Morocco

A doorway to the world

Across the sea lies Spain. Near Tangier, cranes tower over Tanger Med port. Moroccan-built cars leave on ships: exports, made here and sold abroad. Nearby shipping routes help factories reach overseas buyers. Now head inland toward Fez. Many people live on coastal plains, where water, farmland, and jobs are more available.

Follow the workshop lanes

Enter Fez’s medina, or old city. Workshops turn hides into leather bags and slippers. Listen for Darija, Moroccan Arabic, and Amazigh languages. Amazigh peoples are Indigenous to Northern Africa. In carpet shops, notice woven colors, diamonds, and repeating patterns. Designs vary among communities and makers; symbols can carry cultural or personal meanings.

Ride through the capital

Travel west to Rabat, the capital, and board a tram alongside people heading to school or work. Parliament meets here. Adults vote, but the king retains major power. Continue past Casablanca, Morocco’s largest city, toward Khouribga.

A rock that helps crops grow

At Khouribga, mines uncover phosphate rock containing phosphorus, a nutrient plants need. A pipeline carries crushed rock mixed with water to coastal Jorf Lasfar. Factories turn it into fertilizer for farms in Morocco and abroad.

From market to mountain

In Marrakech’s souks, sellers display rugs beneath the Koutoubia minaret. Most Moroccans are Muslim; Islam shapes holidays and daily routines. Pause for couscous, made from wheat with vegetables and sometimes meat. Continue into the High Atlas, whose rain and snow feed farms below. Mountain scenery and historic cities draw tourists, supporting guides and hotels. Drought threatens water supplies.

Small seeds, valuable oil

Near Agadir, cooperatives make oil from argan kernels. Farms grow citrus, tomatoes, and other vegetables for local markets and export. Farther north, fields produce wheat and barley; southern oases grow dates. Rain supports farming in wetter areas, but dry regions need irrigation. Farms and towns must share limited water.

A place with a disputed future

Farther south, our journey reaches Laayoune in disputed Western Sahara. Morocco controls most of the territory and claims it. The Polisario Front seeks independence for the Sahrawi people. Residents have differing views about their future.

Spain withdrew in 1976, but the dispute remains unresolved. The United Nations still lists Western Sahara as a territory whose people have not completed the process of deciding their political future.