4 Chapter 1 GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE Morocco is a country of contrast From the shores of the Atlantic Ocean to the sands of the Sahara Desert Morocco holds a vibrant landscape culture and history Morocco is in northwest Africa It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Mediterranean Sea to the north Algeria lies to the west while Morocco's disputed Western Sahara region lies to the south Past this southern region lies Mauritania
The Land Morocco has three main regions coastal lowlands interior highlands and the Sahara Desert The coastal lowlands hug the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea This land is good for farming and is home to most of Morocco's people The Sahara Desert is the largest hot desert on the planet The wind in the Sahara gathers sand into hills called dunes 5
6 Farther inland the land rises into mountain ranges and high plateaus The Rif Mountains lie in the north The Atlas Mountains in central Morocco include Toubkal the country's highest peak at 13,665 feet 4,165 m above sea level The Sahara Desert covers southern Morocco The Atlas Mountains rise in southern Morocco and stretch northeast all the way to Tunisia They are home to the Berber people
The Draa River crosses the desert in southern Morocco The river starts in the Atlas Mountains Rivers and Lakes Morocco is mostly dry in the south But many rivers flow out of the mountains The Draa is Morocco's longest river It flows 680 miles 1,100 km from the Atlas Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean Moroccans rely on it for drinking water and for irrigating their crops Parts of the Draa run dry each year The Oum Er Rbia River is in the west and the Moulouya and Sebou Rivers are in the north 7
