
On the border between Africa and Europe, Morocco has been cradled throughout its two thousand years of history by diverse influences. The Berbers, the original inhabitants of Morocco, have mixed throughout history with Jews and nomadic tribes from the south of the Kingdom. The latter have carried a unique language, Hassani. The Arabs conquered the country between the 7th and 11th centuries, when it was populated mainly by Berbers and Romano-Berbers. Today, Arab-Berbers represent 98% of the population; they are Sunni Muslims. Sub-Saharan come from what was once the empire of Ghana, which covered Senegal, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Gambia and 85% of Mali. Descendants of Europeans joined Morocco after the Arabs withdrew from Europe in the 15th century.