Country Pages

-- Photo courtesy of Jim Miller

Located on the extreme northwestern rim of the African continent, just across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain's southern tip, Morocco's strategic location has led to a vibrant culture. The influences of traders, invaders, and settlers that were attracted to the region have shaped Morocco's history and society. Morocco's cities are world famous for their distinctive and alluring atmospheres. The northern port of Tangier, the metropolis of Casablanca, the cultural center of Marrakech, the ancient city of Fès, and the nation's capital of Rabat reflect unique mixtures of Islamic, Berber, and European heritage.

Morocco was the first country to recognize the new United States in 1777, and the Tangier American legation building, now a museum, is the oldest diplomatic property of the U.S. abroad.

-- Photo courtesy of Jim Miller

The vast majority of Moroccans are Sunni Muslims, although the small Jewish and Christian populations enjoy full religious freedom and civil rights. Arabic is the official language, while French is widely used in business, government, and academia. Spanish is widely spoken in the northern part of the country.

There are 14 universities in Morocco in addition to a large number of private higher education institutions. French is the primary language of instruction, in addition to some Arabic. Karaouine University, more than 1000 years old and located in Morocco's religious capital of Fès, attracts students from all over the world who wish to study of theology and Islamic law.

Since 1980, there have been 126 grants awarded to U.S. scholars to go to Morocco - 64 for lecturing, 46 for research, and 16 for a research/lecturing combination. Some of these Fulbright Scholars renewed their grant to stay for an extended period, while others returned to Morocco on a second grant several years after the completion of their first.

-- Photo courtesy of Jim Miller

Mohamed V University in Rabat has hosted the largest number of Fulbright Scholars in Morocco (approximately 40 percent). Other grantees have lectured or conducted research at many different institutions throughout the country, including Al-Akhwayn University in Ifrane, Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech; the University of Hassan II in Casablanca; and Mohamed Ben Abdullah University in Fès.

CIES encourages interested applicants to make use of the following links to complement their research into potential opportunities available in Morocco. Please also feel free to use the contact information to get in touch with CIES program personnel.

The Moroccan-American Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange
http://macece.bizland.com/home.html
Extensive information on the Fulbright program in Morocco, including available grants, FAQs, newsletters, press releases, and useful links.

U.S. Embassy in Rabat, Morocco
www.usembassy-morocco.org.ma
Official site of the U.S. Embassy in Rabat, with general information about the embassy, press releases, information on Moroccan-American relations, and links to multi-lingual electronic journals.

Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco, Washington, DC
www.embassy.org/embassies/ma.html
Contact information for the Embassy of Morocco in Washington D.C. with a country profile link.

Embassy World website
www.embassyworld.com/maps/Maps_Of_Morocco.html
Links to a variety of interactive maps of Morocco.

Morocco.com
www.morocco.com
Extensive information and links with sections on Moroccan business, travel, culture, news, sports, and community. Includes Online discussion forums, virtual postcards, photographs, and a currency converter.

The Ministry of Culture and Communication
www.mincom.gov.ma
Information about Morocco, including news, articles, useful addresses, government information, a photo gallery, and list of public events. In English and French.

Friends of Morocco
http://home.att.net/~morocco/index.htm
An organization of Americans, mostly returned Peace Corps Volunteers, with experience in Morocco and of Moroccans in the U.S., united with an interest in promoting exchanges between the two countries. Site has extensive links.

Arab Net-Morocco
www.arab.net/morocco/tour/morocco_tour.html
Information on Morocco's history, geography, business, culture, government, transportation, and tourist industry.

Mbendi - Information for Africa
www.mbendi.co.za/land/af/mo/p0005.htm
Information on Morocco, including news, politics, and economics.

Lonely Planet
www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/africa/morocco
Traveler's information on Morocco, including sections on events, activities, culture, and history.

World Travel Guide
www.worldtravelguide.net/data/mar/mar.asp
Travel information including information on sports, climate, business, health, and good regional and city information.

U.S. Department of State
www.state.gov/r/pa/bgn/index.cfm?docid=5431
Background information on Morocco including political conditions, foreign relations, relations with the U.S., history, people, government, economy, and business.

Al Akhawayn University, Ifrane
www.alakhawayn.ma

Université Hassan I
www.uh1.ac.ma

Université Hassan II - Aïn Chock
www.rectorat-uh2c.ac.ma

Université Hassan II - Mohammadia
www.uh2m.ac.ma

Université Mohammed I - Oujda
www.univ-oujda.ac.ma

Université Mohammed V - Agdal, Rabat
www.emi.ac.ma/univ-MdV/rectorat.html

Université Mohammed V - Souissi, Rabat
www.emi.ac.ma/univ-MdV/souissi

Université Cadi Ayyad
www.ucam.ac.ma

Direction de la Formation des Cadres
www.dfc.gov.ma
In French. Detailed information on Moroccan institutions of higher education.

American Institute for Maghrib Studies
http://aimsnorthafrica.org/
A U.S. based institute with overseas research centers in Tunis, Tunisia and Tangier, Morocco, dedicated to the study of North Africa. Link to an online version of The Journal of North African Studies.

Morocco Today - International Edition
www.morocco-today.com
Website of Morocco's first English language newspaper. Website includes chat rooms, advertisements, reader's letters, and additional links to sites of interest.

Morocco Daily
www.moroccodaily.com
Online English language newspaper focusing on Morocco, with national, regional, and international news. Extensive links to other news sources and information about Morocco and the Arab world.

Al Jarida Al Maghriba - the Moroccan Virtual Magazine
www.jarida.8m.com
News stories pertaining to Morocco, North Africa, and the Islamic world with articles in English, French, and Arabic. Includes links to Real Video and Real Audio news stories, discussion forums, and free email accounts.

All Africa
http://allafrica.com/morocco
Past and present news stories coming out of Morocco.

Al Shaab
http://alarabnews.com/alshaab/
In Arabic. Online newspaper covering regional news.

Asharq Al-Awsat
www.asharqalawsat.com/pcdaily/06-11-2001
In Arabic. The Arabic international newspaper.

Arab Chat
http://chat.arab.net/
Chat server with public and private chat rooms for Online discussions in Arabic or English.

The Countries and Peoples of Arabia Message Boards
www.hejleh.com/countries/poll.html
Very active message boards and a link to Arabia Chat.

Al Jarida Al Maghriba - Message Forums
http://al-jarida.community.everyone.net/community/scripts/directory.pl
Part of the 'Al Jarida Al Maghriba - the Moroccan Virtual Magazine' site, another very active discussion forum pertaining to various issues in Morocco, North Africa, and the Islamic world.

Images of Daily Life in Morocco by Jim Miller
http://geoimages.berkeley.edu/GeoImages/Miller/millerone.html
Part of the Geo-Images Project, this is a collection of photographs of Morocco taken by Jim Miller, a three-time Fulbright Scholar to Morocco.

Arab Social Science Research
www.assr.org
A collection of Online research sources for the Arab World indexed by country, sources, and topics. Includes virtual libraries and links to social science research centers throughout the world.

BBC Arabic Service
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/arabic/news/
In Arabic. BBC news with audio feed.

U.S. Department of State - Middle East and North Africa
http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/nea/nea.htm
U.S. news, reports, and policy relating to the Middle East and North Africa. Also includes links to numerous Online journals.

The Countries and Peoples of Arabia
www.hejleh.com/countries/index.html
A huge list of links pertaining to the Arab world, including very active Message Boards.

Islamic Studies
www.uga.edu/islam
A well-balanced site with articles and resources pertaining to Islam, drawn primarily from scholarly research and regional Islamic sources. Contains information on Islam's history, sacred texts, art, architecture, and place in the modern world.