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Background:
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In 788, about a century after the Arab conquest of North Africa, successive Moorish 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. 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. Morocco virtually 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. Lower house elections were last held in September 2007, while upper house elections were last held in September 2006.
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Location:
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Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara
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Geographic coordinates:
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32 00 N, 5 00 W
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Map references:
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Area:
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total: 446,550 sq km
land: 446,300 sq km
water: 250 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than California
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Land boundaries:
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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
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Coastline:
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1,835 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
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Climate:
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Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior
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Terrain:
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northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas of bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Sebkha Tah -55 m
highest point: Jebel Toubkal 4,165 m
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Natural resources:
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phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt
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Land use:
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arable land: 19%
permanent crops: 2%
other: 79% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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14,450 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources:
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29 cu km (2003)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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Total: 12.6 cu km/yr (10%/3%/87%)
Per capita: 400 cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural hazards:
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northern mountains geologically unstable and subject to earthquakes; periodic droughts
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Environment - current issues:
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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
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea
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Geography - note:
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strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar
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Population:
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33,757,175 (July 2007 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 31% (male 5,339,730/female 5,140,482)
15-64 years: 63.9% (male 10,750,240/female 10,815,470)
65 years and over: 5.1% (male 740,686/female 970,567) (2007 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 24.3 years
male: 23.8 years
female: 24.8 years (2007 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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1.528% (2007 est.)
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Birth rate:
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21.64 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Death rate:
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5.54 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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-0.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.039 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.994 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.763 male(s)/female
total population: 0.994 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 38.85 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 42.56 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 34.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 71.22 years
male: 68.88 years
female: 73.67 years (2007 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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2.62 children born/woman (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1% (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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15,000 (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA
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Major infectious diseases:
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degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, and hepatitis A
vectorborne diseases: may be a significant risk in some locations during the transmission season (typically April through November) (2007)
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Nationality:
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noun: Moroccan(s)
adjective: Moroccan
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Ethnic groups:
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Arab-Berber 99.1%, other 0.7%, Jewish 0.2%
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Religions:
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Muslim 98.7%, Christian 1.1%, Jewish 0.2%
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Languages:
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Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often the language of business, government, and diplomacy
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 52.3%
male: 65.7%
female: 39.6% (2004 census)
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This page was last updated on 24 January, 2008
- The Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook - |
