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I AM MOROCCO   I am Morocco, home of Africa's oldest monarchy, constitutional in form, with an elected parliament. I rank high on the list Africa's prime tourism destinations, generating over 2 billion per year in foreign currency. I am located in Northern Africa, with coastlines along the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. I am a stable and democratic country linking Sub-Saharan Africa and Western Europe, separated by the Straits of Gibraltar, a short ferry ride. In area I am slightly larger than the state of California and the same size as Iraq. I am bordered by Algeria to the east, Spain to the north, three small Spanish enclaves and Mauritania to the south via my Western Saharan territories. Most of my south east area is in the Sahara Desert and as such is generally sparsely populated My status I am a member of the Arab League, Arab Maghreb Union, Francophonie, Organization of the Islamic Conference, Mediterranean Dialogue group, and Group of 77. I received my independence from France in 1956. My current population is more than 30 million. My official language is Arabic, Berber dialect - with French popular as the language of business, government and diplomacy and English widely spoken. My Ethnic groups are as follows: Arab-Berber 99.1%, other 0.7%, Jewish 0.2% My religions: Muslim 98.7%, Christian 1.1%, Jewish 0.2%. I am the third most populous Arab country, after Egypt and Sudan. Most of my people practice Sunni Islam and are of Berber, Arab or mixed Arab-Berber stock. Great Cities of Morocco I am famous for my Imperial Cities. Casablanca is my business and economic capital, and has the Northern Africa's largest seaport. A modern auto route connects Casablanca with other major centers, and the railways system is well advanced, with seamless service to the Mohammed V International Airport, with over 6.2 million passengers annually. It is the hub of my flag carrier Royal Air Maroc, Jet4you, Air Arabia Maroc and Regional Air Lines. Rabat is my administrative capital - traditional yet modern and elegant, with wide boulevards with trees, flowers, gardens and luxurious boutiques. Small wonder they call in the Garden City. An exciting development currently underway is a rapid light rail system linking Rabat to its sister city of Sale. Fés, the Imperial City, is my spiritual and cultural center and original capital, dating back to the 800s. Meknes is famous for its picturesque and exotic souks (markets) with colorful displays of foods, handicrafts and textiles. Close by is the Roman City of Volubilis, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Marrakech has many historical sites as well as exquisite shopping bazaars. Opportunities to experience luxurious palaces, exotic kasbahs, museums, casinos, golf courses, mountains, lush oases, and fabulous marketplaces. Other cities include Agadir, Essaouira, Fes, Marrakech, Meknes, Mohammadia, Oujda, Ouarzazat, Safi, Salè, Tangier and Tétouan. My climate is Mediterranean, becoming more extreme towards my mountainous interior regions. My coastal plains are rich and accordingly, they comprise the backbone for agriculture. Forests cover about 12% of the land while arable land accounts for 18%. 5% is irrigated. I am known for my wildlife biodiversity, with birds representing the most important fauna I m an ethnically diverse country with a rich culture and civilization, having hosted many people coming from East (Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Jews and Arabs), South (Sub-Saharan Africans) and North (Romans, Vandals, Andalusians (including Moors and Jews)). All those civilizations have had an impact on my social structure. I am any ally of the United States via the Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship, the oldest non-broken friendship treaty. It was negotiated by Thomas Barclay and signed by John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. It has been in continuous effect since 1787. Portuguese efforts to invade and control the Atlantic coast in the fifteenth century did not profoundly affect the Mediterranean heart of Morocco. Many former Portuguese forts are integrated into my coastal cities. With my capital at Rabat, there are 37 provinces and 2 wilayas; Agadir, Al Hoceima, Azilal, Beni Mellal, Ben Slimane, Boulemane, Casablanca*, Chaouen, El Jadida, El Kelaa des Srarhna, Er Rachidia, Essaouira, Fes, Figuig, Guelmim, Ifrane, Kenitra, Khemisset, Khenifra, Khouribga, Laayoune, Larache, Marrakech, Meknes, Nador, Ouarzazate, Oujda, Rabat-Sale*, Safi, Settat, Sidi Kacem, Tanger, Tan-Tan, Taounate, Taroudannt, Tata, Taza, Tetouan, Tiznit . note: three additional provinces of Ad Dakhla (Oued Eddahab), Boujdour, and Es Smara as well as parts of Tan-Tan and Laayoune fall within Moroccan-claimed Executive branch: Chief of state: King MOHAMED VI (since 23 July 1999), Education is free and compulsory through primary school (age 15). List of universities in Morocco Main article: List of universities in Morocco Abdelmalek Essaâdi University , Tétouan - Tanger Al Akhawayn University, Ifrane Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech Chouaib Doukkali University , El Jadida Hassan II Ain Chok University , Casablanca Hassan II Mohammedia University , Mohammedia Hassan Premier University , Settat Ibn Tofail University , Kenitra Ibnou Zohr University , Agadir Institute of Management and Business Technology (IMBT) Rabat Mohamed Premier University , Oujda Mohammed V University, Rabat Mohammed V University Agdal, Rabat Mohammed V University Souissi, Rabat Moulay Ismail University , Meknès Sidi Mohamed Benabdellah University , Fes University of Al Karaouine, Fes Université Moulay Slimane (formerly called Cadi Ayyad University until late 2007), Beni Mellal Spo   2020 Vision Here are some comments regarding my tourism sector: "Being endowed with important natural assets as well as a rich and varied cultural heritage, Morocco has opted for the promotion of the tourist sector, putting in place a voluntarist strategy of tourism development which is likely to trigger a sustainable and integrated development dynamics."   MORE TO COME ...