﻿ Globe trotting 世界走透透 - Morocco 摩洛哥 - Taipei Times
Sat, May 06, 2006 - Page 14　News List

Globe trotting 世界走透透 - Morocco 摩洛哥

A man competes in a seven-day race in the Moroccan desert.


Morocco is a country at the crossroads of many different cultures. It has European influences from the north, Islamic and Arab influences from the East, and African influences from the south. Although the many invasions of the past have made Morocco's history tumultuous, today it has a diverse and rich culture. 摩洛哥地處多元文化交叉點。歐洲文化自北邊傳來，東受伊斯蘭教與阿拉伯影響，南邊受到非洲文化的影響。雖然過去種種侵略寫下摩洛哥動盪不安的歷史，卻也造就了摩洛哥今日豐富多元的文化。

A closer look 說古論今

Throughout its history, Morocco has attracted a lot of attention from powerful foreign countries because of its important location. It controls the Straits of Gibraltar with Spain, which gives it control over ships entering and leaving the Mediterranean Sea. The area has been inhabited since about 8,000BC, and the original people were called Berbers. In the fifth century it was conquered by people from Germany and Greece. Two hundred years later Islam was introduced by attacking armies from the Middle East. Beginning with the Portuguese in the 15th century, it came under the control of a series of European powers, and finally gained its independence from France in 1956.

Today, Morocco is the fourth most populated Arab country in the world. Although the official language is classical Arabic, about 40 percent of the population still speaks Berber. Although it is an Islamic country, all kinds of other religions exist there as well, including both Judaism and Christianity. The second largest mosque in the world, the Hassan II mosque, is located in Morocco's largest city, Casablanca. The mosque's tower is the tallest in the world, and it is the only mosque in Morocco open to non-Muslims.

Moroccan cuisine is also known around the world. Like its culture, Morocco's food is a mixture of many different Mediterranean countries. Moroccan spices are especially famous throughout the Mediterranean. Lunch is the main meal of the day, and Moroccans are known to not use forks or knives or chopsticks and instead use bread as a utensil.

About Morocco 國家概況

Size: 446,550km2

Location: Northwest Africa

Border countries: Algeria and Spain

Capital: Rabat

Population: about 33,240,000

Language: Arabic, Berber, French

Government: Constitutional monarchy

Currency: One Morrocan dirham equals between NT$6 and NT$7











摩洛哥料理也聞名遐邇。就如同當地文化一樣，摩洛哥食物是地中海多個國家的綜合體，摩洛哥香料尤其聞名於全地中海地區。午餐是摩洛哥每天最重要的一餐，眾所皆知摩洛哥人不使用刀叉或筷子，而是拿麵包來當成餐具。 （翻譯：賴美君）

This story has been viewed 3211 times.
TOP top