Current Environmental Issues: land degradation/desertification (soil erosion resulting from farming of marginal areas, overgrazing, destruction of vegetation); water supplies contaminated by raw sewage; siltation of reservoirs; oil pollution of coastal waters

Geography

Source: EIA

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

Geographic Coordinates: 32 00 N, 5 00 W

Area:

total: 446,550 sq km
land: 446,300 sq km
water: 250 sq km

Land Boundaries:

total: 2,017.9 km
border countries: Algeria 1,559 km, Western Sahara 443 km, Spain (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Spain (Melilla) 9.6 km

Coastline: 1835 km

Maritime Claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Natural Hazards: northern mountains geologically unstable and subject to earthquakes; periodic droughts

Terrain

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

Elevation Extremes:

lowest point: Sebkha Tah -55 m
highest point: Jebel Toubkal 4,165 m

Climate

Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior

Government

Government Type: Constitutional Monarchy

Capital: Rabat

Independence Date: 2 March 1956 (from France)

Legal System: based on Islamic law and French and Spanish civil law systems; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (as of January 2003)

International Agreement

Environmental-international Agreement:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

People and Society

Population: 34,343,219 (July 2008 est.)

Age Structure:

0-14 years: 30.5% (male 5,337,322/female 5,136,156)
15-64 years: 64.3% (male 11,015,409/female 11,069,038)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male 765,882/female 1,019,412) (2008 est.)

Population Growth Rate: 1.505% (2008 est.)

Birth Rate: 21.31 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death Rate: 5.49 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net Migration Rate: -0.77 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth:

total population: 71.52 years
male: 69.16 years
female: 74 years (2008 est.)

Total Fertility Rate: 2.57 children born/woman (2008 est.)

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

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 52.3%
male: 65.7%
female: 39.6% (2004 census)

Water

Total Renewable Water Resources: 29 cu km (2003)

Freshwater Withdrawal (domestic, industrial, agricultural):

total: 12.6 cu km/yr (10%/3%/87%)
per capita: 400 cu m/yr (2000)

Agriculture

Agricultural Products: barley, wheat, citrus, wine, vegetables, olives; livestock

Irrigated Land: 14,450 sq km (2003)

Resources

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

Land Use:

arable land: 19%
permanent crops: 2%
other: 79% (2005)

Energy

Health

Prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Adults: 0.1% (2001 est.)

Conflict

International Disputes: claims and administers Western Sahara whose sovereignty remains unresolved - UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; Morocco protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera, the islands of Penon de Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, and surrounding waters; discussions have not progressed on a comprehensive maritime delimitation, setting limits on resource exploration and refugee interdiction, since Morocco's 2002 rejection of Spain's unilateral designation of a median line from the Canary Islands; Morocco serves as one of the primary launching areas of illegal migration into Spain from North Africa

Illicit Drugs: one of the world's largest producers of illicit hashish; shipments of hashish mostly directed to Western Europe; transit point for cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe; significant consumer of cannabis

Economy

Moroccan economic policies brought macroeconomic stability to the country in the early 1990s but have not spurred growth sufficient to reduce unemployment - nearing 20% in urban areas - despite the Moroccan Government's ongoing efforts to diversify the economy. Morocco's GDP growth rate slowed to 2.1% in 2007 as a result of a draught that severely reduced agricultural output and necessitated wheat imports at rising world prices. Continued dependence on foreign energy and Morocco's inability to develop small and medium size enterprises also contributed to the slowdown. Moroccan authorities understand that reducing poverty and providing jobs are key to domestic security and development. In 2005, Morocco launched the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH), a $2 billion social development plan to address poverty and unemployment and to improve the living conditions of the country's urban slums. Moroccan authorities are implementing reform efforts to open the economy to international investors. Despite structural adjustment programs supported by the IMF, the World Bank, and the Paris Club, the dirham is only fully convertible for current account transactions. In 2000, Morocco entered an Association Agreement with the EU and, in 2006, entered a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US. Long-term challenges include improving education and job prospects for Morocco's youth, and closing the income gap between the rich and the poor, which the government hopes to achieve by increasing tourist arrivals and boosting competitiveness in textiles.

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $125.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (Official Exchange Rate): $73.43 billion (2007 est.)

GDP- real growth rate: 2.1% (2007 est.)

GDP- per capita: $4,100 (2007 est.)

GDP- composition by sector:

agriculture: 14.5%
industry: 37.9%
services: 47.7% (2007 est.)

Population Below Poverty Line: 15% (2007)

Household Income or Consumption by Percentage Share:

lowest 10%: 2.6%
highest 10%: 30.9% (1999)

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

Exports: clothing and textiles, electric components, inorganic chemicals, transistors, crude minerals, fertilizers (including phosphates), petroleum products, citrus fruits, vegetables, fish

Export Partners: Spain 21.2%, France 19%, UK 4.9%, Italy 4.9%, India 4.2% (2006)

Imports: crude petroleum, textile fabric, telecommunications equipment, wheat, gas and electricity, transistors, plastics

Import Partners: France 16.3%, Spain 13.7%, China 7.3%, Italy 6.8%, Saudi Arabia 6.5%, Germany 6%, US 4.6%, Netherlands 4.1% (2006)

Economic Aid Recipient: ODA, $651.8 million (2005)

Currency: Moroccan dirham (MAD)

Communications

Telephones- main line in use: 1.266 million (2006)

Telephones- mobile/cellular: 20.029 million (2007)

Radio Broadcast Stations: AM 27, FM 25, shortwave 6 (1998)

Television Broadcast Stations: 35 (plus 66 repeaters) (1995)

Internet Hosts: 137,187 (2007)

Internet Users: 6.1 million (2006)

Transportation

Airports: 60 (2007)

Pipelines: gas 720 km; oil 439 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 1,907 km
standard gauge: 1,907 km 1.435-m gauge (1,003 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 57,626 km
paved: 35,665 km (includes 639 km of expressways)
unpaved: 21,961 km (2005)

Ports and Terminals: Agadir, Casablanca, Mohammedia, Safi