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Located in western North
Africa, Morocco is bordered on the north by the Strait of
Gibraltar —opposite
Spain—and the Mediterranean Sea, on the east and southeast by
Algeria, on the south by Western Sahara, and on the west by
the Atlantic Ocean. The southeastern boundary, in the Sahara,
is not precisely defined.
Within Morocco are the
Spanish exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, on the Mediterranean
coast. Several small islands off the north coast of Morocco
are also Spanish possessions. The area of Morocco is 446,550
square kilometers (172,414 square miles), slightly smaller
than Uzbekistan.
Morocco occupies and
administers the region to the south, known as Western Sahara,
but sovereignty has not yet been determined. The United
Nations (UN) is attempting to hold a referendum on the issue
and has imposed a cease-fire since September 1991. Morocco
contests Spanish control of Ceuta and Melilla.
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Morocco has the broadest plains and the
highest mountains in North Africa. The country has four main
physiographic regions: (1) an area of highlands, called Er
Rif, paralleling the Mediterranean coast; (2) the Atlas
Mountains, extending across the country in a southwest to
northeast direction between the Atlantic Ocean and Er Rif,
from which the mountains are separated by the Taza Depression;
(3) a region of broad coastal plains along the Atlantic Ocean,
framed in the arc formed by Er Rif and the Atlas Mountains;
and (4) the plains and valleys south of the Atlas Mountains,
which merge with the Sahara along the southeastern borders of
the country. The highest mountain is Jebel Toubkal, which
rises 4,165 meters (13,665 feet) in the Haut Atlas range.
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Morocco has many rivers, which, although
unimportant for navigation, are used for irrigation and for
generating electric power. The chief rivers are the Moulouya,
which drains into the Mediterranean Sea, and the Sebou, which
flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
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Along the Mediterranean,
Morocco has a subtropical climate, tempered by oceanic
influences that give the coastal cities moderate temperatures.
At Essaouira, for example, temperatures average 16°C (61°F) in
January and 22°C (72°F) in August. Toward the interior,
winters are colder and summers warmer. Thus, in Fès the mean
temperature is 10°C (50°F) in January and 27°C (81°F) in
August. At high elevations, temperatures of less than
–18°C (less
than 0°F) are common, and mountain peaks are covered with snow
during most of the year.
Rain falls mainly during the winter months and is heaviest in
the northwest and lightest in the east and south. The average
annual precipitation is about 955 millimeters (about 38 inches)
in Tangier, 430 millimeters (17 inches) in Casablanca, 280
millimeters (11 inches) in Essaouira, and less than 102
millimeters (less than 4 inches) in the Sahara.
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Basic Facts
Official name
Kingdom of Morocco
Capital
Rabat
Area
446,550 square kilometers
172,414 square miles
Major cities
(Population)
Casablanca 3.3 million (1995)
Rabat 1.6 million (1995)
Marrakech 1.5 million (1990)
Fès 1 million (1990)
Tangier 554,000 (1990)
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Population
27 million (1995)
Population: Regional
Comparison (in thousands)
Region
North Africa
Population growth
rate 2.1 percent
(1990-1995)
Population density
61 persons per square kilometer
158 persons per square mile (1995)
Percent urban
48.4 percent (1995)
Percent rural
51.6 percent (1995)
Life expectancy,
female 65 years (1995)
Life expectancy,
male 62 years (1995)
Infant mortality
rate
82 deaths per 1,000 live births (1990)
Literacy rates
Total 44 percent (1995 estimate)
Female 31 percent (1995 estimate)
Male 57 percent (1995 estimate)
Literacy
(in percent)
Ethnic divisions
Arab-Berber 99.1%
Harratin and other 0.7%
Jewish 0.2%
Languages
Arabic (official), Derija (Moroccan Arabic), Berber
dialects, French
Religions
Muslim 98.7%
Christian 1.1%
Jewish 0.2%
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Government
Constitutional monarchy
Parties
Morocco has 15 political parties; the major ones are the
Constitutional Union (UC), National Assembly of
Independents (RNI), Popular Movement (MP), National
Popular Movement (MPN), Istiqlal, Socialist Union of
Popular Forces (USFP), National Democratic Party (PND),
and the Party for Progress and Socialism (PPS).
Independence
2 March 1956 (from France)
Constitution
10 March 1972; revised in September 1992
Voting rights
Universal at age 21
Member of
ABEDA, ACCT (associate), AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CCC,
EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDB,
IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INRO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
IOM (observer), ISO, ITTO, ITU, OAS (observer), NAM, OIC,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO
Freedom rating
Partly free (5)
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Gross domestic
product (GDP) U.S.$31.50
billion (1994)
GDP per capita
U.S.$1,076 (1991)
Gross Domestic
Product (in percent)
Government
expenditures U.S.$6.6
billion (1992)
Government revenues
U.S.$8.2 billion (1992)
Government deficit/surplus
U.S.$1.6 billion (1992)
National Budget
(in million U.S.$)
Monetary unit
1 Moroccan dirham (DH) = 100 centimes
Major trade partners
for exports
European Union (EU) countries, India, Japan, former Soviet
republics, United States
Major trade partners
for imports
EU countries, United States, Canada, Iraq, former Soviet
republics, Japan
Exports
Phosphates, fertilizers, citrus fruits, hosiery, seafood,
semiprocessed goods, consumer goods
Imports
Chemicals, petroleum, iron and steel, semiprocessed goods,
raw materials, food and beverages, consumer goods
Industries
Phosphate mining and processing, food processing,
petroleum refining, cement, leather goods, textiles,
hosiery, tourism
Agriculture
Accounts for 20 percent of the GDP (1991), 50 percent of
employment, and 30 percent of export value; barley, wheat,
sugar beets, sugarcane, sunflower seeds, pulses, maize,
citrus fruits, grapes, beans, vegetables, olives;
livestock and livestock products—sheep, goats, cattle,
poultry, meat, milk, wool, hides, eggs; not
self-sufficient in food.
Natural resources
Phosphate rock, phosphoric acid, iron ore, coal, petroleum,
copper, fluorspar, barites, manganese, lead, zinc, salt,
fish
Sources
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