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People and languages |
| | Main ethnic groups in Morocco are arabs, amazigh (berbers) and saharawi. Arabs are principally located in main towns (Casablanca, Rabat, Fes, Meknes, Marrakech), while amazigh live in poor areas of towns and in the countryside. The amazigh speak three different languages according to the area where they live: the tamazight is spoken in the North and in the desert (Middle Atlas, Merzouga, Draa Valley), the tarifit in the Rif, and the tachlakhit in the Souss area (Agadir, Anti Atlas). The saharawi people live mainly in West Sahara, a territory occupied by Morocco but self declared independent, and they speak the hassaniya.
The official languages are Arabic and Tamazight: Darija (spoken Arabic) is different from classic Arabic, and every area has got its own specific dialect with different words and pronunciation. Tamazight was finally acknowledged the status of official language after 2011, July constitutional referendum, but it was being taught for quite a few years in primary schools as an optional subject. French is the language of colonisation, and every child starts to learn it at school at the age of 7. In some areas Spanish is more popular than French: in the North (mainly Rif and Tanger), nearby Spain, and in West Sahara, colonised by the Spaniards in the past. Every guy involved in tourism can speak some words of English but rarely fluent enough for a conversation. In Agadir, within tourist environment, German is pretty popular. In Beni Mellal area, half way between Marrakech and Fez, Italian-speaking people are quite common, since here Italy is a very popular immigration destination.
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