Monday, June 8, 2020

2020 Travel the World - Week 23


My Travel the World card is a day early this week, since tomorrow is the day to post my 3 Musketeers card. 

I started a Travel the World Series last year. (It should be noted that I did a similar thing in 2018, only it was the 50 states.) For 50 weeks in 2019, I visited a different country (virtually) and shared facts about that country. I then selected one tidbit of information about that week's country as inspiration for a card. Fifty weeks; fifty countries... BUT there are 195 countries in the world so that was just a little over 25% of them. Of course I couldn't stop, so this year I'm continuing with fifty more countries, one per week.


This week's country is...



Morocco


Morocco is located in the northwestern corner of Africa. 

In a unique geographic circumstance, Morocco borders both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Ocean. Only two other countries can make that claim.

Morocco is only 8 miles from Europe, across the Strait of Gibraltar.

Morocco is the only African country that is not a member of the African Union.

Morocco is about the same size as the state of California.

Morocco is quite a mountainous country. The southeast part of the country intersects with the Sahara Desert.

The major exports of the country include citrus fruits such as tangerines, clementines, and mandarins.


One of Morocco’s most stunning features, the Atlas Mountains serve to collect and store rainwater and snowmelt, supplying the verdant valleys below.

Moroccan cities commonly have mosques with beautiful towers called minarets, market areas called bazaars, old medieval sections called medinas and old fortresses called kasbahs.

The Moroccan King is the only monarch in a Muslim country who is both the national religious leader and head of its government.


Morocco exports more than 90,000 tons of dates each year all around the world.

Although many roads in Morocco are little more than dirt tracks, their network of improved roads is growing annually. In 2015 there were 1,118 miles of actual highways, with another 600 miles under construction.

Green tea with mint and sweetened with sugar is a popular beverage in Morocco.

The second largest film set in the world is located in Morocco.

The Atlas film studios, 4 miles (6 km) outside of Ouarzazate, are known as Morocco’s Hollywood. For a century, hundreds of films have been shot in this region, including Lawrence of ArabiaGladiator, Bertolucci’s The Sheltering Sky, and Scorsese’s Kundun, among others.

In Morocco, very few citizens have private baths, and a ritual purification of the body is essential before Muslims can perform prayers, so many Moroccans bath at the public baths.

In 1786, Morocco became the first nation to sign a treaty with the United States.

Morocco is second only to Egypt in the Arab world for encouraging friendly relations with Israel. 

Traditionally the liver, not the heart, is considered to be the symbol of love in Morocco.

The Moroccan national costume is called the djellaba, a one-piece unisex, hooded, coverall garment. Those of the highest quality have the most ornate needlework lining the seams. Wealthy Moroccans have their djellabas tailor-made.

Nearly 45% of Morocco’s workforce is employed in the agricultural sector. Unfortunately, only about 19% of the country’s land is farmable. This is due to droughts which occur about once every three years.

One of Morocco’s most important natural resources is its forests. The country is able to meet all of its timber needs and cork and paper pulp are exported to other countries.


Africa’s largest wind farm is located in Southwestern Morocco, along the Atlantic coast. 

Tourism is a major industry of Morocco, with over 10 million visitors a year, mostly from European countries.

Every May, the Dades Valley hosts the Festival of the Roses to celebrate the annual rose harvest. The actual date is made public a month beforehand, when rose growers know better how the harvest is going.

Food is a very important part of Moroccan culture and family life. With a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and spices available in the local markets, their cuisine is known worldwide.

Morocco is recognized as the world’s largest producer and exporter of sardines.

A Moroccan widow wears white for 40 days following the death of her husband to indicate she is mourning.

As is the case with so many elements of Moroccan culture, their music is a wonderful blend of European, Arabian, and African sounds and instrumentation.

In Morocco, it is estimated that there is one dentist for every 800,000 residents, and the standard treatment for a toothache is extraction. 

I decided to let this Morocco fact be the inspiration for this week's card... Tea is Morocco's national drink. This dates back to the 19th century when British merchants became stranded off the coast and had to offload their cargos.




Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Sets: Unity Cup of Tea and Your Next Stamp Sprinkles Coffee and Tea stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Accent Opaque 120# White and SU Pixie Pink and Soft Sky CS and DP from my scrap file

Dies: MFT Blueprint 15 and MFT Stitched Mod Rectangle

Embellishments: Brads from unknown vendors

4 comments:

Beth Norman-Roberts said...

Very cute. I really like your teapot paper and teabag stamp.

Shelly Schmidt said...

How fun is this- I did not know Morocco was in Africa! Love your card! Tea for me- it's my drink!!!

kiwimeskreations said...

Love this file of facts about Morocco Jeanette - sounds a great place to visit... one day maybe.. Loving your cute card, and the fact behind why you made it
Stay safe
Blessings
Maxine

Lynn McAuley said...

After my morning coffee, it's tea all day!! What an adorable card with this cute image, Jeannette!!