Morocco

This article is about the country in North Africa. For the subregion, see Maghreb. For other uses, see Morocco (disambiguation).

"Moroco" redirects here. For the fish species, see Pseudorasbora pumila.

Kingdom of Morocco المملكة المغربية (Arabic) al-Mamlakah al-Maghribiyah ⵜⴰⴳⵍⴷⵉⵜ ⵏ ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ (Tamazight) Tageldit n Lmeɣrib
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: ٱللَّٰه، ٱلْوَطَن، ٱلْمَلِك  "Allāh, al-Waṭan, al-Malik" ⵕⴱⴱⵉ, ⴰⵎⵓⵔ, ⴰⴳⵍⵍⵉⴷ "Rbbi, Amur, Agllid" "God, Country, King"
Anthem: ٱلنَّشِيْد ٱلْوَطَنِي  "an-Našīd al-Waṭanīy" "Cherifian Anthem"
Location of Morocco in northwest Africa   Undisputed territory of Morocco   Western Sahara, a territory claimed and partly occupied by Morocco
Capital	Rabat 34°02′N 6°51′W
Largest city	Casablanca 33°32′N 7°35′W
Official languages	Arabic Tamazight
Spoken languages (2024)	92.7% Arabic 91.9% Moroccan Arabic 0.8% Hassaniya Arabic 24.8% Berber languages 14.2% Tashelhit 7.4% Tamazight 3.2% Tarifit
Foreign languages	French English Spanish
Ethnic groups	See Ethnic groups
Religion (2020)	99.68% Islam (official) 99.23% Sunni 0.45% Shia 0.3% others 0.13% agnostics 0.10% Baháʼís 0.09% Christians 0.01% Jews
Demonym	Moroccan
Government	Unitary parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy
• King	Mohammed VI
• Prime Minister	Aziz Akhannouch
Legislature	Parliament
• Upper house	House of Councillors
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Establishment
• Idrisid Dynasty	788
• Almoravid Dynasty	1040
• Almohad Dynasty	1121
• Marinid Dynasty	1244
• Wattasid Dynasty	1472
• Saadi Dynasty	1510
• Alawi Dynasty (current dynasty)	1631
• Treaty of Fez	30 March 1912
• End of protectorate	2 March 1956
• Current constitution	29 July 2011
Area
• Total	446,550 km2 (172,410 sq mi) (57th)
• Water (%)	0.056 (250 km2)
Population
• 2024 census	36,828,330
• Density	79.0/km2 (204.6/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2025 estimate
• Total	$424.870 billion (57th)
• Per capita	$11,270 (122nd)
GDP (nominal)	2025 estimate
• Total	$165.840 billion (58th)
• Per capita	$4,440 (123rd)
Gini (2022)	40.5 medium inequality
HDI (2023)	0.710 high (120th)
Currency	Moroccan dirham (MAD)
Time zone	UTC+0
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1
Calling code	+212
ISO 3166 code	MA
Internet TLD	.ma .المغرب

Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to the east; the Spanish exclaves of Ceuta, Melilla and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera along the north, which it claims together with several small Spanish-controlled islands; and the disputed territory of Western Sahara to the south, partly occupied by Morocco since 1975. Morocco also claims to share a border with Mauritania through the disputed territory of Western Sahara. It has a population of approximately 37 million. Its capital is Rabat, while its largest city is Casablanca.

The region constituting Morocco has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era, more than 300,000 years ago. The Moroccan state traces its origins to the establishment of the Idrisid dynasty by Idris I in 788, although its historical territories did not coincide with those of present-day Morocco; the country is regarded as one of the world's oldest continuously existing states. Morocco was subsequently ruled by a series of other independent dynasties, reaching its zenith as a regional power in the 11th and 12th centuries, under the Almoravid and Almohad dynasties, both Berber kingdoms, when it controlled most of the Iberian Peninsula and the Maghreb. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Morocco faced external threats to its sovereignty, with Portugal seizing some territory and the Ottoman Empire encroaching from the east. The Marinid and Saadi dynasties otherwise resisted foreign domination, and Morocco was the only North African nation to escape Ottoman dominion. The Saadi dynasty expanded its territory through the conquest of the Songhai Empire in the late 16th century. The Alawi dynasty, which rules the country to this day, seized power in 1631, and over the next two centuries expanded diplomatic and commercial relations with the Western world. It is among the world's oldest reigning royal dynasties. Morocco's strategic location near the mouth of the Mediterranean drew renewed European interest. In 1912, France and Spain established protectorates over the country and designated Tangier as an international zone, while the Sultan remained the formal sovereign with limited authority under colonial control. Following intermittent riots and revolts against colonial rule, Morocco regained its independence and reunified in 1956 under the leadership of Sultan Mohammed V.

Since independence, Morocco has remained relatively stable. It has the fifth-largest economy in Africa and wields significant influence in both Africa and the Arab world; it is considered a middle power in global affairs and holds membership in the Arab League, the Arab Maghreb Union, the Union for the Mediterranean, and the African Union. It is one of the few countries in Africa ranking high on the Human Development Index and is Africa's leading industrial economy. Morocco is a unitary semi-constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. The executive branch is led by the King of Morocco and the prime minister, while legislative power is vested in the two chambers of parliament: the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors. Judicial power rests with the Constitutional Court, which may review the validity of laws, elections, and referendums. The king holds vast executive and legislative powers, especially over the military, foreign policy and religious affairs; he can issue dahirs, decrees which have the force of law, and he can also dissolve the parliament after consulting the prime minister and the president of the constitutional court. Morocco is classified as a hybrid regime and, as of 2025, holds the highest ranking in the Arab world, according to The Economist Democracy Index. Islam is both the official and predominant religion, with nearly all of the population identifying as Muslims. Arabic and Berber are the official languages, though the Moroccan dialect of Arabic (known locally as Darija) is widely spoken and considered the lingua franca. The culture of Morocco is a mix of Arab, Berber, European (specifically Andalusian), and African cultures.

Morocco claims ownership of the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara, which it has designated its Southern Provinces. In 1975, after Spain agreed to decolonise the territory and cede its control to Morocco and Mauritania, a guerrilla war broke out between those powers and some of the local inhabitants. In 1979, Mauritania relinquished its claim to the area, but the war continued to rage. In 1991, a ceasefire agreement was reached, but the issue of sovereignty remained unresolved. Today, Morocco occupies about two-thirds of the territory, and efforts to resolve the dispute have thus far failed to break the political deadlock.