Maurice Hoyt Jr., age 14, of Lyconia, N.H., for his question:

IS THERE A COUNTRY CALLED TANGIER?

Tangier is not a country. It is a region on the Atlantic coast of Morocco that covers 135 square miles between the sea and the Rif Mountains. The region also includes a city named Tangier which lies opposite Gibraltar at the western opening to the Mediterranean Sea.

Most of the people of the Tangier region are Muslim Berbers or Arabs. Spanish, French and Arabic are the official languages.

Portugal, Spain and England held Tangier at different times from the 1400s until the late 1600s, when the Moors gained control. The Moors held the city and territory until 1924, but granted special privileges to several European countries.

In 1925, an international zone was established in Tangier, under the control of leading world powers. Spanish forces occupied Tangier during World War II.

In 1945, Tangier regained its international status. Then Tangier became a part of Morocco after Morocco gained its independence from France and Spain in 1956. That same year, the sultan of Morocco called a conference of the nine nations that formerly controlled Tangier. They voted to end Tangier’s international status and to give up most of their former rights in the area.