ETHNOGRAPHICAL
AND  ADMINISTRATIVE  SKETCH
 

Population. — Certain regions never having been visited by Europeans,
and the census of others having been but approximately taken, it is diffi¬
cult to give an accurate estimate of the population of Morocco. Five million
would seem, to be the most likely figure, of which from 4 to 4 1/2 million live
in the French zone, and half a million in the Spanish zone. To these should
be added for the former zone, some 120,000 native Jews, and 50,000 immigrant
Europeans. For the same zone, the latter may be split up into 40,000 French,
15,000 Spaniards, 9,000 Italians, 1,000 English.

- The population is unevenly distributed. In the Gharb and the Hauz of
Marrakesh, where the population is the most numerous, it varies from 40 to
the square k., to 250 in the vicinity of Marrakesh; and it drops immediately
the villages at the foot of the Atlas, are reached. Excepting the Western Rif
which, being well watered, numbers some populous tribes (Anjera, Tetuan,
Uezzan), the density of the population of the mountainous regions along tJic
coast is small, contrary to what happens in Algerian Kabylia. Low, too, is no
doubt the density of the population in the territories of the Middle and tJie
I^igh Atlas. As to that of the Sahara regions, itisnaturally very smiall indeed.

The natives are Berbers, Arabs, Jews, negroes or half-breeds.

The Berbers are by far the most numerous. Of these there are three prin¬
cipal races : the Masmuda, the Zenaia, and the Zenaga, or Senhafa. In tli(3
course of the wars that have been waged in Morocco for centuries and of the
expeditions against Andalusia, these three races necessarily intermixed, but if
it is hard to discover important communities of any one of them, there are
at least some sufficiently numerous to enable their essential characteristics of
be described.

Te Almoravides, who came from Senegal and invaded Morocco in the
XI c, belonged to the " litam " (veiled) Senhajas. The Tuaregs, now inhabi-
tin the Sahara, belo ng to this family, of which traces are to be found also
in the Middle Atlas, the Rif and the Zemmiir,

The Almohades, whose dynasty succeeded the foregoing, were Masmoiida,
and are still met with in the High Atlas, the Jebala and the Gharb.

The Zenata live chiefly in the E. and N. of Morocco, though some are settled
in the Shawia and at Tangier. The most important group of these are perhaps
the Beni Snassen

The origin of the Siis people remains mysterious. Those of the Draa are
considered to be a cross-breed of freedmen and black slaves.

Upon this Berber foundation were superadded the Arabs. They came for the
first time in 681, with Okba Ben Nafi, then again in 707, with Miissa Ben Noceir,
as conquerors preaching Islam; they were at first but very few. From
788 onwards, Idris extended the new religion, which progressed with the
Almoravides in the xi c. and the Almohades in thexii c. Meanwhile, the Hila-
lian invasion brought a noteworthy quota of Arab tribes, which being slowly
driven westwards, only exerted their full effect in the xvi c. Udaia, Menebha,
Sherarda, Riah, Khlot, Hamian are the best-known names. They occupied
valleys  and  plains,   notably those of  Sebii, Liikkos, part of the Shawia,