Morocco was the first country to recognize the United States as an independent nation, a diplomatic milestone remembered during America’s 250th anniversary.
Sultan Mohammed III opened Morocco’s ports to American ships in December 1777, while the Revolutionary War was still underway. This action made Morocco the first country to acknowledge the United States as a sovereign nation.
The two countries later formalized their relationship through the Moroccan–American Treaty of Friendship, signed in 1786. It is widely described as the oldest unbroken friendship treaty in U.S. history.
France was the first major European power to recognize and ally with the United States, signing treaties with the new nation in 1778. That distinction differs from Morocco’s earlier recognition.