European Moroccans are

Moroccans Moroccans () are the Moroccan nationality law, citizens and nationals of the Morocco, Kingdom of Morocco. The country's population is predominantly composed of Arabs and Berbers (Amazigh). The term also applies more broadly to any people who ...

whose ancestry lies within the continent of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

History

Prior to independence, Morocco was home to half a million

Europeans Europeans are the focus of European ethnology, the field of anthropology related to the various ethnic groups that reside in the states of Europe. Groups may be defined by common ancestry, language, faith, historical continuity, etc. There are ...

, and European

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

formed almost half the population of the city of

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

.Albert Habib Hourani, Malise Ruthven (2002). "
A history of the Arab peoples
'". Harvard University Press. p.323. Since the kingdom's independence in 1955, the European population has decreased substantially. At the beginning of the 20th century, 250,000

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance-speaking ethnic group native to the Iberian Peninsula, primarily associated with the modern nation-state of Spain. Genetically and ethnolinguistically, Spaniards belong to the broader Southern a ...

lived in Morocco. Most left Morocco after its independence and their numbers were reduced to 13,000. In 1950, Catholics in

Spanish protectorate in Morocco The Spanish protectorate in Morocco was established on 27 November 1912 by a treaty between France and Spain that converted the Spanish sphere of influence in Morocco into a formal protectorate. The Spanish protectorate consisted of a norther ...

and

Tangier Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...

constitute 14.5% of the population, and the Spanish Morocco was home to 113,000 Catholic settlers. Catholics in

and

were mostly of Spanish descent, and to a lesser extent of Portuguese, French and Italian ancestry. During the French and Spanish protectorates, Morocco had significant populations of European

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

settlers: on the eve of independence, an estimated 470,000 Catholics resided in Morocco. Since independence in 1956, the European Catholic population has decreased substantially, and many Catholics left to France or Spain. Prior to independence, the European Catholic settlers had historic legacy and powerful presence. Independence prompted a mass exodus of the European Catholic settlers; after series of events over 1959-1960 more than 75% of Catholic settlers left the country.

Notable European Moroccans

* Paul Pascon * René Verzier

References and footnotes

Ethnic groups in Morocco {{Africa-ethno-group-stub

History

Notable European Moroccans

See also

References and footnotes