Geography ::MOROCCO

Geography ::MOROCCO
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
Map references:

Africa
Area:

total: 446,550 sq km
country comparison to the world: 58
land: 446,300 sq km
water: 250 sq km
Area - comparative:

slightly larger than California
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:

1,835 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
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
Elevation extremes:

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

phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt
Land use:

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

14,570 sq km (2003)
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)
Natural hazards:

northern mountains geologically unstable and subject to earthquakes; periodic droughts
Environment - current 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
Environment - international agreements:

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
Geography - note:

strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar



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People and Society ::MOROCCO

People and Society ::MOROCCO
Nationality:

noun: Moroccan(s)
adjective: Moroccan
Ethnic groups:

Arab-Berber 99%, other 1%
Languages:

Arabic (official), Berber languages (Tamazight (official), Tachelhit, Tarifit), French (often the language of business, government, and diplomacy)
Religions:

Muslim 99% (official), Christian 1%, Jewish about 6,000
Population:

32,309,239 (July 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
Age structure:

0-14 years: 27.4% (male 4,500,299/ female 4,366,656)
15-64 years: 66.4% (male 10,493,176/ female 10,954,845)
65 years and over: 6.2% (male 899,693/ female 1,094,570) (2012 est.)
population pyramid:
Median age:

total: 27.3 years
male: 26.7 years
female: 27.8 years (2012 est.)
Population growth rate:

1.054% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 110
Birth rate:

18.97 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 99
Death rate:

4.76 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 194
Net migration rate:

-3.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 186
Urbanization:

urban population: 58% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization: 2.1% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Major cities - population:

Casablanca 3.245 million; RABAT (capital) 1.77 million; Fes 1.044 million; Marrakech 909,000; Tangier 768,000 (2009)
Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2011 est.)
Maternal mortality rate:

100 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 70
Infant mortality rate:

total: 26.49 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 74
male: 31.16 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 21.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 76.11 years
country comparison to the world: 80
male: 73.04 years
female: 79.32 years (2012 est.)
Total fertility rate:

2.19 children born/woman (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 106
Health expenditures:

5.5% of GDP (2009)
country comparison to the world: 128
Physicians density:

0.62 physicians/1,000 population (2009)
Hospital bed density:

1.1 beds/1,000 population (2009)
Sanitation facility access:

improved:
urban: 83% of population
rural: 52% of population
total: 69% of population
unimproved:
urban: 17% of population
rural: 48% of population
total: 31% of population
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 142
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

26,000 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71
HIV/AIDS - deaths:

1,200 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 63
Obesity - adult prevalence rate:

16% (2000)
country comparison to the world: 31
Children under the age of 5 years underweight:

9.9% (2004)
country comparison to the world: 67
Education expenditures:

5.6% of GDP (2008)
country comparison to the world: 41
Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 56.1%
male: 68.9%
female: 43.9% (2009 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 10 years
male: 11 years
female: 10 years (2007)
Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:

total: 21.9%
country comparison to the world: 45
male: 22.8%
female: 19.4% (2009)morocco culture,moroccan food,morocco food,moroccan cuisine,morocco beaches,moroccan meal,beaches in morocco,moroccan culture,hercules cave,hercules cave morocco

morocco-morrocco

In 788, about a century after the Arab conquest of North Africa, a series of Moroccan Muslim dynasties began to rule in Morocco. In the 16th century, the Sa'adi monarchy, particularly under Ahmad AL-MANSUR (1578-1603), repelled foreign invaders and inaugurated a golden age. The Alaouite dynasty, to which the current Moroccan royal family belongs, dates from the 17th century. In 1860, Spain occupied northern Morocco and ushered in a half century of trade rivalry among European powers that saw Morocco's sovereignty steadily erode; in 1912, the French imposed a protectorate over the country. A protracted independence struggle with France ended successfully in 1956. The internationalized city of Tangier and most Spanish possessions were turned over to the new country that same year. Sultan MOHAMMED V, the current monarch's grandfather, organized the new state as a constitutional monarchy and in 1957 assumed the title of king. Morocco annexed Western Sahara during the late 1970s, but final resolution on the status of the territory remains unresolved. Gradual political reforms in the 1990s resulted in the establishment of a bicameral legislature, which first met in 1997. Under King MOHAMMED VI - who in 1999 succeeded his father to the throne - human rights have improved. Morocco enjoys a moderately free press, but the government has taken action against journalists who they perceive to be challenging the monarchy, Islam, and the status of Western Sahara. Influenced by protests elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa, in February 2011 thousands of Moroccans began weekly rallies in multiple cities across the country to demand greater democracy and a crackdown on government corruption. Police response to most of the protests was subdued compared to the violence elsewhere in the region. A commission set up in March 2011 presented a draft constitution that was passed by popular referendum in July 2011. Under the new constitution, some new powers were extended to parliament and the prime minister, but ultimate authority remained in the hands of the monarch. That same month, the king urged swift implementation of the new constitution, starting with the holding of parliamentary elections in 2011 instead of in 2012. A prominent moderate Islamist party, the Justice and Development Party, subsequently won the largest number of seats on 25 November 2011, becoming the first Islamist party to lead the Moroccan Government. In January 2012, Morocco assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2012-13 term.



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