A country of northwest Africa on the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Inhabited from ancient times by Berbers, the region became a Roman province in the 1st century AD and was conquered by Arabs in the 7th century. The country was later united (11th-13th century) under Berber-Muslim dynasties. The French established a protectorate over most of the region in 1912, and in 1956 Morocco achieved independence as a kingdom. Rabat is the capital and Casablanca the largest city.