About Morocco: Morocco in Brief
Basic Facts
Official name: Kingdom of Morocco — المملكة المغربية (al-Mamlaka al-Maghribiyya)
Political system : Constitutional monarchy
Head of state : King Mohammed VI
Area: 710,850 km2
Population: 33,750,000 (est. 2007)
Capital: Rabat (1.6 million)
Biggest city and economic center: Casablanca (3.4 million)
Languages: Arabic (official), French (not official, but spoken nearly everywhere), Amazigh (Berber), Spanish (in the north, especially Tangier)
Currency: Moroccan dirham (MAD)
Time zone: UTC (GMT, without daylight saving time/summer time)
Internet TLD: .ma
Official website: www.maroc.ma
International dialing code: +212
Climate
Moroccan climate varies greatly from region to region. There is the Mediterranean climate on the north of Morocco, the humid but tempered climate on the north and south Atlantic coast, the cold and snowy Atlas mountains, while the desert climate reigns in the south.
Winters in Morocco are cold, but don't be fooled: the sun is very strong and you'll feel it burning even during winter. Because of intense heat during summer, all floors in Moroccan houses and hotels are made from stone or marble. And there is often no heat available! Central heating is very rare. Therefore, if you are visiting Morocco sometimes between mid-October/November and April, take warm clothing too. You'll need it for the evenings and mornings. In winter, during daytime, it is not so cold if you are spending your time outside, under the intense Moroccan sun.
Every year, hot and dry winds blow from the Sahara (usually only during a few days in August), which brings very hot desert air with it and it tends to raise the temperature to high levels.
It is not recommended visiting the desert and the dunes during late spring and summer, unless you are a fan of extremely hot weather. The best time to visit Morocco is during April, May or September.
Drinking Water
Morocco has generally good tap water (in major cities especially), but it is recommended that you give bottled water to children, if they are travelling with you, to prevent any diarrhea-related problems. There is an excellent choice of local bottled water available in Morocco (thanks to the Atlas mountains), like Ain Saiss, Sidi Ali, Sidi Harazem, Oulmes, etc, that is very cheap too. A big (1.5 l) bottle costs around 4-5 Dh.
Electricity
The electrical current is of the same standard as the one used throughout Europe: 220 V, 50 Hz.