Located in North Africa Morocco is a fascinating place to visit. It seems however that so many people know very little about this amazing country. In this post I will try to clear some misconceptions about Morocco and present some facts that may be surprising to many of us.
2. Morocco has the oldest and continually operating university in the world. The University of Quraouin in Fez was built by Fatima Al-Fehri in 859 AD.
3. Morocco is the first country to recognize the United States of America as an independent nation during the reign of Sultan Mohammed III in December 1777.
4. Labeled the gateway to Europe Morocco is only 8 miles (13 km) from Spain, across the Strait of Gibraltar. With a coastline on both the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
5. The Most visited country in Africa is Morocco, totaling about 10 million tourist each year. Because of its proximity to Europe, Morocco actually attempted to join the European Union, the request however was rejected.
6. Morocco is the home of the Argan tree and it is the only country in which the tree grows naturally without the need to plant it. Argan tree is the source of Argan oil used for cosmetic for skin and hair care. Argan oil has medicinal uses for certain diseases as well.
8. When people think of Morocco, they usually think of a desert and hot temperature. While it is true that Morocco stretches all the way to the Sahara desert and summers can get hot, it also boasts lush river valleys, panoramic snow capped mountains spectacular waterfalls and beautiful Beaches. The unique geographical location of the country makes it possible to find all kinds of natural landmarks. What surprises most people is that fact that many cities and towns in Morocco experience heavy snowfall in winter, as a matter of fact Morocco is the coldest place in all of Africa.
9. One of the things visitors notice about Morocco is the complexity of its language. Berber and Arabic are the official languages of Morocco while French remains the unofficial language of the country. “Moroccan Arabic” is not purely Arabic because it’s a mixture of French, Berber, Spanish and Arabic and it is called Moroccan Darija. As a matter of fact, Arabs from other countries have a hard time understanding Moroccans when they speak. Spanish comes in handy in the North due to the country’s proximity to Spain and Spanish colonization. Berber or Tamazight is the language of the local people and it is spoken by over 60% of the population.
10. The oldest known remains of Homo-sapiens were found in Morocco. The Skull that was found dates back to 300 000 years ago in a site in Jebel Irhoud, Morocco.
