Morocco

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Morocco

A kingdom in northern Africa, west of ALGERIA. Its capital is Rabat. It was known to the Romans as Mauretania, part of the Carthaginian empire (not to be confused with the modern MAURITANIA, a country of western Africa). Morocco was invaded by the Muslims in the 7th century A.D. It engaged in hostilities with England, France, and Spain from 1662 to 1911. The country gained independence in 1956. The name is from the Arabic marukus, the name of the former capital Marrakech, from a Berber word meaning fortified. The Arabic name for Morocco is al-magrib al-aasa, the far west. (From Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1988, p708, 792 & Room, Brewer's Dictionary of Names, 1992, p362)