Demographics of Morocco
The African continent is comprised of 54 countries˳ Among these countries is Morocco, located in the northwestern part of Africa˳ It borders both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean˳ Algeria is one neighboring country to Morocco˳ In addition, Western Sahara (the most disputed and a non-self-governing territory) also neighbors Morocco˳
Morocco has Rabat as its capital city and Casablanca as one of the major cities˳ In addition, it has various attraction sites such as the Dades Valley and High Atlas Mountain˳ It is known for phosphate minerals, fish, and many kinds of seafood˳
High Atlas Mountain In Morocco
The Morocco demographics/population is estimated to be over 37˳7 million˳ The country is comprised of various ethnic groups˳ These Morocco ethnic groups include Arab, Berber, Gnawa, white Moroccan (European), Jewish, and sub-Saharan African, mainly from South Africa, Congo, and Ivory Coast˳
The national languages in Morocco are Arabic and French˳ The Arabic spoken by the Moroccan people is called Derija, which is a dialect of the Modern Standard Arabic˳ Others languages spoken in Morocco are Spanish, Berber (also called Imazighen), and a small percentage of English˳
The majority of Moroccan people (over 98 percent) are Muslim, and Islam is highly embraced in the region˳ However, other religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Bahaism (Bahai faith) are present in small percentages˳
The Berber Territories
The Berber people, one of Morocco’s ethnic groups, are Morocco’s indigenous/native people˳ The term Berber is Arabic which means North African inhabitants˳ Therefore, Berber refers to the ancestrally indigenous ethnicities of North Africa˳ This Moroccan ethnicity is believed to have come from southwest or central Asia˳ Over time, the Berber people migrated to North Africa, settling on the Mediterranean coastline, from Egypt to the Atlantic˳ Here, they played a significant role in fighting against the Roman, Arab, and French people invading Northern Africa during medieval history˳ In addition, the Berber people, together with Arab people, conquered the Iberian Peninsula, a region occupied by Spain and Portugal during 711 A˳D˳
Berber people have a light complexion and thus belong to the Caucasoid racial group˳ Over 40 percent of the Morocco demographics is comprised of Berber people˳ However, most Moroccan people identify themselves as both Arab and Beber people i˳e˳, Arab Berber˳ The Berber people speak in various dialects such as Tamazight, Tarifit, Tamahaq, Kabyle, and Shilha˳
A Berber Woman
Before the Arab invasion, most Berber people practiced Christianity or Judaism˳ However, the Arab people brought Islam to Berber territories alongside their culture˳ This made the majority of Berber people convert to Islam˳
Moroccan Race: African or Middle Eastern?
Morocco lies in the northwestern part of Africa and thus is considered an African country˳ However, the Moroccan people have various ancestral origins, contributing to their diversity˳ So, are Moroccan people Arab? Arab is one of the ethnic groups in Morocco˳ Their invasion and settlement in Morocco brought a revolution in the religious system, thus introducing Islam˳ The majority of the Moroccan people identify themselves as Arab and Berber (native Moroccan people)˳ Therefore, percentages of Moroccan people are Arab or have an Arab ancestral lineage˳
In addition, some Moroccan people have their ancestral lineage from sub-Saharan Africa˳ So, are Moroccan people Black? Technically, a small percentage of Moroccan people have ancestors from Ivory Coast and South Africa who are Black˳ Therefore, Moroccan people who are considered Black are fewer, and their genes are linked to their sub-Saharan ancestors˳
