Morocco is surrounded by the Mediterranean in the north, the Atlantic Ocean in the west, Algeria in the east and Mauretania in the south. There are two mountain ranges in Morocco: the Rif Mountains and the Atlas. The Rif lies parallel to the Mediterranean coast, it's highest peak being the Tidirhine (2,456 m). It is an inaccessible range with a lot of erosion. The Atlas consists of the Middle Atlas (the northwestern range) and the High Atlas which is connected to the southern range, the Anti-Atlas. In the High Atlas, which separates the Atlantic coast from the Sahara, lies the highest peak of North Africa (Djebel Toubkal, 4,165 m). The greater part of the population lives on the fertile plains along the coast. South and east of the Atlas Mountains are dry steppes and deserts.

One third of the population is made up of several Berber tribes, coming from the Rif and Atlas mountains, the other two third is mostly Arab. In 2002, 55% of the population lived in cities (35% in 1971 and 51% in 1994).

About 1.7 million Moroccans (mainly Berber) live and work abroad, most of them in France. In Holland there are 260,000 Moroccans.
Almost 35% of the population is aged under 15. The average life expectancy for men is 66, for women 71.

Arabic is the official language but the Berber speak their own languanges (there are several). The spoken Arabic differs a lot from written classic Arabic. French is the former colonial language and still used a lot. Spanish is used in the northern coastal areas. We were surprised to notice that more and more people also speak English.