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Morocco - Tangiers |
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Morocco is on the north western point of Africa and is bordered by Mauritania and Algeria. It lies on the straits of Gibraltar on the Mediterranean Sea and borders the Atlantic Ocean from the North West. It is just 14km from the northern most tip of Tangier from Gibraltar and Spain. The size of the country is 447,000 sq kms and is just a little larger than California. The real name for Morocco is al-Mamlaka al-Magherebia and it has a population of around 33,000,000.
Tangier lies on the coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Tangier-Tetouan region.
Inhabited by different races and religions for over 2,500 years, Tangier is a cosmopolitan city with an ancient history.
The popularity of Tangier is also due to its beaches and climate, for the breezes where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean never let the temperature exceed 26C yet the town is warm well into October when the minimum is around 16C.
History
Tangier has been fought over since it was settled in by the ancient Greeks and Phonecians. Among those who have occupied it are the Vandals ( 5th century ), Byzantines ( 6th ), Arabs ( 8th ), Berbers ( 8th ), Fatimids of Tunis ( 10th ), Almoravides ( 11th ), Almohades ( 12th ), Merinids ( 13th ), Portuguese ( 15-16th ), Spanish ( 16th ), British ( 17th ) and French ( 19th ). All of these influences have created a town with a character quite unlike that of other Moroccan cities.
Language
Apart from Arabic, of which there are various common dialects, French is the most widely spoken language. Spanish is also understood, and most locals will also know some English, even if it is only basic. |
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