The ideal geographical position of Morocco on the westernmost North African coast, washed by the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the proximity to Spain have always made of Morocco an appealing place for invaders. Starting with the Phoenician who had small commercial settlements on the coast and the Carthaginians whose settlements grew to become actual cities such as Lixus (next to Larache), Tingis (Tangier) and Chellah (close to Rabat), then followed by the Romans who took control after the Punic War. The first inhabitants of Morocco were the Berbers who lived on the mountains, where the invaders could not break through, they were actually given their name by the Romans who called them the Barbarians. When the Romans left in the 3rd century AD, the Vandals took over and even the Byzantines who chased the Vandals from the coast would not go any further than Ceuta.

Roman Arch at Volubilis

The Arabs arrived in the 7th century AD bringing their civilization and their faith with them trying to impose it to the Berbers with whom they have been in conflict ever since with the equilibrium between ruling power and tribal independence being one of the main traits of Moroccan history. Before the Alaouites who claim to descend from the Prophet Mohammed came to power in 1649 ruling ever since, the succession of royal dynasties has market the kingdom of Morocco with the Almoravides, the Almohades, the Merinides and the Saadians. In the 15th and 16th centuries Morocco came under attack from Spain and Portugal and until the 19th century was a base for Barbary pirates. In the 19th centuries European powers recognized its strategic importance with France and Spain fighting over it. In 1906 they divided the country between them establishing Spanish and French protectorates, while Tangier was declared an independent international port in 1923. Following an independence movement, the protectorates were relinquished in 1956 when Morocco became a sultanate and a year later a Kingdom under King Mohammed V. In 1961 the throne passed to his son Hassan II who ruled until his death in 1999, when he was succeeded by King Mohammed VI who is still in power.
Morocco foreign policy is officially non-aligned with the West but generally sympathetic, trying to strengthen its influence in the Arab world and the Maghreb (North African countries including Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia) as well as keeping close relations with Europe and the United States.
In 1989 the Heads of State of African Countries met in Marrakech to sign a treaty which established the Union of the Arab Maghreb including the new addition of Libya and Mauritania to the existing Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. The agreement should favour trade by free movement of goods, service and workers across North Africa.