I am commonly known as “The Western Kingdom.” My interior is mostly mountainous and I have coastlines on an ocean and a sea. I have a population of over 32 million which is double the population in 1971. I was part of the Roman Empire as far back as the 1st century BCE. Most recently I regained my independence from Spain and France in 1956. Today my government is a unitary parliamentary constitutional Monarchy and today my king is Mohammed VI. The Rif Mountains are located in the northern part of the country and the Atlas Mountains are located in the central and southern part of the country.
My largest city is my main port and is called Casablanca with 3.4 million people. The coastal plains are rich and comprise the backbone for agriculture. Forests cover about 12% of the land while arable land accounts for 18% of the terrain. My climate varies from Mediterranean to the north, Maritime in the center to more dry and desert like to the south. I am known for my biodiversity especially notable are the 450 species of birds. The primary predators of my area, the Barbary lion, the Atlas bear, and the Barbary leopard are either extinct or critically endangered. My major exports are foods ranging from livestock, grain, vegetables, and fruits. My major trading partners are the EU, the USA, and China. I must import most of my petroleum needs. Tourism is a large business here.
Most of my people (99%) are either equally Arabs or Berbers and most practice Sunni Islam. Most of my people live west of the Atlas Mountains and north of the Rif Mountains, mainly in the coastal areas. My official languages are Arabic and Berber. French is widely used in government institutions, media, mid to large companies, and in international commerce. I am the world’s largest exporter of phosphorus. One of our ongoing problems for our agricultural production is the unreliability of rainfall, resulting often in either drought or sudden floods. Much of our electricity is produced from coal, but we have embarked on the construction of large solar farms. We grow a large crop of Cannabis and about 88% of the marijuana consumed in Europe comes from here. Construction of high speed train lines are in process with the goal for the first of them to operate in 2015. Primary school education is free and compulsory between the ages of 7 to 13, but attendance is more like 50 to 75%. Literacy rates are rather low at 66% for males and 40% for females. My music makes use of several traditional instruments, such as the flute, shawm, zither, and various short necked lutes (including the ud and gimbri). The primary percussion instrument is the terra-cotta drum. Among the most popular traditional artists are the Master Musicians of Jajouka, an all-male guild trained from childhood. Chicken is the most widely eaten meat. Couscous is the most famous dish along with the drink of green tea with mint. Soccer is the most popular sport. Hicham El Guerrouj won gold medals in the 1500 meters and 5000 meters at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Who am I?
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.