Morocco!

No, not this guy:

Morocco the country! Today is Independence Day for Morocco!

I wanted to find something cheery to post, and I feel like this is something that is cause for celebration (even if only in their country), and something that not a lot of people know about.
Here's some cool facts:

Morocco was the first sovereign state to recognize the United States as an independent nation in 1777.
In its very long history, Morocco has been controlled by many a number of empires: Phoenicians, Romans, Moors, Vandals, etc. Between 1000 and 1100 CE, the Berbers came to rule and made Morocco a dominate figure in North Africa. France and Spain took interest and "colonized" Morocco in the 1880s. After Moroccans attacked their European rulers in the streets, their protectorates were lifted in 1956.
Morocco was one of the many sites where Arab Spring protests occurred in 2011 and 2012. Up until that point, Morocco was a pretty traditional monarchy with some economic and social eccentricities. Now because of governmental reforms, they are a constitutional monarchy with a judiciary branch and parliament. The prime minister has almost authoritarian powers, but the king is basically a figurehead. Morocco has also been victim to numerous terrorist attacks since 2001. Some were orchestrated by Al-Qaeda; some were not. It is also important to note that Morocco is a nation that has historic and deep ties to Islam, and over 90% of the population practices Islam to this day.
Moroccans are a people that have gone through many changes, socially, economically, and politically. They celebrate how far they've come today, and I wanted to share some of the information that I had learned in an African Civilization class. It's amazing what tidbits one can hold onto even years after the fact.