Northern Africa · AfricaMorocco
Discover Morocco - where ancient medinas, Saharan dunes, Atlas Mountains, and Atlantic surf collide in Africa's most visited country and gateway between Europe and Africa.
Where Is Morocco?
Morocco is a country in Northern Africa. Its capital is Rabat.
- Capital Rabat
- Population 38.4M
- Area 446,550 km²
Morocco is the corner of Africa closest to Europe - just 14 kilometers across the Strait of Gibraltar - and it has been absorbing and reinventing influences from every direction for thousands of years. Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Berbers, French, and Spanish have all left their marks, and the result is a country that feels like nowhere else. The medinas of Fez and Marrakech are sensory overloads of narrow alleys, tilework, spice markets, and call-to-prayer echoes. The Sahara begins at the country's southeastern doorstep. The Atlas Mountains rise to over 4,000 meters. And the Atlantic coast serves up world-class surf alongside ancient Portuguese fortresses.
What makes Morocco work is how all these pieces hold together. You can wake up in a riad in the medieval medina of Fez, drive through cedar forests where Barbary macaques swing through the trees, cross a mountain pass at 2,000 meters, and camp under the stars on Saharan dunes - all in a single day. The country runs on mint tea, tagine, and a hospitality tradition that runs bone-deep. It is a monarchy that has navigated the Arab Spring, a Muslim-majority country with a deep Jewish heritage, and one of the most stable nations in North Africa. Morocco does not fit neatly into any box, and that is the whole point.
At a glance
Largest cities in Morocco
Casablanca
Marrakech
Fez
Rabat
Tangier
Famous people from Morocco
Ibn Battuta
ExplorationBorn in Tangier, traveled over 120,000 kilometers across the medieval world, covering more ground than Marco Polo and becoming history's greatest traveler
Tahar Ben Jelloun
LiteraturePrix Goncourt-winning novelist whose works explore identity, migration, and the Moroccan experience in lyrical French prose
Leila Slimani
LiteraturePrix Goncourt-winning author of Chanson Douce (Lullaby), became Emmanuel Macron's personal representative for Francophonie
Hicham El Guerrouj
SportGreatest middle-distance runner in history, still holds the world records in the 1500m and mile, won double Olympic gold in 2004
Gad Elmaleh
EntertainmentMorocco's most famous comedian who conquered French-language stand-up and crossed over to English-language comedy in the US
Traditional cuisine of Morocco
- Tagine
- Slow-cooked stew named after its conical clay pot, with endless variations - chicken with preserved lemons, lamb with prunes, vegetable with saffron
- Couscous
- Steamed semolina served with vegetables and meat, the traditional Friday family meal that is a cornerstone of Moroccan social life
- Pastilla (B'stilla)
- Flaky phyllo pie filled with pigeon or chicken, almonds, and cinnamon, dusted with powdered sugar - sweet and savory in perfect balance
- Harira
- Rich tomato-based soup with lentils, chickpeas, and lamb, the essential dish for breaking fast during Ramadan
- Msemen
- Flaky, square-shaped pan-fried flatbread served at breakfast with honey or cheese, a staple of Moroccan mornings
- Moroccan Mint Tea
- Green tea with fresh mint and generous sugar, poured from a height to create foam, a ritual of hospitality served throughout the day
Nature and landmarks in Morocco
- Sahara Desert (Erg Chebbi)Desert
- Towering orange sand dunes reaching 150 meters near Merzouga, the quintessential Saharan landscape for camel treks and stargazing
- Atlas MountainsMountain
- Dramatic mountain range with North Africa's highest peak, Toubkal at 4,167 meters, separating the coastal plains from the Sahara
- Todra GorgeCanyon
- Spectacular 300-meter-high limestone canyon in the eastern Atlas, narrowing to just 10 meters wide at its most dramatic point
- Paradise ValleyValley
- Hidden palm-lined valley near Agadir with turquoise rock pools, waterfalls, and Berber villages in the foothills of the Anti-Atlas
- Dades ValleyValley
- Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs winding through rose-tinted gorges, with dramatic switchback roads and ancient fortified villages
Sports in Morocco
- Football
- The Atlas Lions made history at the 2022 FIFA World Cup by becoming the first African and Arab team to reach the semifinals
- Athletics
- Produced legendary middle-distance runners including Hicham El Guerrouj, Said Aouita, and Nawal El Moutawakel, Africa's first female Olympic champion
- Tennis
- Hicham Arazi reached the top 25 in the world, and the country regularly hosts ATP tournaments in Marrakech
Did you know?
The University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, founded in 859 AD, is recognized by UNESCO as the oldest continuously operating university in the world
Morocco's Fez medina is the largest car-free urban area in the world, with over 9,000 alleyways navigated only by foot and donkey
Morocco became the first African and Arab nation to reach a FIFA World Cup semifinal in 2022, sparking celebrations across the continent
The country is only 14 kilometers from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar, close enough to see Europe on a clear day
Hicham El Guerrouj's world records in the 1500m (3:26.00) and mile (3:43.13) have stood since 1998 and 1999 respectively
Morocco is the world's largest exporter of phosphates, controlling roughly 70% of global reserves
Argan oil, used in cooking and cosmetics worldwide, comes from argan trees that grow almost exclusively in southwestern Morocco
Can you find Morocco on a map?
Drop a pin where you think it is and see how close you got. A few rounds and you will place Morocco and its neighbours without a second thought.
