Morocco tourist information, including all the useful things to know before leaving for a trip or vacation in this North African state.
Morocco in a nutshell
- Capital: Rabat
- Area in sq km: 458,730
- Population: 33,241,259 (2006)
- Religion: Muslim with minorities of Jews and Catholics
Where is it
Morocco occupies the westernmost part of North Africa and is very close to Europe. It borders Mauritana to the south west, Algeria to the south east, it faces the Mediterranean Sea to the east and north, the Atlantic Ocean to the north west and west.
Its internal reliefs slope towards the coasts and form like a large amphitheater open on the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
The Rif mountain range runs for almost the entire length of the Mediterranean coast (the coast is therefore high and steep, unlike the Atlantic one which is low and uniform).
South of this chain, towards the southwest, the chains of the High and Middle Atlas run parallel to each other. Various plains extend between the reliefs; the major (the Rharb) is between the Rif and the Middle Atlas.
The Anti Atlas, the southernmost chain of Morocco runs out before the Atlantic coast while in the southeast it degrades towards the desert region of the Sahara.
The High Atlas chain is the highest (Tubkal m. 4,165).
Hydrography
The hydrographic network of Morocco is quite rich, but the rivers all have a seasonal regime, with winter floods and summer meager.
Rivers flow from the Atlas and flow into the Atlantic Ocean or the Mediterranean Sea. The most important river is Oum er-Rbia.
Climate
On the Atlantic and Mediterranean coast the summers are temperate and the winters mild.
Inside the country, temperatures are conditioned by altitude and seasonal and diurnal temperature variations are very sensitive.
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Precipitation touches the maximum peaks in the northern part of the country, as it descends towards the south it decreases rapidly until it reaches an arid climate in the southern internal part of Morocco.
Population
The population is made up of Arab-Berbers. The Berbers represent the indigenous population of the country, the Arabs came after successive invasions.
Minorities include groups of Jews, French, Spanish and black descendants of ancient slaves.
Time zone
In Morocco it is necessary to move the clock hands 1 hour behind Italy, 2 hours behind when in Italy there is summer time.
Spoken language
The official language of Morocco is Arabic, but French is also widespread. Also some Berber dialects are spoken.
Economy
The agricultural sector, although not very competitive, can guarantee a differentiated production of products such as cereals, potatoes, legumes and products intended for export such as dates, citrus fruits, tomatoes, olives, grapes and fruit in general.
Many areas are reserved for sheep and goat cattle breeding; the fishing sector is also important.
Relevant phosphate reserves (3/4 of world reserves); the province of Khouribga is home to the country's main mineral deposit.
Industries have developed mainly in the food, textile, chemical and parachymic (phosphate processing) sectors, and the tourism sector is also expanding in some areas of the country (Marrakesh and Agadir).
However, although economic development programs have been implemented in recent decades, Morocco still faces many challenges to fight poverty and ensure a good standard of living for its people.
When to go
Travel holidays with flights and hotels in Morocco. On the Mediterranean and Atlantic coast, the weather is pleasant for most of the year, the recommended period is from late May to September.
To visit the southern inner part of Morocco, the winter months are preferable because in summer very high temperatures are reached.
Inside the country in the mountainous areas, above 1000 meters, between December and March, snow falls and it is the right time for skiing; spring and summer are preferred for trekking.
Requested documents
A valid passport is required to enter Morocco. In the case of organized group travel, an identity card valid for expatriation is sufficient.
A visa is not required for a tourist stay of less than 3 months.
For those who want to stay in the country for more than 90 days, they must contact the nearest police station within 8 days of arrival in Morocco to request the necessary authorization for longer stays.
Phone
- The international prefix for telephoning from Italy to Morocco is: 00212
- The international prefix for telephoning from Morocco to Italy is: 0039
GSM cell phones work throughout the territory, apart from some desert areas in the south, where there may be some difficulties.
In the various localities of the country there are internet cafes and telephone boxes to make calls from public telephones.
Electricity
The electrical current is 127/220 V 50 Hz. Type C and type E electrical outlets.
Money and credit card
The official currency of Morocco is the dirham.
It is forbidden to import and export Moroccan currency, so it is good to keep the exchange document for any conversions before departure.
The main credit cards are accepted in restaurants, hotels and shops.
There are no difficulties in changing the euro which, however, in many cases, can also be used for payments directly.
How to get
plane
Morocco's main airline, Royal Air Maroc, operates from the airports of Bologna, Milan Malpensa, Rome Fiumicino and Turin to Casablanca and Marrakech.
The low cost airline, Atlas blue, flies from Milan Malpensa and Bologna to Marrakech at very competitive prices.
Sea
The scheduled services that connect Italy, France and Spain to Morocco are operated by various companies:
- COMANAV line from Genoa and Sète (France) to Tangier
- ACCIONA TRASMEDITERRANEA offers connections from various ports in Spain to those in Morocco.
- Line from Malaga and Almeria (Spain) to Melilla (Spain in Morocco) and from Almeria (Spain) to Nador (Morocco)
- SNCM line from Sète (France) to Tangier (Morocco)
- FERRY MAROC line from Almeria (Spain) to Nador (Morocco)
- EURO FERRYS is part of the Acciona group and operates the Algeciras (Spain) line for Tangier and Ceuta and the line from Almeria to Nador.
- FRS line from Tarifa, Algeciras, Gibraltar (Spain) to Tangier (Morocco) and from Algeciras to Ceuta.
- COMARIT operates the routes from Algeciras (Spain) to Tangier (Morocco) and from Almeria (Spain) to Nador (Morocco).
Vaccinations
No vaccinations are required to enter Morocco.
Vaccines against hepatitis A and typhoid are recommended.
