Which country's name comes from the Arabic name Al-Maghreb, which means "farthest west."

The Arabic name Al-Maghreb, meaning "place of setting (of the sun)" or "the West," is the origin of the name for the country of Morocco. This etymology perfectly reflects Morocco's geographical position as the westernmost nation in the Arab world and North Africa, where the sun symbolically "sets" for those looking from the east. Its official Arabic name, Al-Mamlakah al-Maghribīyah, translates to "the Western Kingdom" or "the Kingdom of the West." Historically, medieval Arab geographers often referred to it as Al-Maghrib al-Aqṣá, meaning "the Farthest West" or "the Extreme West," to distinguish it from other western regions of the Islamic world.

While the term "Maghreb" also broadly refers to a larger region of Northwest Africa that includes countries like Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and sometimes Mauritania, in common Arabic usage, "Al Maghreb" is specifically understood to mean Morocco. This enduring designation highlights Morocco's unique position at the literal and metaphorical edge of the Arab lands, facing the Atlantic Ocean.

Interestingly, the English name "Morocco" has a different, yet equally fascinating, origin. It is an anglicization of the Spanish "Marruecos" or Portuguese "Marrocos," which in turn derived from the name of the ancient city of Marrakesh. Marrakesh served as a significant capital for several powerful dynasties throughout Morocco's history, leading Europeans to associate the city's name with the entire country.