WHERE DO THEY LIVE?

Morocco

Located in an area called the Maghrib

Located in northwestern corner of Africa

Boarders the Mediterranean Sea

Closest African country to Europe

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More about Morocco

Morocco is ruled by a king

Capitol: Rabat

Divided into 43 provinces

Mountains, rivers, deserts, plains

Four major mountain ranges

Variety of weather patterns

Population: nearly 32 million

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Culture and Daily Life

Capitol: Rabat

FAMILY LIFE

Family is the center of the Moroccan lifestyle

All children live with parents until they get married or go away to school

Elderly are well respected

Both men and women make the decisions

Marriage is expected of all Moroccans

Having children is an ultimate goal in life

Parents have great influences over the spousal choices

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MOROCCAN MEN

Historically, Morocco has been patriarchal; Recently,

women are taking on a more prominent role in society

Seek to be married before their 30’s

Common for them to bring wife home to live with

extended family

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MOROCCAN WOMEN

PAST

Lived extremely restricted

life

Rarely went outdoors

Wore a veil and covered

herself with a long, cotton

robe called a Djellaba

PRESENT

Do go out to stores, public

baths, movies

Young women attend school

and hold responsibility

Adopted Western dress

Legal marriage age for

women is 18

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MARRIAGE

Marriage is expected of all Moroccans

Weddings are planned over several days ( families of bride and groom have separate parties)

They feature lots of food and dancing

Having children is expected of any couple

Polygamy is not encouraged amongst the Moroccan people

Divorce is frowned upon

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MOROCCAN

CHILDREN

When a newborn is seven days old, a party is held

where guests bring gifts for the baby and its mother

Circumcision of males in mandatory

Both boys and girls attend primary and secondary

schooling

Adopting western wear

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EDUCATION

More students enrolled than ever

Boys and girls attend primary and secondary schools

Public schools are free

Classes begin in September and end in June

Government spends approx. 20% of budget on education

Largest and most prestigious institution of higher learning: Muhammad V University

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Moroccan School

LIVING CONDITIONS

Majority live in urban areas

Houses in the north are usually white

Houses in the south are usually reddish brown

Western amenities

Most rooftops are flat (used for washing and hanging laundry or social purposes)

Streets are clean and maintained

Towns are usually connected by two-lane roads

Access to clean water and cooking and heating fuel

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RELIGION

Majority (99%) are Sunni Muslim

About 69,000 are Christian

6,000-7,000 are Jewish

Islam is the state religion

The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca is the 2nd largest

mosque in the world

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Moroccan Religion

ETHNIC GROUPS

Arab Berbers make up 99.1% of population

Berbers make up about 60%

Berbers and Arabs are very closely related and intermingled

Jewish community historically played a significant role, but

its numbers decreased drastically (make up only about 0.2%)

Other groups make up 0.7% including French, Spanish,

Italian, and Algerian nationals that reside in Morocco

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CUSTOMS

Hospitality is an art in both cities and small villages

Hosts put their guests before themselves (even risking

their own lives if need be)

Eat at a low, round table

Traditionally to wear old style clothing, but have been

starting to move toward more western wear

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Moroccan Decor

CLOTHING

National attire worn by both women and men of any social class: jellaba (floor-length, one-piece, hooded)

Western wear is usually worn under the garment

Religious women cover their hair in public

Berber women wear colorful dresses and straw hats

Often tattoos on forehead, cheek, or neck

Rural men usually wear turbans

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Traditional Clothing

Lands and Peoples

ARTS

Architecture is very distinctive

Moroccan design lies on city walls and mosques

Traditional music is preserved and represents influences and traditions

Henna tattoos are very popular

Common hobbies include rug weaving, designing, interior decorating

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ENTERTAINMENT

Everyone enjoys music and dancing

Arab music is dominated by string instruments and hand-held drums

Common to see girls and women dancing

Western music is starting to become broadcast more often

MTV is now available by satellite

Festivals with horsemen and firing guns

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Music and Dancing

HOBBIES

Crafts include: woodworking, pottery, leatherwork

Intricate rugs are woven by hand mostly by the women and take months to finish

Clothes and bags are made from dyed animal skins

Tattooing (Henna): an art by women (mostly Berbers) with a nonpermanent dye; reddish-orange in color

Soccer is very popular (played by boys and men) and is televised

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RECREATION

Women socialize in the home or on rooftops (knitting,

crocheting, embroidering)

Men may attend movie theaters to socialize (few are

open to women)

Morocco has two television stations (half of programs

in French, other half in Arabic)

Satellites have more programs available

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THE MOVE TO CITIES

Began at the end of WWII

People were in search for a work and better life

Sugar mills and tobacco factories attracted many

Range of living conditions in cities is much larger than in rural areas

Not enough jobs for everyone who came

Thousands ended up jobless and hungry

Even today, this problem hasn’t been solved completely

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ORGANIZATIONS

Several drama societies, music organizations, and artists’ associations

Professional organizations include societies of doctors, lawyers, pharmacists, and engineers

Several others dedicated to research and education

Two major student political groups: National Union of Moroccan Students and General Union of Moroccan Students

Volunteer organizations: Lions Clubs International, The Red Crescent Society, Caritas

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EMPLOYMENT

Upper class: wealthy merchants and wholesalers or

descendants of the Prophet Muhammad

Latter group includes the royal family

Middle class: educated professionals, servants, lawyers,

doctors, and teachers

Lower class: work in factories and on farms

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INDUSTRY

Leading industrial sectors: rock mining, food processing, leather goods, textiles, construction

One of the world’s leading phosphate producers

Two oil refineries

Four plants assembling cars

Agricultural products for local consumption

Boost for manufacturing sector came with the opening of Renault car manufacturing

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TRANSPORTATION

Casablanca is the most important port (second largest in Africa) accounted for 40% of all goods

Eight international airports

30 marine vessels

Railroad system administered by the National Railroad Office

Road network extends 57,625 km

- 1,360,000 passenger cars and 400,000 commercial vehicles

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FOOD AND DRINK

Diet depends on customs, education, and economic rank

Cereals are popular and used to make several meals

Lamb and chicken make up the basic meat dishes

Tea with mint is the most popular drink (sign of hospitality)

Three meals per day

Bread is commonly served with every meal

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Moroccan Foods

FAVORITE DISHES

Couscous: made of a cereal and served with a hot sauce that contains meat

Tajin: stew of vegetables (usually served on Fridays)

Harira: Moroccan soup that can be made in many different ways (breaks fast during Ramadan)

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BERBERS

Majority of Moroccan people are of this background

Identity based on language

Refer to themselves not as Berbers, but Amazigh

Four distinct Berber groups stand today in Morocco

Berber names are not used for official record

Government puts pressure on Berbers to obtain Arab traits

Berber languages are proposed to study in universities

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Fez Sacred Music Festival

2012

CELEBRATIONS

Death of the Earth (May 17): first day of summer; ritual bath in the morning; traditional meal of barley, milk, and buzeffur plant

Anniversary of the Green March (Nov 6): celebrates the 1975 migration on Moroccan volunteers

Fez Sacred Music Festival: several music styles; spritual music performances and musical presentations; films

National Day (March 3): “Festival of the Throne” marks King Hassan II’s accession to the Moroccan throne

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MAJOR HOLIDAYS

Muslim Holidays

Eid al-Fitr comes at the end

of Ramadan

Eid al-Adha celebrates the

Prophet Abrahm

Secular Holidays

King Hassan II’s

Coronation Day (March 3)

Labor Day (May 1)

Independence Day (Nov.

18)

New Year’s Day (Jan. 1)

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HOUSING

Cities

Wide range of housing

Bidonvilles and luxury

apartments

Businessmen and

landowners live in older

sections

Rural Areas

Range is more narrow

Houses made of stone or

clay

Not everyone owns their

own house

Herdsmen live in tents

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Map of Morocco

Rooftop view of Marrakesh Lands and Peoples

ABOUT MARRAKESH

Old Moroccan city with narrow streets

Lots of work done in this city

Most afternoons a performance takes place here

around 4:00

Jugglers, snake charmers, acrobats

Huge crowd of all ages

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Moroccan Beaches

LANGUAGE

Arabic and French are taught in Moroccan schools

English is taught in some schools

Modern Standard Arabic is the official language (Moroccans speak their own dialect of it)

Spanish is spoken in the northern region of Morocco which was formerly under Spanish rule

Educated people are expected to speak French; it is used in resorts and in business plans

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RELATIONSHIPS

Greetings and farewells: shake hand

Hugs and kisses on the cheeks for close friends of the same sex

Opposite sex only shake hands

Females and males are kept apart until they are older and understand sexuality

Premarital sexual relations are forbidden

Moroccan males socialize at the cafe because women are rarely present at cafes

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DEATH

Deceased are buried within 24 hours

Moroccans mourn for three days

Friends prepare food for the family during the period of mourning

40 days after the death, another mourning period begins with family and friends reciting the Quran in memory

A large meal is then prepared for anyone who is mourning at this time

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El-Badi Palace

hosts the Marrakesh

Popular Arts Festival

CITIES

Casablanca: largest city; old-world community; famous

white buildings; habor is one of the largest in Africa

Rabat: became capitol in 1912; nation’s second-largest city

Fez: founded in 790; third largest city

Marrakesh: fourth largest city founded in the 11th century

Other important cities: Meknes, Tangier, Oujda, Tetuan

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ECONOMY

Important sectors: Agriculture, light industry, tourism

Growing rapidly

Some farmers use modern technique

Most-fertile region: Casablanca

Large number of Moroccans engaged in raising livestock: sheep, cattle, donkeys, mules, horses

Fishing has become an important industry

Government is trying to change attitudes and step into the modern world today

Lands and Peoples

Mosques

The Casbah of Telouet

stands in the foothills of the

Atlas Mountains.