Located in North Africa, Morocco borders both the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.

One of Africa’s most beautiful countries, Morocco also has one of the most stable governments on the continent. Travelers who wonder whether it’s safe to travel to Morocco can take comfort in that fact – while still being aware of the country’s safety issues.

It’s known for its unique culture, its mix of Roman ruins and French architecture, and its four primary languages – Arabic, French, Berber, and Spanish.

Morocco’s terrain is as varied as its architecture. The country has it all, according to Peters, including:

• The medieval cities of Marrakesh and Fez
• The great sand dunes of the Sahara
• Snow-capped peaks of the High Atlas

Infrastructure improvements over the last decade have made Morocco an even better destination for travelers, Peters says.

“Morocco has consistently been an incredibly safe destination for travelers,”

You need to respect Islamic culture and customs in Morocco. Also, while the country is very tolerant of Christians, the Moroccan government bans Christian preaching or proselytizing.

In general, it’s best to dress modestly in Morocco and keep your beliefs to yourself.

Moroccans are capable of speaking more than just one of their native languages. At least half of the country’s population is capable of speaking French and many of those involved in the tourism industry are capable of speaking some English and a few other foreign languages as well. This means you should be able to get by in most parts of the country quite easily without even trying very hard. But if you really want to open doors or have a less frustrating adventure, you should really try to speak a little Arabic or French.

There are several different forms of the various languages spoken in Morocco, as well as a few that are non-verbal. The following is a breakdown of the 11 listed languages that are or were spoken in Morocco:

Living Languages

Moroccan Arabic – This is the official language of Morocco. Though it is somewhat different from most other types of Arabic, most Moroccans can understand conventional Arabic.

Hassaniyya Arabic – Also known as Moor. Over 40 000 in Southern Morocco people speak this form of Arabic.

Judeo-Moroccan Arabic – Only about 8 925 people speak this form of Arabic. It is generally confined to certain small areas in Morocco.

Standard Arabic – Most Moroccans can understand this form of Arabic which is spoken and written much throughout the rest of the Middle East and North Africa. Most Arabic television programs are in this form of Arabic.

Moroccan Sign Language – There is a large number of deaf men who speak sign language in the city of Oujda. It is hard to determine how many women are capable of sign language as they do not speak it in the streets. There are a few small deaf schools which teach the language though it is not generally used in Rabat, Tangier and Casablanca. Most people who use MSL cannot read or write Arabic. MSL is very different from American Sign Language and people conversant in the two sign languages would struggle to understand each other.

Spanish – Over 20 000 people in Morocco are capable of speaking Spanish. Besides being only a short distance away, Spain also acted as a protectorate of Morocco for a while after 1912. This resulted in Spanish influence in culture and language.

Tachelhit – 3 to 4 million of the people of Morocco speak this form of Berber.

Central Atlas Tamazight – This is also spoken by roughly 3 million of the inhabitants of Morocco. It is a dialect of Berber.

Tarifit – a lesser used dialect of the Berber language. It is spoken by about 1.5 million people in Morocco.

Extinct Languages

Ghomara – was a dialect of Berber which is generally considered to no longer be in use.

Senhaja de Srair – this is the fifth dialect of Berber which has also unfortunately fallen into disuse.

Other Languages

French – though not seen as an indigenous language in Morocco, at least half of the population is capable of speaking it. This is due to the strong French influence during the period of 1912 to 1956, which has also left a large amount of French architecture in parts of Morocco.