At short leg to Europe

For more than half a century, Morocco-independent state. But during this time the old ties to Europe were not forgotten, on the contrary, it lives in close cooperation with European organizations. The history of the independent state of Morocco began in 1956 when France officially recognized its independence. The country is situated in the north - west of the African continent only the Strait of Gibraltar separates Morocco from Spain, which allows it to State in North Africa remain on the short leg in the economic and diplomatic relations with European countries. The north coast of Morocco beyond the Mediterranean Sea, the western coast of the Atlantic Ocean. From the south - eastern part of Morocco splash hot breath of the Sahara: Moroccan border to enter its territory. Despite the relatively modest area (446,550 km2), Morocco ranks fourth in the list of the most densely populated Arab countries (the first triple is the Sudan, Egypt and Algeria). Morocco is small and only occasionally cooperated with neighboring African states, preferring them to Europe. Until now, the world unite rather strong diplomatic and economic ties with France, Spain and Germany. France has consistently remained the most important trading partner of Morocco, both as a buyer and as a supplier. The European market of Morocco provides primarily vegetables, fruits, citrus, olives, dates, fish, as well as chemicals and fertilizers. But the Moroccan land-area of ??so-called risky agriculture. The climate here is no different constant: there can come a long period of drought, but with the same success all crops can and do flood the torrential rains. Have long been warm relations connect the country with the United States, in 1777, Morocco became the first country to recognize U.S. independence from Britain. Today, the Moroccan state is sometimes referred to as one of the major U.S. allies or among countries not members of NATO. But the lack of membership in NATO and the EU does not interfere with Morocco to participate actively in dialogue with these international organizations. Morocco's cultural heritage is extremely rich: these crafts Berber tribes, and the influence of Islam (carpet), and European traditions in literature, music and painting. Particularly strong exotic blend of Spanish, French and Portuguese trends with traditional African and Arab tunes felt in the local cuisine. Moroccans are very hospitable and guests are always greeted with milk and dates, an analogue of our grain - of salt. Very rich in Moroccan folklore, several times a year in the country, a folk festivals, the largest of them takes place in early summer or autumn in Marrakech and lasts for two weeks. And yet there is a festival of roses in El - Kela, MTuna, Equestrian Festival in the Tisza and other colorful festivals, which bring together a lot of folklore ensembles. Conducted and music festivals, among them the International Festival of Sacred Music in Fez and the festival of pop - music in Saidia. Another root in Morocco dash of European culture, many cafes, similar to how in the movie "Casablanca", 1942, has a hero, Humphrey Bogart. There is a kind of pubs: there are going to football fans.