Morocco

Morocco sits in the far north-west corner of Africa, with the Atlantic along its western shore and the Mediterranean to the north. Only three countries have coastlines on both, and the other two are Spain and France. The 2024 census counted about 36.8 million people. Rabat is the capital, Casablanca the largest city, Arabic and Amazigh the official languages, and the dirham the currency.

The Atlas Mountains run through the heart of the country as part of a range some 2,500 kilometres long that continues into Algeria and Tunisia. Its highest summit, Toubkal, reaches 4,167 metres, the tallest peak in North Africa. Sixty-three kilometres to the north lies Marrakesh, the Red City, founded around 1070, where the Jemaa el-Fnaa square spreads out below the 77-metre Koutoubia minaret.

Further north is Fez. Its oldest quarter, Fes el Bali, is a maze of narrow car-free lanes on the World Heritage List since 1981. It holds al-Qarawiyyin, founded between 857 and 859, the Bou Inania Madrasa with its tilework and carved plaster, and the Chouara tannery with its round stone vats. To the north-west, in the Rif Mountains, Chefchaouen paints its houses in shades of blue.

South of the Atlas the landscape changes completely. The earthen ksar of Aït Benhaddou guards the old caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakesh, Ouarzazate has its film studios, and near Merzouga the dunes of Erg Chebbi rise as high as 150 metres. On the ocean, Essaouira keeps its sea walls and harbour, and Rabat looks over the mouth of the Bou Regreg from the Kasbah of the Udayas and the Hassan Tower. Nine sites in Morocco are on the World Heritage List.

Spring and autumn are the best seasons, mild in the cities, the mountains and the desert alike. Summer is very hot inland and in the Sahara while the Atlantic coast stays temperate, and winter brings snow to the Atlas summits. Food is part of the journey: tagine from its conical clay pot, couscous, inscribed on UNESCO's intangible heritage list in 2020, and mint tea, poured for a guest in at least three glasses.

A few practical points. The main airports are Casablanca and Marrakesh, and trains link Marrakesh with Casablanca, Rabat and Fez. The country returned to permanent Greenwich time in September 2026. The overall price level is about 42% of the United States level by the World Bank's measure, which covers the whole economy rather than travel alone. The journey visits the cities, the desert and the mountains one by one.[1,45,44,2,46,47,34,32,7,8,9,14,15,16,17,18,20,23,24,21,27,28,30,29,5,3,36,37,6,38]Source1. Morocco · Wikipedia45. Mohammed V International Airport · Wikipedia44. Marrakesh Menara Airport · Wikipedia2. Time in Morocco · Wikipedia46. PPP conversion factor, GDP (LCU per international $) — Morocco · World Bank47. Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) — Morocco · World Bank34. Atlas Mountains · Wikipedia32. Toubkal · Wikipedia7. Marrakesh · Wikipedia8. Jemaa el-Fnaa · Wikipedia9. Kutubiyya Mosque · Wikipedia14. Fez, Morocco · Wikipedia15. Fes el Bali · Wikipedia16. University of al-Qarawiyyin · Wikipedia17. Bou Inania Madrasa · Wikipedia18. Chouara Tannery · Wikipedia20. Chefchaouen · Wikipedia23. Aït Benhaddou · Wikipedia24. Ouarzazate · Wikipedia21. Erg Chebbi · Wikipedia27. Essaouira · Wikipedia28. Rabat · Wikipedia30. Kasbah of the Udayas · Wikipedia29. Hassan Tower · Wikipedia5. List of World Heritage Sites in Morocco · Wikipedia3. Climate of Morocco · Wikipedia36. Tagine · Wikipedia37. Couscous · Wikipedia6. List of Intangible Cultural Heritage elements in Morocco · Wikipedia38. Maghrebi mint tea · Wikipedia