...one for me. It is the first line I read from many readings to come in my eager preparation for Morocco last summer. I remember my professor reading this line aloud during our first class meeting months later, and my anticipation at the trip to come. And now, over two months after returning from my trip to Morocco, I can instantly picture the scene, so familiar, and I am transported back to the streets of Fes outside our hotel. Travel writers like Shah, as well as anthropologists, use the power of writing to weave words into deep meaning. Before the classes and trip, I had little knowledge or experience in the fields of anthropology or travel writing. In becoming acquainted with these disciplines fall quarter, they seemed like completely different fields to me. Anthropology is a social science that studies the origins and social relationships of human beings. Travel writing, on the other hand, seemed a broad category of writing that encompassed basically any traveler writing about a different country or culture for practically any purpose. The main differences between anthropology and travel writing are the audience and purpose, the level of objectivity of the writer, and the role of the author in the piece. The differences I noticed initially between these two fields can be exemplified by two of the works I studied in preparing for the trip- David McMurray’s In and Out of Morocco and Tahir Shah’s The Caliph’s House: A Year in Casablanca. In and Out of...
Words: 1508 - Pages: 7
...Morocco (Arabic: المغرب al-Maġrib, Berber: ⵍⵎⴰⵖⵔⵉⴱ[7] Lmaġrib, French: Maroc[Notes 1]), officially the Kingdom of Morocco,[2] is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is one of only three nations (along with Spain and France) to have both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines. Geographically, Morocco is characterized by a rugged mountainous interior and large portions of desert. The Arabic name al-Mamlakah al-Maġribiyah (Arabic: المملكة المغربية, meaning "The Western Kingdom") and Al-Maghrib (Arabic: المغرب, meaning "The West") are commonly used as alternate names. Morocco has a population of over 33 million and an area of 446,550 km2 (172,410 sq mi). Its political capital is Rabat, although the largest city is Casablanca; other major cities include Marrakesh, Tangier, Tetouan, Salé, Fes, Agadir, Meknes, Oujda, Kenitra, and Nador. A historically prominent regional power, Morocco has a history of independence not shared by its neighbours. Its distinct culture is a blend of Arab, indigenous Berber, African, and European influences. Morocco claims the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara as its Southern Provinces. Morocco annexed the territory in 1975, leading to a guerrilla war with indigenous forces until a cease-fire in 1991. Peace processes have thus far failed to break the political deadlock. Morocco is a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. The King of Morocco holds vast executive and legislative powers, especially over the...
Words: 326 - Pages: 2
...Comparison between Morocco and Algeria Morocco and Algeria are neighborhood countries and share almost 1500 Kilometers of frontiers, and both of them are limited be the Mediterranean Sea in the north. Algeria is the second powerful country in Africa after South Africa while Morocco is the fifth one after the Egypt and Nigeria. In addition to Arabs, Sahraouis and Berbers represent the two main populations in the two countries. Moreover, both of them have Arabic as official language and French as second and administrative one since their independences from France colonization. Another similarity between Algeria and Morocco is their identical climates that differ as we move along both countries, extreme temperatures in the south, and moderate weather in the north. Despite these numerous similarities, Morocco and Algeria differ in three major domains: Their area, their resources, and their political systems and actions over the history of country. The first big dissimilarity between Algeria and Morocco is their areas. In fact, Algeria counts four times the area of Morocco. Algeria extends in more than two millions kilometers square and it is the second big country in Africa after the Sudan and the eleventh worldwide whereas Morocco has only seventh hundred thousand kilometers square whereof two-hundred fifty in Western Sahara which makes Morocco in the eight rank of superficies in Africa and the fifth-seventh in the world. Morocco claims a big part of Algeria that extends...
Words: 897 - Pages: 4
...After visiting and learning about the beautiful country of Morocco it is clear that there are relationships among religion, culture, and social innovation. It is also evident that Morocco is very different from the U.S. and has some parallels with Spain. We got the chance to explore several different terrains and climates while in Morocco and how the people live and intermingle in each one. The traditional dress for men and women in Morocco is a djellaba, which stems from the fact that Muslims practicing Islam are required to cover up, particularly women. This is very different in Spain since the clothing is rather modern, much like the U.S. A traditional meal in Morocco would not involve pork because Muslims do not consume pork for religious...
Words: 1654 - Pages: 7
...I spent most of my childhood summers in Morocco. There was a point in my life when I believed In my eyes , Morocco was a completely flourishing beautiful country where people lived out their exuberant lavish lifestyles surrounded by beaches and amidst tropical weather,then I started traveling within its borders. One summer vacation, my mother decided to take me,my brother and my sister to what she liked to call the countryside of Morocco. The countryside of Morocco turned out to acres of barren land holding houses made from dried mud. Houses that are probably more like shacks that housed sometimes up to twenty people.However the people had even more personality than the houses. The village we visited was comprised of simple civilians who dedicated...
Words: 882 - Pages: 4
...out whether Morocco would be invested as the appropriate target country by our business--Read the World (RTW). The business scope of RTW is producing and selling the affordable high-quality educational books to the poorest people in the country. In addition, the business contains both economical and ethical requirements which are profit-making and positive social outcomes respectively. The audience of the report is the CEO of RTW. The poor people who live around the poverty line and the local retailers in Morocco would be target market of RTW. The report will be analysed from three perspectives, which are economical, social-cultural and political/legal environments and most relevant factors in each environment will present the favourable or unfavourable influences for RTW. The large target market, stable economy and cheap labour cost will show a moderate economical opportunity because the low literacy makes a constraint to the benefit. And for the social-culture environment, culture difference and diversity language environment represent a major risk, but local culture development might bring a potential opportunity. The current protest movements and high corruption also bring the major risk to business which is hard to be eliminated by benefit from international cooperation. Overall, the RTW might suffer from serious risks rather than opportunities. The recommendation to RTW might be that Morocco is considered inappropriate as a target country and therefore, Morocco should be...
Words: 3682 - Pages: 15
...Maria Ghannam SSC 2302 Dr. Carlos F. Jacques Final paper Social inequalities between men and women in Morocco Fall 2012 The new Moroccan Constitution adopted on the 1st of July 2011 by the Kingdom is a historical event that recognizes the principle of equality between men and women, and commit to respect it. In its preamble, it condemns discrimination based on sex, it states that, "the Kingdom of Morocco is committed to fight and ban any discrimination against any person because of its gender." Despite the social progress made since fifty years (gradual increase in the participation of women in the labor market, steady rise in the level of girls' education), social inequality between men and women remain (especially in terms of employment, career, salary and pension). Beyond the already identified causes explaining these inequalities (academic orientation, gender discrimination in hiring, etc.), it is suggested that there is a possibility that this situation is due primarily to the persistence of established roles of men and women in society, which is especially evident within the family unit. Throughout this paper, I am going to define what exactly means a social inequality, then talk about the social inequalities between men and women in Morocco, and finally tell you about social change and movement for emancipation of women. First of all, I cannot talk about social inequalities between men and women, without explaining what it exactly...
Words: 2554 - Pages: 11
...INTRODUCTION TO CHINESE ECONOMY AND POLICIES A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS BETWEEN THE MOROCCAN ECONOMY AND THE CHINESE ECONOMY Submitted to: Dr. Prof. XU Tongsheng Submitted by: RIFKI Nada Graduate Student Master of International Business Date Submitted: December 2, 2014 JIANGXI UNIVERSITY OF FINANCE AND ECONOMICS SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND ECONOMICS Introduction The purpose of this essay is to present a comparison between the Moroccan economy and the Chinese economy in broad lines. The comparison will focus on the analysis of the economies sectors, their respective current account balances and the business environment in each of both countries. Thesis Although both economies are quite different regarding their economy ’s structures and economic growth patterns, it is evident that the initiatives their respective governments took into joining the world’s trading system benefited their economies on the long run. The recent world crisis gave raise to new challenges for both the Moroccan and the Chinese economy and gave urge to restructure the structure of their nation’s economy. Roadmap This essay is divided in three parts. The first two part, describe respectively the Moroccan and the Chinese economies. In the last third part, I will compare both economies in regards to the information given in the first and second parts. Describing each of these two economies –in the first and second parts, I will start by giving general information and an overview of the...
Words: 6742 - Pages: 27
...I. Demographics of Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is situated on the northwestern corner of Africa. It is the 39th largest country in the world with a population of 34,377,611, as estimated on December 31st, 2015. In 2015, the natural growth was positive, and we could forecast that Morocco’s population growth will continue at around 1.05% annual rate, reaching about 36.4 million by 2020 (Worldometers, 2015). Morocco is a demographically young country with 27% of its population under the age of 15, 18% between the ages of 15 and 24, 42% between 25 and 54 years old, 7% between the ages of 55 and 64, and just 6% of its population over 65 years. This large share of young population provides great opportunities for Morocco to develop its emerging industries by using advanced technology and skills (World Population Review, 2015). While the rise of a new business has been happening in Morocco, the population living below the poverty line remains high at 12%. It means that four million out of Morocco's 33 million people live below the poverty line, and almost three million of them in rural areas. As Figure 1 shows, Morocco has the highest Gini Index, 40.9, among the North African countries. The household income of the poor people accounts for only 2.7% of the country’s wealth, while the rich people have 33.2% of the country’s wealth (Central Intelligence Agency, 2007). The distribution of wealth in Morocco is manifested through the obvious gap between the upper...
Words: 3507 - Pages: 15
...French rule in Morocco began during the end of the 19th century. In 1904 the French government was trying to establish a protectorate over Morocco, which would make Morocco a French colony. Although this would not happen but for another 8 years. France’s influence could still be felt in the African country. The French conquest of Morocco took place in 1911 in the aftermath of the Agadir Crisis, when Moroccan forces besieged the French-occupied city of Fez. Approximately one month later, French forces brought the siege to an end. On 30 March 1912, Sultan Abdelhafid signed the Treaty of Fez, formally ceding Moroccan sovereignty to France, which established a protectorate. On 17 April 1912, Moroccan infantrymen mutinied in the French garrison in Fez. The Moroccans were unable to take the city and were defeated by a French relief force. In late May 1912, Moroccan forces unsuccessfully attacked the enhanced French garrison at Fez. The last aftermath of the conquest of Morocco occurred in September 1912 when French colonial forces under Colonel Mangin defeated Moroccan resistance at the Battle of Sidi Bou Othman. On March 30, 1912, France officially established a protectorate over Morocco with the Treaty of Fez, which ended what remained of the country's independence. From a strictly legal point of view, the treaty did not deprive Morocco of its status as a sovereign state. The Sultan reigned but did not rule. Sultan Abdelhafidabdicated in favor of his brother Yusef after signing...
Words: 1956 - Pages: 8
...MOROCCO [pic] o Introduction & Facts (Flag/Map/Numbers) o History ♣ Ancient ♣ Modern o Political Environment ♣ Government ♣ Political Conditions ♣ Military o Economic Environment ♣ Economy ♣ GDP♣ FDI o Regulatory Environment o Technical Environment o Cultural Dimensions ♣ Social ♣ Business ♣ Religion ♣ Language o Business Environment ♣ SWOT Analysis ¬ Regional Conclusion: 1 page ¬ References Conclusion Sources Geographic/population: MOROCCO [pic] https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mo.html The Location Morocco is in the north of Africa it is next to the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara. It is slightly larger than state of California (446,550sq. km, and 172,413 sq mi). The main cities are Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech, fees, Meknes, and tangier. In a country like Morocco the expectation of a tourist view as in term of traveling sites are lots of mountains and deserts. The land is 19% Arable land, 2% permanent crops and 79% as other. Population/ethnicity As of 2009 the estimation of the population is 34,859,364 with an annual 20.96% birth rate/1000 population and a 5.45% death rate /1000 population. The ethnicity groups are 99% Arab –Berber, 2% Jewish and 0.7% as other. The main religion is 98.7% Muslim, 1% Christian and 2% Jewish. The wide spread...
Words: 3524 - Pages: 15
...not make much of a difference. The country of Morocco has been experiencing severe drought for several decades now. The drought has considerable negative impacts on the economy and people of Morocco in terms of crop production losses, reduction in GDP, and loss of livelihood. The drought has also demonstrated itself as a major obstacle for agriculture and food security in the country. Morocco, whose economy depends largely on agricultural production, is greatly threatened by the drought. Agriculture is Morocco’s main economic activity, contributing almost half to the country’s GDP. With several indications suggesting the drought is not close to an end, wouldn’t it be crucial for policymakers to take hold of the implications of the droughts, especially for the most vulnerable in society, such as the poor, small-scale farmers, and the poorer urban households? In the article “Climate change, vulnerability and adaptability in North Africa with a focus on Morocco” (Janpeter, Korbinian, Elke, Jürgen, 2012), studied the environmental impacts of climate change to major economic and agricultural developments in North America. The article openly states that climate change will likely have the strongest effect on Morocco. The combination of decreasing supply and strong population growth aggravates the stressed water situation in the region (Janpeter, Korbinian, Elke, Jürgen, 2012). It continued to say that the agricultural sector of Morocco is extremely important for the country’s economy...
Words: 855 - Pages: 4
...GLOBAL ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT SPRING 2016 (Session A) I. Demographics of Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is situated on the northwestern corner of Africa. It is the 39th largest country in the world with a population of 34,377,611, as estimated on December 31st, 2015. In 2015, the natural growth was positive, and we could forecast that Morocco’s population growth will continue at around 1.05% annual rate, reaching about 36.4 million by 2020 (Worldometers, 2015). Morocco is a demographically young country with 27% of its population under the age of 15, 18% between the ages of 15 and 24, 42% between 25 and 54 years old, 7% between the ages of 55 and 64, and just 6% of its population over 65 years. This large share of young population provides great opportunities for Morocco to develop its emerging industries by using advanced technology...
Words: 3601 - Pages: 15
...Moroccan ‘Ghosts’ Employees: Is It a Real Phenomenon or a Rumor? By Rachid Khouya Morocco World News Es-Semara, Morocco, May 1, 2012 Among the serious problems our public administration suffers from is the phenomenon of ‘Ghost Staff’ or ‘Ghost Employees’. It is worth noting the origin of this terminology to contextualize the topic for readers. Since the 1990s, Moroccans have started to hear about the term ‘Ghost Staff’, which was coined within administrative circles to refer to other public employees who are certified, “in paper,” as full time staff for the public administrations, but who do not hold any work duties, “in reality”. In other words, they are engaged in other worldly activities and, sometimes, personal businesses, while securing their Government salaries and incomes at the end of the month. Today, this practice may still be in place and needless to say, it is unfair to public administration personnel who have to report to work and fulfill their work obligations to earn a living. Greek philosopher Socrates said “giving unequal rights to equal citizens is the heart of inequality.” This speaks to the reality of the Moroccan public administration and its unequal treatment. Nowadays, the new government’s validity is in question, because an escalating number of people are asking whether this phenomenon is true or not. If it is a reality, the government ought to reveal the names of those “ghosts” and to re-assess their rights to work to bring it in conformity with the labor...
Words: 536 - Pages: 3
...A Short History and Summary of the Current Conditions in Morocco and Its Geographical Situation Student Name HUMN 305 Section Professor Date Title: A Short History and Summary of the Current Conditions in Morocco and Its Geographical Situation No Abstract Needed for Global Issues Research Papers Geography and Background Our nation, the Kingdom of Morocco, is situated in a historically strategic location along the Strait of Gibraltar in North Africa, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea to the north and Algeria and Western Sahara to its south. Today’s Morocco is a Muslim nation, slightly larger than the state of California in the U.S., which boasts an estimated population of 33 million people. Although Morocco claims Arabic as it’s official language, French is primarily spoken in the business and commerce sectors (Morocco, 2007). But these are merely basic facts. To better understand our current position in the global arena, one must first examine the recent history of Morocco, both as a nation and as a people. Following the arrival of the Arabs in the seventh century and hundreds of years of subsequent ruling dynasties, Morocco’s natural resources were fully discovered by European nations during their explorations to Africa in the 1800’s. According to Youngblood-Coleman), “the Algeciras Conference in 1906 formalized France’s ‘special position’ and entrusted policing of Morocco to France and Spain jointly. In 1912, the area was divided...
Words: 1918 - Pages: 8
