Morocco and Marrakech
Morocco - المغرب
The Kingdom of Morocco has wide variations in climate, relief
and soil. It is divided in two by the Atlas mountain chains, thus
experiencing ocean influences in the north and west, while the
drying effects of the Sahara govern the south and east.
Morocco's relief and climate have led to the development of a wide variety of forest formations. This diversity in ecosystems means a corresponding floristic wealth, and over 4200 species and subspecies have been recorded, about 800 of which are endemic.
The most common forest species are holm oak and
Atlas cedar in mountain forests in humid and subhumid zones,
whereas argan is the dominant species in the arid and
semi-arid southwest Atlantic zones. Other species, like
pine, thuja, juniper, cork oak and
zeen oak, are found in both pure and mixed stands, but they
do not cover areas as great as the above three. Other species (such
as white poplar, tamarisk and pistachio in the
Atlas, and thorny acacias along the edge of the Sahara) are
found as isolated trees, typical features of the Moroccan
landscape.
Three broad forest groups can thus be distinguished:
* the major formations in terms of area are found in
subhumid and humid bioclimates (an annual rainfall of
600-1800 mm), in other words chiefly in the mountains (the Atlas,
Deddou and Rif ranges and the Central Plateau); the main species
here is the holm oak (Quercus ilex), with scatterings of
zeen oak (Q. faginea), Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica)
and mountain juniper (Juniperus thurifera);
* formations in semi-arid zones (an annual rainfall of
250-500 mm) cover smaller areas; found around the edges of the main
mountain massifs, on the Atlantic plains and along the edge of the
Mediterranean, they consist of argan (Argania spinosa),
Phoenician juniper (Juniperus phoenicea), Aleppo pine
(Pinus halepensis) and thuja (Tetraclinis
articulata), depending on altitude;
* formations in arid bioclimates (an annual rainfall of
100-250 mm) in the southern half of the country are mainly argan
stands, alfa grass (Stipa tenacissima) and pre-Saharan shrub
formations composed mainly of various acacia species and jujube
(Ziziphus lotus) in combination with Pistacia
atlantica, Withania frutescent and many herbaceous
plants; Saharan formations are composed of scattered trees (mainly
tamarisk and acacia).
Marrakech - مراكش
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Marrakesh city has the largest traditional market (souk) in Morocco and also has one of the busiest squares in Africa and the world, Djemaa el Fna. The square bustles with acrobats, story-tellers, water sellers, dancers, and musicians, as well as drug lords by day. By night, the square turns into food stalls, becoming a huge open-air restaurant with busy life. Like many North African and Middle Eastern cities, Marrakech comprises both an old fortified city (the médina) and an adjacent modern city (called Gueliz).
Marrakesh is the third largest city in Morocco after Casablanca and Rabat. The probable origin of its name is from the Berber-Amazigh words mur (n) akush, which means "Land of God". The city experienced its greatest period under the leadership of Yacoub el Mansour, the third Almohad sultan. A number of poets and scholars entered the city during his reign and he began the construction of the Koutoubia Mosque and a new kasbah.
Many tourists take a trip from Marrakech to visit the valley of the Ourika River in the Atlas Mountains or the valley of the Draa River in the south near the Sahara desert, but also to Middle Atlas Mountains: Waterfalls of Beni Mellal.
Sources: FAO - Country profiles and Wikipedia