From the grasslands to the desert in Morocco

From the grasslands to the desert in Morocco. Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory shows distinctively different climates From the grasslands to the desert in Morocco. 

Westerly winds carry moisture from the Atlantic Ocean to the coastal wetlands. Although  the Atlas Mountains act as a barrier that keeps rainfall from reaching the Sahara Desert.

There are many important wintering sites for migratory birds along the wetter regions of the Moroccan coastline, while the dry desert provides scientists with a perfect location to hunt for meteorites.

Also Morocco was divided into French and Spanish protectorates. Therefore with an international zone in Tangier. It regained its independence in 1956, and has since remained comparatively stable and prosperous by regional standards. Since the foundation of the first Moroccan state by Idris I in 788 AD, the country has been ruled by a series of independent dynasties, reaching its zenith under Almoravid and Almohad rule, when it spanned parts of Iberia and northwestern Africa. The Portuguese Empire began in Morocco in the 15th century, following Portuguese conquests along the Moroccan coast, founding settlements which lasted into the 17th and 18th centuries. The Marinid and Saadi dynasties resisted foreign domination into the 17th century, allowing Morocco to remain the only northwest African country to avoid Ottoman occupation. The Alaouite dynasty, which rules to this day, seized power in 1631. The country’s strategic location near the mouth of the Mediterranean attracted the interest of Europe,

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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory