People.—The inhabitants consist of six principal groups. (1) The Berbers (Bra ber) or Kabyles, of whom the Amazigh, Shelluh, and Tuareg are only branches, are the aborigines. They inhabit for the most part the mountain regions, and are still only half subdued. (2) The Arabs are descendants of the invaders who came in the 7th century. (3) The Jews were very early settlers, semi-independ ent colonies still subsisting in the Atlas and the Sus country, though most of them in the towns are refugees driven out of Spain and Portugal. (4) A few thousands of Europeans, chiefly Span iards, are almost entirely confined to the coast towns. (5) The "Moors," a term vaguely applied to all the Mohammedan inhabitants, are really Arabs with a large admixture of Spanish and other European bloods, and the name ought properly to be restricted to the inhabit ants of the cities. (6) The Negroes, of whom there are large numbers, were brought from the Sudan as slaves.
Government. — The country is theo retically an absolute monarchy, but since the establishment of the French protec torate the Sultan is obliged to follow the policies of the French resident-general in all matters. The Sultan in 1920 was Mulai Yussuf.
History.—After being for more than four centuries a part of the Roman em pire, and in the latter period of its sway veneered with a corrupt Christianity, "Mauritania Tingitana" fell (A. D. 429) into the hands of the Vandals, who held it till 533, when Belisarius having de feated them, it became subject once mort to the Eastern empire. But in the year 680 the Arab invasion began, and with little intermission the Arabs have ever since been possessors of the country, and the entire population are now the most fanatical adherents of Mohammedanism. At first, with Spain, part of the cali phate of Bagdad, it became divided into several independent monarchies, and during this period the country enjoyed a prosperity to which it has ever since been a stranger. Morocco, though now more contracted than formerly, has at present, with the exception of the Span ish "presidios," no foreign strongholds on its coast, as there were up to the year 1769, when the Portuguese evacu ated Mazagan; and since the unsuccess ful war with Spain in 1859-1860 the country has not been disturbed by for eign hostilities. But it is still very back
ward. A passive resistance is offered to every improvement, and, though Chris tian slavery and piracy by government vessels have been abolished since 1817 1822 and foreign traders have nominally had access to all parts of the empire, the interior is not much different from what it was a thousand years ago. In 1902 an anti-Christian and anti-European re hellion broke out, and during that year and through 1903 the Sultan's forces were engaged in suppressing the upris ing. The direct cause of the discontent was the Sultan's tendencies toward Eu ropean ideas and his extravagance, to gether with the popular objection to vari ous reforms instituted by him. After the repeated defeat of the Government forces, the Sultan began dismissing the Europeans employed in his army and his court. In 1905 and 1906 Morocco was brought under a concerted action of the Powers, and intrusted chiefly to France and Spain as their agents.
The German emperor strongly resented the domination of France in Morocco, and on March 31, 1906, arrived at Tan gier and announced that German inter ests would be protected. War was at once threatened and was averted only by a conference of representatives of Euro pean countries, held at Algeciras, Spain, on June 16, 1906. By the terms of the agreement made by this conference, France was given wide powers in the regulation of Moroccan affairs, while to Spain was given the policing of several of the ports. During the first years of French domination there were several outbreaks, but the country was gradu ally restored to quietness under the wise and liberal French rule. France and Spain in 1911 entered into an agreement in regard to the administration of the country providing for co-operation. In the same year France and Germany signed an agreement concerning the French right to establish a protectorate, which was formally established in 1913. This defeat of German diplomacy re suited in the immediate increase of the German army and was one of the steps toward the World War in 1914. In the World War Moroccan troops fought with great bravery in France and elsewhere. The country under the French regime has steadily progressed.