Morocco

[Country map of Morocco]

Map ©1996 NGS Cartographic Division. Developed in association with GeoSystems Global Corp. World Map

Geography

Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara

Map references: Africa

Area:
total area: 446,550 sq km
land area: 446,300 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than California

Land boundaries: total 2,002 km, Algeria 1,559 km, Western Sahara 443 km

Coastline: 1,835 km

Climate: Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior

Terrain: northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas of bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains

Natural resources: phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt

Land use:
arable land: 18%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 28%
forest and woodland: 12%
other: 41%

Irrigated land: 12,650 sq km (1989 est.)


People

Population: 29,168,848 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 38% (female 5,486,176; male 5,659,410)
15-64 years: 58% (female 8,456,525; male 8,327,560)
65 years and over: 4% (female 641,236; male 597,941) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.09% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 27.93 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 5.97 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 45.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.98 years
male: 67.03 years
female: 71.02 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.69 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Moroccan(s)
adjective: Moroccan

Ethnic divisions: Arab-Berber 99.1%, other 0.7%, Jewish 0.2%

Religions: Muslim 98.7%, Christian 1.1%, Jewish 0.2%

Languages: Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often the language of business, government, and diplomacy

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population: 50%
male: 61%
female: 38%

Labor force: 7.4 million
by occupation: agriculture 50%, services 26%, industry 15%, other 9% (1985)


Government

Names:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Morocco
conventional short form: Morocco
local long form: Al Mamlakah al Maghribiyah
local short form: Al Maghrib

Digraph: MO

Type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Rabat

Administrative divisions: 36 provinces and 5 wilayas*; Agadir, AlHoceima, Assa-Zag, Azilal, Beni Mellal, Ben Slimane, Boulemane, Casablanca*, Chaouen, El Jadida, El Kelaa des Sraghna, Er Rachidia, Essaouira, Es Smara, Fes*, Figuig, Guelmim, Ifrane, Kenitra, Khemisset, Khenifra, Khouribga, Laayoune, Larache, Marrakech*, Meknes*, Nador, Ouarzazate, Oujda, Rabat-Sale*, Safi, Settat, Sidi Kacem, Tanger, Tan-Tan, Taounate, Taroudannt, Tata, Taza, Tetouan, Tiznit

Independence: 2 March 1956 (from France)

National holiday: National Day, 3 March (1961) (anniversary of King Hassan II's accession to the throne)

Constitution: 10 March 1972, revised 4 September 1992

Legal system: based on Islamic law and French and Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of Supreme Court

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal


Economy

Overview: Morocco faces the typical problems of developing countries - restraining government spending, reducing constraints on private activity and foreign trade, and keeping inflation within bounds. Since the early 1980s the government has pursued an economic program toward these objectives with the support of the IMF, the World Bank, and the Paris Club of creditors. The economy has substantial assets to draw on: the world's largest phosphate reserves, diverse agricultural and fishing resources, a sizable tourist industry, a growing manufacturing sector, and remittances from Moroccans working abroad. A severe drought in 1992-93 depressed economic activity and held down exports. Real GDP contracted by 4.4% in 1992 and 1.1% in 1993. Despite these setbacks, initiatives to relax capital controls, strengthen the banking sector, and privatize state enterprises went forward in 1993-94. Favorable rainfall in 1994 boosted agricultural production by 40%. Servicing the large debt, high unemployment, and vulnerability to external economic forces remain long-term problems for Morocco.

National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $87.5 billion (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate: 8% (1994 est.)

National product per capita: $3,060 (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.4% (1994)

Unemployment rate: 16% (1994 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $8.1 billion
expenditures: $8.9 billion (1994 est.)

Exports: $4.1 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: food and beverages 30%, semiprocessed goods 23%, consumer goods 21%, phosphates 17%
partners: EU 70%, Japan 5%, US 4%, Libya 3%, India 2% (1993)

Imports: $7.5 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
commodities: capital goods 24%, semiprocessed goods 22%, raw materials 16%, fuel and lubricants 16%, food and beverages 13%, consumer goods 9%
partners: EC 59%, US8%, Saudi Arabia 5%, UAE 3%, Russia 2% (1993)

External debt: $20.5 billion (1994 est.)

Industrial production: growth rate 0.1% accounts for 28% of GDP

Electricity:
capacity: 2,620,000 kW
production: 9.9 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 361 kWh (1993)

Industries: phosphate rock mining and processing, food processing, leather goods, textiles, construction, tourism

Agriculture: accounts for 15% of GDP, 50% of employment, and 30% of export value; not self-sufficient in food; cereal farming and livestock raising predominate; barley, wheat, citrus fruit, wine, vegetables, olives

Currency: 1 Moroccan dirham (DH) = 100 centimes

Fiscal year: calendar year


Transportation

Railroads:
total: 1,893 km
standard gauge: 1,893 km 1.435-m gauge (974 km electrified; 246 km double track)

Highways:
total: 59,474 km
paved: 29,440 km
unpaved: gravel, crushed stone, improved earth, unimproved earth 30,034 km

Pipelines: crude oil 362 km; petroleum products (abandoned) 491 km; natural gas 241 km

Ports: Agadir, Al Jadida, Casablanca, El Jorf Lasfar, Kenitra, Mohammedia, Nador, Rabat, Safi, Tangier; also Spanish-controlled Ceuta and Melilla

Merchant marine:
total: 38 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 183,951 GRT/273,057 DWT
ships by type: cargo 6, chemical tanker 9, container 2, oil tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 10, roll-on/roll-off cargo 6, short-seapassenger 1

Airports:
total: 74
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 11
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 3
with paved runways under 914 m: 13
with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 10
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 24


Flag by Dream Maker Software, Inc.
Information obtained from CIA, The World Factbook 1995