When Morocco faces France in the semi-final of the Fifa World Cup in Qatar, a complicated relationship between the two nations will frame the story of the football game. Between 1912 and 1956, most of modern day Morocco was a French colony. While it is a sovereign nation today, the imprint of French colonialism can be felt in various details of Moroccan society and politics. The two nations continue to share a fond but frictional relationship.

Morocco is a mountainous country at the north-western edge of Africa, beyond the western end of the Sahara desert, and with the Atlantic Ocean to its west and the Mediterranean Sea to its north. The Atlas mountains run through its length, giving the Moroccan football team its moniker of “Atlas Lions.”

Given Morocco’s location at the crossroads between Europe and Africa, it has been a melting pot of many cultures – a unique amalgamation of Arab, Hispanic and French influences, among others.

Morocco’s idyllic countryside, pristine coastline, and bustling cities have captured the imagination of many travellers throughout history, with the historic city of Fez being its cultural and spiritual centre. However, today, the West’s (and perhaps the rest of the world’s) imagination of Morocco is intimately tied to its romantic depiction in the ageless classic “Casablanca”, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Casablanca is Morocco’s largest city and most vital port. It is also one of its political centres and was at the heart of Morocco’s anti-colonial struggle in the Post World War II period.

The Sultans of Morocco had managed to stave off direct European colonisation till 1912, though since the beginning of the 19th century, Spain and France vied for influence in the region and slowly chipped away at the Sultan’s autonomy. In 1912, most of Morocco came under French control, with a smaller Spanish protectorate in its northern tip as well as Spanish Sahara to its South.

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