What is the capital of Morocco?

Rabat sits at the mouth of the Bou Regreg on the Atlantic, facing its twin city of Salé across the river, and its history runs from an Almohad fortress and unfinished grand mosque, whose Hassan Tower still stands, through a period when the estuary sheltered corsairs preying on Atlantic shipping. It became the capital under the French protectorate in the early twentieth century, when the administration was moved there from the older imperial cities and a new planned quarter was built beside the medina; after independence the monarchy kept it, and the royal palace and the ministries remain. Morocco's earlier capitals rotated among Fes, Marrakesh and Meknes depending on the dynasty, which is why the country has several cities described as imperial. Casablanca, an hour or so down the coast, grew far larger as the economic centre but has never held the political role.

Rabat's modern and historic quarters were jointly listed as a World Heritage site for the way the colonial-era plan sits alongside the older city.