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Berbers | Morocco | 2002
Population: 25,000,000-35,000,000
Language: Afro-Asiatic Family, Berber branch
Region: North Africa
The Berbers or Imazighen (meaning; 'free people') are the indigenous ethnic group living west of the Nile Valley in North Africa. Today, most Berber-speaking people live in Algeria and Morocco. Soon after independence in the middle of the 20th century, the countries of North Africa established Arabic as their official language. As a result, most Berbers had to study and know Arabic, and had no opportunities until the 21st century to use their mother tongue at school or university. This may have accelerated the existing process of Arabization of Berbers. The Aït Atta and Ait Abdi are nomadic Berber tribes. In the spring they migrate from the Sahara to the cooler Atlas Mountains and settle in the valleys. They migrate by following the natural cycle of grazing, and seeking water and shelter.
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