This map is a representation of the many different sources that contribute to the countries economical stability. Morocco Maps - Perry-Castañeda Map Collection - UT Library Online. (n.d.). Retrieved February 14, 2017, from http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/morocco.html
In Morocco there was a consistent number of babies per woman, with an average of 6.5, until the spread of birth control options. Morocco's average of babies per woman experienced a decrease a few years after 1961, the year contraceptives were invented, and the decline continued into present time. You can see in comparison to other countries, like America, the decline in average has not been as drastic in Morocco.
The education system in Morocco is still a work in progress as the country has a high percentage of illiteracy. Despite there still being a large need for improvements we can see an increase in the literacy of the youth ages 15-24. In figure 2 we can see the literacy percentage at 45.3% in 1983, the percentage then goes up to 81.5% by 2011. There have been a clear improvements at least in recent years in order to improve the literacy percentage within this population.
The education system in Morocco is still a work in progress as the country has a high percentage of illiteracy. Despite there still being a large need for improvements we can see an increase in the literacy of the youth ages 15-24. In figure 2 we can see the literacy percentage at 45.3% in 1983, the percentage then goes up to 81.5% by 2011. There have been a clear improvements at least in recent years in order to improve the literacy percentage within this population.
The main religion practiced in Morocco is that of Islam. The religion of Islam has been traced back to its origination in Saudi Arabia by the prophet Muhammad. Muhammad dictated the Quran, which is the holy book of Islam and the word of Allah. Of course, according to the Quran the religion of Islam had been around way before that of Muhammad. The religion of Islam made its way into Morocco back in 670 AD due to the land being conquered by the Umayyad. People of Morocco slowly started converting to the religion of Islam. There were a number of Islamic Dynasties in power in Morocco which pushed the religion to become the dominate religion it is today in this country.
There are a number of aspects of Islam that have heavily impacted the social norms, traditions, and daily living. Muslims first must pray 5 times a day (L.G., 2013). This can be very time consuming and heavily impacts the activities of their daily living in Morocco. They have to limit their daily activities and must work them around times of prayer. The Islam religion is one that dictates many social norms and daily activities. The Islamic religion dictates how one must dress. The religion urges Muslims to cover up their bodies which creates the social norms of daily dress (L.G., 2013). The diet of Muslims is also affected by the Islamic religion as Muslims are prohibited from eating pork (L.G., 2013).
The most sacred places in the Islamic religion or going to be located in the religions place of origin, Saudi Arabia. Morocco does have a number of Islamic schools and popular Mosques throughout the country. There are also a couple of tombs that are religiously sacred in Morocco. The tomb of Sidi Abd al Aziz located in Marrakesh is considered to be very sacred in Morocco as this individual was not just a Muslim but one of the “seven saints.” The tomb of Moulay Idriss el Akhbar is also very sacred as this individual is a descendent of the prophet Muhammad.
There of course has always been an Islamic influence on the government of Morocco. With so many Muslims with strong Islamic beliefs there are a large number of Muslim politicians and their personal beliefs impact their legislation. Although there is a strong background in Islam, in recent years there have been a number of policies implemented that set Morocco a part from other Muslim dominant countries. According to the World Almanac of Islamism stated that many policies to oppose violence are being implemented in order to combat the expansion of extremists in their country.
As there is such a vast majority of the Islamic religion in this country, I feel that it has a very strong influence on Morocco as a whole. I feel that the strength in the Islamic religion heavily impacts every aspect of life in this country from diet, norms, and social organization to politics, economics, and international relationships.
Complete Morocco. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2017, from http://www.completemorocco.com/about-morocco/religion
History of Religion in Morocco. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2017, from http://www.naturallymorocco.co.uk/about-us/morocco-travel-blog/islam-in-morocco-history-of-religion.html
Morocco | The World Almanac of Islamism. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2017, from http://almanac.afpc.org/Morocco
Origin of Islam. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2017, from http://www.allaboutreligion.org/origin-of-islam.htm
Sacred Destinations. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2017, from http://www.sacred-destinations.com/morocco/sacred-sites
Writer, L. G. (2013, June 30). How the Religion of Islam Affects the Daily Lives of Muslims. Retrieved March 01, 2017, from http://peopleof.oureverydaylife.com/religion-islam-affects-daily-lives-muslims-9099.html
There are a number of aspects of Islam that have heavily impacted the social norms, traditions, and daily living. Muslims first must pray 5 times a day (L.G., 2013). This can be very time consuming and heavily impacts the activities of their daily living in Morocco. They have to limit their daily activities and must work them around times of prayer. The Islam religion is one that dictates many social norms and daily activities. The Islamic religion dictates how one must dress. The religion urges Muslims to cover up their bodies which creates the social norms of daily dress (L.G., 2013). The diet of Muslims is also affected by the Islamic religion as Muslims are prohibited from eating pork (L.G., 2013).
The most sacred places in the Islamic religion or going to be located in the religions place of origin, Saudi Arabia. Morocco does have a number of Islamic schools and popular Mosques throughout the country. There are also a couple of tombs that are religiously sacred in Morocco. The tomb of Sidi Abd al Aziz located in Marrakesh is considered to be very sacred in Morocco as this individual was not just a Muslim but one of the “seven saints.” The tomb of Moulay Idriss el Akhbar is also very sacred as this individual is a descendent of the prophet Muhammad.
There of course has always been an Islamic influence on the government of Morocco. With so many Muslims with strong Islamic beliefs there are a large number of Muslim politicians and their personal beliefs impact their legislation. Although there is a strong background in Islam, in recent years there have been a number of policies implemented that set Morocco a part from other Muslim dominant countries. According to the World Almanac of Islamism stated that many policies to oppose violence are being implemented in order to combat the expansion of extremists in their country.
As there is such a vast majority of the Islamic religion in this country, I feel that it has a very strong influence on Morocco as a whole. I feel that the strength in the Islamic religion heavily impacts every aspect of life in this country from diet, norms, and social organization to politics, economics, and international relationships.
Complete Morocco. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2017, from http://www.completemorocco.com/about-morocco/religion
History of Religion in Morocco. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2017, from http://www.naturallymorocco.co.uk/about-us/morocco-travel-blog/islam-in-morocco-history-of-religion.html
Morocco | The World Almanac of Islamism. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2017, from http://almanac.afpc.org/Morocco
Origin of Islam. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2017, from http://www.allaboutreligion.org/origin-of-islam.htm
Sacred Destinations. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2017, from http://www.sacred-destinations.com/morocco/sacred-sites
Writer, L. G. (2013, June 30). How the Religion of Islam Affects the Daily Lives of Muslims. Retrieved March 01, 2017, from http://peopleof.oureverydaylife.com/religion-islam-affects-daily-lives-muslims-9099.html
Culture & Food
This is a bowl of Couscous, which is a very popular dish throughout Morocco. This dish contains steamed balls of semolina which is usually served with stew and vegetables and/or chickpeas. This dish is a berber dish that has been prepared by the Berbers as far back as 238 BC. This dish has traveled around North Africa through different dynasties in history and is now enjoyed not only by the people of Morocco but also in Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, and Libya.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couscous#/media/File:Couscous_of_Fes.JPG
(n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2017, from http://www.cliffordawright.com/caw/food/entries/display.php/id/34/
The people in Morocco utilize their local resources for the food and dishes that they enjoy across the country. Some of their dishes may vary as does what is locally grown but there seems to be some commonality across the country. Throughout the country, the people of Morocco eat 5 times a day. This is set up in a way to eat around the 5 times of prayer that the people in Morocco participate in. Bread is a very important part of the Moroccan culture as is their Tea, Couscous, and Tagine.
Religion and culture plays a very large role in the foods and ways that the people of Morocco eat. As mentioned above the people of Morocco eat 5 times a day coordinated around the 5 prayers each day. The people in Morocco generally do not have any pork in their food as it is forbidden by the Jewish religion (which is the majority). Some food items are only eaten as a religious practice in Morocco. Some examples of this are Harira and different types of pastries during the evenings throughout Ramadan.
The Northwest of Morocco has flourishing agricultural activity despite a desertification issue in some parts of the country. Morocco is able to produce the food it needs for it's people on their own land. Moroccan farmers produce many fruits and vegetables to use in their cooking like peppers, potatoes, melons, tomatoes, oranges, and lemons, grains, figs, olives, dates and even almonds. The grains in particular are very important in Morocco as bread is a very big staple in Moroccan life and culture. As the country of Morocco has access to the coastline of Africa they have a supply of seafood and fish to eat as well. Beef is hard to come by and is not plentiful in Morocco therefore their dishes are typically involving either chicken or lamb.
A number of items that are produced in Morocco and are enjoyed by the people there are a result of migrations and diffusion. the Arabs early on brought with them many grains along with a number of different spices, which are important for all the bread that they eat. From the Persians, they learned about sweet and sour foods for flavor. These are only a couple of examples of diffusion, trading and cultural influences on the food produced and consumed in Morocco.
Food Traditions in Morocco. (2014, July 09). Retrieved April 19, 2017, from https://www.journeybeyondtravel.com/blog/morocco-food.html
Ipatenco, S. (2011, July 20). The Eating Habits of Moroccans. Retrieved April 19, 2017, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/497217-the-eating-habits-of-moroccans/
Morocco. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2017, from http://www.foodbycountry.com/Kazakhstan-to-South-Africa/Morocco.html