3rd Period: Team Bossy Baboon

Country: Morocco
Flag provided by: 47

Geographic information:

• Mountainous
• Spans from Atlantic Ocean to Sahara Desert.
• Atlas Mountains found in center and southern part of Country
• 57th largest country in the world
• Riff mountains in northern part of country
• Berber people inhabit most of the whole country
• Algeria borders Morocco on the east and southeast borders.
• Borders have been closed since 1994
• Population mainly inhabits north of the mountains
• Southern half is mostly desert
• Mediterranean climate (hot/warm summers, wet winters)
• Very desertic
• 610 different species of animals

Geography:

The climate is Mediterranean in the North and in some mountains ( West of Atlas), which becomes more extreme towards the interior regions. The terrain is such that the coastal plains are rich and accordingly, they comprise the backbone for [[agriculture], especially in the North. Forests cover about 12% of the land while arable land accounts for 18%. 5% is irrigated. In the Atlas ( Middle Atlas), there´s some different climates: Mediterranean ( with some more humid and fresher variants), Maritime Temperate ( with some humid and fresher variants too) that allow different species of oaks, moss carpets, junipers, Atlantic cedars and many other plants, to form extense and very rich humid cloud forests. In the highest peaks a different climate may occur. On the other side of Atlas mountains ( East Atlas), the climate changes, due to the barrier/shelter effect of these mountainous system, turning it very dry and extremely warm during the summer ( that can last several months), especially on the lowlands and on the valleys faced to the Sahara. Here it starts the big Desert Sahara and it´s perfectly visible, for example, on the Draa Valley, on which it´s possible to find oasis, sand dunes and rocky desert landscapes. So the climate in this region is desertic.
Information provided by: 48

Moroccan History
In the 7th century A.D. the Arabs invaded Morocco and established its first religion which was Muslim
10-17th centuries - Dynasties and religious movements come and go, including the Almoravid movement which at its peak controlled Morocco and parts of present-day Algeria and Spain.
1860 - Dispute over Spain's Ceuta enclave; Spain declares war, wins a further enclave and an enlarged Ceuta in the settlement.
1884 - Spain creates a protectorate in coastal areas of Morocco.
1906 - Algeciras Conference in Spain; France and Spain are allowed to police Moroccan ports and collect customs fees.
1912 - Morocco becomes a French protectorate under the Treaty of Fez, set up by a French Resident-General. Spain continues to operate its coastal protectorate.
1921 – Morocco rebellion in Rif Mountains is suppressed by French and Spanish troops.
1943 Party of Independence founded to press for independence.
1956 March - End of French protectorate Spain keeps its two coastal enclaves. Sultan Mohammed becomes king in 1957.
1961 - Death of King Mohammed; King Hassan II comes to power.
1963 - First general elections.
1965 King Hassan declares a state of emergency and suspends parliament.
1973 - Polisario movement formed, aims to establish an independent state in Spanish Sahara, a territory south of Morocco controlled by Spain
1975 November - The Green March: King Hassan orders 350,000 civilian volunteers to cross into Spanish Sahara.
1975 December - Spain agrees to leave Spanish Sahara, soon to become Western Sahara, and to transfer it to joint Moroccan-Mauritanian control. Algeria objects and threatens military intervention. Moroccan forces enter and occupy the territory.
1976 - Moroccan and Algerian troops clash in Western Sahara. Algeria announces the formation of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic with a government-in-exile. Morocco and Mauritania divide-up Western Sahara.
1984 - Morocco leaves the Organization of African Unity in protest
1988 - Resumption of full diplomatic relations with Algeria.
Sahara ceasefire
1991 - UN-monitored ceasefire begins in Western Sahara, but the territory's status remains undecided and ceasefire violations are reported. The following decade sees much wrangling over a proposed referendum on the future of the territory but the deadlock is not broken.
1998 - Morocco's first opposition-led government comes to power.
1999 - King Hassan II is succeeded by his son, Mohammed VI.
2002 July - Morocco and Spain agree to US-brokered resolution over the disputed island of Perejil. Spanish troops had taken the normally-uninhabited island after Moroccan soldiers landed on it and set up tents and a flag.
2002 December - Morocco and Spain hold their first talks since their conflict over Perejil. In January 2003 they agree to return ambassadors.
2004 February - Powerful earthquake hits the north; more than 500 people are killed.
2005 September-October - Hundreds of African migrants try to storm Morocco's borders with the Spanish enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta. Morocco deports hundreds of the illegal migrants.
2006 April - Chinese President Hu Jintao visits, signs a series of trade agreements.
2007 June - Morocco and the Polisario Front hold UN-sponsored talks in New York but fail to come to any agreement.
2007 November - Spanish King Juan Carlos visits Ceuta and Melilla, angering Morocco which demands the return of the enclaves.
Information provided by: 49

Agriculture/Trade/Commerce:
"Morocco is essentially self-sufficient in food production. Recently, an irregularity in rainfall has necessitated the importation of grains during drought years. As a result of the worst drought in decades, Morocco's cereal crop in 1995 was only one quarter of the average annual amount during the previous 10 years. Pulse, vegetable, and citrus production were also devastated. However, in 1996 Morocco received the highest levels of rainfall in 30 years, leading to record grain production. The principal export crops are citrus fruits and vegetables.


The government distributed some 500,000 hectares (1,235,500 acres) of farmland formerly owned by European settlers to Moroccan farmers in the late 1960s and the 1970s. To encourage Moroccans to modernize the traditional sector, the Agricultural Investment Code of 1969 required farmers in irrigated areas to meet the minimum standards of efficiency outlined by the government or lose their land. These standards applied to all farms of five hectares (12 acres) or more."
(directly from http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Morocco-AGRICULTURE.html)
Information provided by: 48

Important people of Morocco-

- Mohammed Hajoui- This person was governor of Oujda for seventeen years.
-Mohammed Khair Eddine- this person is a writer who inspires the people around him by conventional writing and asking political questions.
- Mohammed Berrada (Beradah)- This Author is Considered to be one of Morocco’s finest modern authors, Berrada is a novelist, literary critic and translator. He writes in Arabic and teaches Arab literature at the Mohammed V University in Rabat. He is also an active member of the advisory board for Prologue, a Moroccan literary magazine.
-Maryam Hassouni is a famous Moroccan television and film actress. Maryam won the International Emmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress (2006) for her role Laila al Gatawi in Offers.
-Najib Amhali is a Moroccan-born Dutch stand-up comedian and actor. He is considered the number 1 stand-up comedian
- World famous fashion designer, Aziz Bekkaoui, presents his collections on the Paris catwalks since some years and the fashion world is very enthusiastic about his hip, beautiful and unique design.

Moroccan Culture
-Islam is practiced by the majority of Moroccans and governs their personal, political, economic and legal lives
-The family is the most significant unit of Moroccan life and plays an important role in all social relations.
-The individual is always subordinate to the family or group.
-Nepotism is viewed positively, since it indicates patronage of one's family.
-The family consists of both the nuclear and the extended family.
-The elderly are revered and respected and often exert a great influence on the rest of the family.
-When Moroccans greet each other they take their time and converse about their families, friends, and other general topics.
-Handshakes are the customary greeting between individuals of the same sex.
-Morocco is a bilingual country with Arabic and French as official languages
- Costumes differ from town to town in Morocco being influenced by Spanish, Turkish, Balkan, Berber and French traditions.
- The Moroccan men wear djellaba, a long, loose, full sleeve garment with a hood.
- A red cap called tarbouche or Fez is worn on special occasions. Also, most Moraccan men and women wear soft, heelless, leather slippers called Baboosh, yellow in color.
-High-heeled sandals with silver or gold tinsel are also popular among women.
-The djellabas worn by women are dominated by bright colors and ornate patterns woven by hand, whereas those worn by men are plain in neutral colors
- A hoodless type of djellaba called Kaftans is also popular. Despite the high costs of the traditional dress, Moroccans are strongly attached to their dress and purchase at least a new pair every year.
-Moroccan culinary traditions are predominantly based on a diet of meat and candies
-Principles of sound democracy are heralded in Morocco and are already on their way to modernize the country.
-The new family code adopted by the parliament in 2003 has conferred equal status to women in marriage, children and property.
-Fighting against religious fanaticism and striving to modernize Islam, Morocco is emerging as a model for democratic Islam. Ethnically and culturally, one can say that today’s Morocco is the least Arabic among Arab countries.

Moroccan Music

Morocco’s best aspect of culture is music. There are over 25 different types. Musicians perform in concerts, in cafes, at private homes, ceremonies, marriages, funerals, and religious processions. It is also used to accompany dancing and storytelling.

Andalusian music is a blend of Arab and Spanish music that Moroccans call El-Ala and is considered to be Morocco’s classical music which is sung in classical ArabicAnother type of Moroccan music is Rai. With its origins in Algeria, it has been adopted by Morocco and is associated to the eastern region of the country, especially the city of Oujda.Chaabi is probably considered pop music since it is indeed the most popular music listened to in Morocco. It is another form of Moroccan music that is widely listened to because it is sung in Darija, Moroccan Arabic.

If you are planning to visit Morocco, be sure you get informed of the music festival taking place during your visit. There are many of them in different cities and it is most likely that your visit coincides with one of them.
http://www.morocco.com/music/
http://www.al-bab.com/maroc/cult/music.htm

Moroccan Architecture

It is not very difficult to identify the architecture of Morocco because of its distinctive Islamic style. These facets of Moroccan architecture give us a peak into Morocco’s enchanting past. Some of the typical features of Morocco Architecture are:

- Huge U- shaped arches and lovely domes

- Large courtyards, adorned with charming gardens.

- Use of geometrical patterns.

- Use of bright color schemes

- Use of ornamental Islamic calligraphy and fewer pictures.

- ornamentation of the exterior of the buildings.

Architecture in Morocco is a blend of Black African and Islamic design styles, with the Islamic styles dominating in this combination. This is not only viewed in the building itself, but the lavish gardens, extravagant decorations and elaborate use of deep and contrasting color.

http://www.asiarooms.com/travel-guide/morocco/culture-of-morocco/architecture-of-morocco.html
http://www.morocco.com/culture/architecture/
Information provided by: 47

Current Issue:  health concerns related to smog

Solution Letter:
 Dear M. Aziz Mekouar,




After studying your country for some time my team and I have made many discoveries about your country. We hold high respect for your country and have high respect for what you have accomplished in your country. Not only do we respect you, but we are really interested in the culture and society of your country. We have become aware that a current issue in morocco is a collection of airborne particles dispersed in a gas, smoke, or fog. We have come across a way to help the people from this. Our idea was to positively promote the idea of people walking and riding their bikes. Not only is this a healthier option, it also affects the gas part of the issue. If people were to take buses, or create some sort of caravan, to get to work, or to just accomplish their daily tasks, it could help with the people saving the gas in the air. If people were to stop smoking they would be able to help get the gases out of the air and they would be able to help resolve the issue with the harmful aerosol. If there is anything we can do to help please contact us at our school, Worthington Christian High School. 6675 Worthington Galena Worthington Ohio 43085.



Sincerely,

47, 48, 49 50 and 71


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