Spain Spain is a developed country, a secular parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy,[15] with King Felipe VI as head of state. It is a high-income country and an advanced economy,[16] with the world’s sixteenth-largest economy by nominal GDP and the sixteenth-largest by PPP. Spain has the twelve-highest life expectancy in the world.[17] It ranks […]

Tangier Once an international city, Tangier has a special character that sets it apart from other Moroccan cities. It has drawn artists and writers, from Henri Matisse to Paul Bowles and writers of the Beat generation. Tangier’s port, dominated by the medina, is the main link between Africa and Europe. With a new road linking […]

Asilah Established by the Phoenicians, Asilah was an important town in Mauritania’s pre-Roman period (when coins were minted here), and also under the Romans. It was captured by the Portuguese in 1471 and became a centre of trade with connections to the Mediterranean countries. The town came under Moroccan control in 1691, during the reign […]

Agadir The regional capital of the South beyond the Atlas, draws thousands of visitors a year. Its gentle climate temperatures range from 7 °C to 20 °C (45 °F to 68 °F) in January, the coolest month together with its sheltered beach and hotels make it Morocco’s second tourist city after Marrakech. Having been completely […]

Ouarzazate This fascinating region begins at the southern edge of the High Atlas, where desert and mountains meet. The stony desert is broken by green oases where shade-giving date palms grow in profusion. Cut by steep canyons and studded with arid hills, it is criss-crossed by wadis right up to the edge of the Sahara. […]

Meknes Located between the fertile plain of the Rarb and the Middle Atlas, Meknès and Volubilis lie at the heart of an agricultural area that has been Morocco’s grain store since ancient times. The historical importance of the two cities can be clearly seen in the ruins of Volubilis, capital of Mauretania Tingitana and the […]

Merzouga The small Saharan oasis of Merzouga, much damaged by floods in 2006, is famous for its location at the foot of the Erg Chebbi Dunes. These photogenic dunes, which rise up out of the stony, sandy desert, extend for 30 km (19 miles), and reach a maximum height of 250 m (820 ft). At […]

Chefchaouen The white town of Chefchaouen nestles in the hollow of the two mountains ech-Chaoua (The Horns) from which it takes its name. Steep narrow streets with white and indigo limewashed buildings, small squares, ornate fountains and houses with elaborately decorated doorways and red tile roofs make this a delightful town. It was founded in […]

Marrakech Such is the importance of Marrakech that it gave its name to Morocco. Formore than two centuries, this Berber city at the point of interchange between the Sahara, the Atlas and the Anti-Atlas was the hub of a great empire, and the achievements of illustrious builders can be seen within the city’s walls. It […]

Essaouira Morocco, a North African country bordering the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, is distinguished by its Berber, Arabian and European cultural influences. Marrakesh’s medina, a mazelike medieval quarter, offers entertainment in its Djemaa el-Fna square and souks (marketplaces) selling ceramics, jewelry and metal lanterns. The capital Rabat’s Kasbah of the Udayas is a 12th-century […]