the house has said the "bismillah" in praise of God. Use your right hand to eat, taste everything, but don't think you have to finish everything in your plate, which is usually impossible!

Avoid drinking, eating and smoking in public in daytime during the period of Ramadan.

If you want to photograph somebody, don't forget to ask for permission.

Religion: Islam is the official religion in Morocco, but it exists in perfect co-existence with the other religions (freedom to practise other religions of revelation is guaranteed by the constitution). The day is marked by five calls to prayer. The muezzin announces them from the top of his minaret. During the month of Ramadan, the Moroccans fast, refraining from eating and smoking from sunrise to sunset. Obviously this disturbs daily life. Most Civil Service and public offices, monuments and shops alter their opening hours. However, non Muslims will always find something to eat in certain restaurants, particularly in hotels. The days may seem long, but the nights are wonderful!

Civil life is regulated by the Gregorian calendar. As opposed to other Muslim countries, the weekend consists of Saturday and Sunday. Friday is not a public holiday, but Civil and Public Service offices extend their lunch break to allow the faithful to attend prayers. The religious life follows the Muslim calendar. It began on July 16, 622, the day Mahomet left Mecca to live in Medina where he had many more followers. The Hegiran year, a lunar year, is made up of 12 months, but is shorter than the solar year. The month of Ramadan and the major religious festivals vary according to the Gregorian calendar.

Do not change money in the streets, it is illegal. The best place to change is at a bank or approved change office (indicated by a golden sign). No commission is charged and you will be given a slip which will be required at the end of your stay to change any remaining Dirhams back into the original currency. You can withdraw money in banks with a credit card and a cheque book, or directly from a cash dispenser in some large towns. Credit cards are generally accepted in major hotels, shops and restaurants, and sometimes even in the souks!

Apart from classical Arabic, the language of education, the Civil Service and the media, the everyday language in Morocco is a dialectal Arabic, as well as Tamazight (Berber) spoken in the Rif, the Atlas and the Souss and which varies according to region. Most Moroccans speak French and many speak Spanish and English.