What Morocco Travel Offers, Flying Time to Morocco, Quick Facts & Morocco History

Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 34 million. It has a coast on the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea. Morocco has international borders with Algeria to the east, Spain to the north (a water border through the Strait and land borders with two small Spanish autonomous cities, Ceuta and Melilla), and Mauritania to the south via its Western Saharan territories. 

Morocco is the only country in Africa that is not currently a member of the African Union. However, it is a member of the Arab League, Arab Maghreb Union, Francophone, Organization of the Islamic Conference, Mediterranean Dialogue group, and Group of 77. Morocco is also a major non-NATO ally of the United States. 

Morocco is the most exciting place to travel. (Book a Tour or call  (800) 787-8806  (800) 787-8806 ) Let us be your guide to Morocco Travel.

The founders of Travel Exploration Morocco have a seven-year track record of reliability and success offering a contrast to the cliché of structured, packaged travel. Share with us your desires and we do the rest. We will make your travel experience enriching, and you’ll have access to our extensive network of English, French, Arabic and Berber speaking travel professionals throughout Morocco, who are available to ensure your comfort, safety and enjoyment, Browse through our site www.travel-exploration.com to learn about Moroccan cultural traditions and then book your tour to this majestic country. 

Travel to Morocco by Plane
Morocco has twelve international airports: Agadir, AI Hoceima, Casablanca, Dakhla, Fes, Laâyoune, Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Oujda, Rabat, Tangier and Tetouan. Royal Air Maroc, Delta and other leading international and charter airlines provide fast and regular services from major cities in Europe, North America and the Middle East. For example: Casablanca 7 ½ hours by air from New York City, is around 1 hour by air from Madrid and 3 hours from Paris.

Kingdom of Morocco: (Al Mamlaka al-Maghrebiya)
Capital of the country: Rabat
Biggest city: Casablanca
Language: Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often the language of business, government and diplomacy 
Literacy: Total Population: [52%] Male: [66%]; Female: [44%]
Religion: Muslim
Government: Constitutional Monarchy
Chief of State: King Mohammed VI
Prime Minister: Driss Jettou
Area: 446,550 km² (56th biggest country in the world)
Population: 33.8 million
Area: 172,413 square miles; slightly larger than California
GDP: $4,600
Year of Independence: 1956
Currency: Dirham (MAD;DH) 100 Dirhams about 10 Euros / $13 US
Notes: DH 10, 20, 50, 100 & 200.
Coins: DH 1, 5 & 10/5, 10, 20 & 50 centimes
Calling code: +212
Local Time in Morocco: Greenwich Mean Time
Weights & Measures System in Morocco: Metric
Population Density: 72 People per square kilometer
Age of Population:  
0-14yrs Males: 5,355,388; Females: 5,156,762

Berber Morocco
The area of present-day Morocco has been inhabited since Neolithic times (since 8000 BC), a period when the Maghreb was less arid than it is today. The Amazigh people, commonly referred to as Berbers or by their regional ethnic identity (Chleuh), most likely arrived at roughly the same time as the inception of agriculture in the region. In the classical period, Morocco was known as Mauretania, although this should not be confused with the modern-day country of Mauritania.

Roman & Pre-Roman Morocco
North Africa and Morocco were slowly drawn into the wider emerging Mediterranean world by Phoenician trading colonies and settlements in the late Classical period. The arrival of Phoenicians heralded a long engagement with the wider Mediterranean, as this strategic region formed part of the Roman Empire, as Mauretania Tingitana. In the fifth century, as the Roman Empire declined, the region fell to the Vandals, Visigoths, and then Byzantine Greeks in rapid succession. During this time, however, the high mountains of most of modern Morocco remained unsubdued, and stayed in the hands of their Berber inhabitants.

Morocco was the first nation to recognize the fledgling United States as an independent nation in 1777. In the beginning of the American Revolution, American merchant ships were subject to attack by the Barbary Pirates while sailing the Atlantic Ocean. At this time, American envoys tried to obtain protection from European powers, but to no avail. On December 20, 1777, Morocco's Sultan Mohammed III declared that the American merchant ships would be under the protection of the sultanate and could thus enjoy safe passage.

The Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship stands as the U.S.'s oldest non-broken friendship treaty. Signed by John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, it has been in continuous effect since 1786. Following the re-organization of the U.S. federal government upon the 1787 Constitution, President George Washington wrote a now venerated letter to the Sultan Sidi Mohamed strengthening the ties between the two countries. The United States legation (consulate) in Tangier is the first property the American government ever owned abroad. The building now houses the Tangier American Legation Museum. 

Western Sahara
Because of the conflict over Western Sahara, the status of both regions of "Saguia el-Hamra" and "Río de Oro" is disputed.The government of Morocco has suggested that a self-governing entity, through the Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs (CORCAS), should govern the territory with some degree of autonomy for Western Sahara. The project was presented to the United Nations Security Council in mid-April 2007. The stalemating of the Moroccan proposal options has led the UN in the recent "Report of the UN Secretary-General" to ask the parties to enter into direct and unconditional negotiations to reach a mutually accepted political solution.^[15] The autonomy is rejected by the group Polisario which fought against the Spanish colonial rule and now for the Western Sahara decolonization with the name of Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.