World Atlas: Morocco. On this page you can see the map, country flag and many detailed information about the people, history and economy of Morocco.
Here you can find online selected information about the geography, inhabitants, government, economy and history of Morocco. Included are selected statistics, an overview map and the detailed map of Morocco. But let's start with the flag of Morocco here:
Morocco - Overview:
What you should know about Morocco? Let's start with this: 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. Since Spain's 1976 withdrawal from what is today called Western Sahara, Morocco has extended its de facto administrative control to roughly 80% of this territory; however, the UN does not recognize Morocco as the administering power for Western Sahara. The UN since 1991 has monitored a cease-fire between Morocco and the Polisario Front - Western Sahara's liberation movement - and leads ongoing negotiations over the status of the territory. King Mohammed VI in early 2011 responded to the spread of pro-democracy protests in the region by implementing a reform program that included a new constitution, passed by popular referendum in July 2011, under which some new powers were extended to parliament and the prime minister but ultimate authority remains in the hands of the monarch. In November 2011, the Justice and Development Party (PJD) - a moderate Islamist party - won the largest number of seats in parliamentary elections, becoming the first Islamist party to lead the Moroccan Government. In September 2015, Morocco held its first ever direct elections for regional councils, one of the reforms included in the 2011 constitution. The PJD again won the largest number of seats in nationwide parliamentary elections in October 2016.
Geography of Morocco
Where on the globe is Morocco? The location of this country is Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara. Total area of Morocco is 446,550 sq km, of which 446,300 sq km is land. So this is quite a large country. How could we describe the terrain of the country? This way: mountainous northern coast (Rif Mountains) and interior (Atlas Mountains) bordered by large plateaus with intermontane valleys, and fertile coastal plains. The lowest point of Morocco is Sebkha Tah -59 m, the highest point Jebel Toubkal 4,165 m. And the climate is Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interio.
Inhabitants of Morocco
Let's take a look how many people live in Morocco. The number is: 33,986,655 (July 2017 est.). So quite a lot people live here. Who lives here? Arab-Berber 99%, other 1%. What are the languages in Morocco? Arabic (official), Berber languages (Tamazight (official), Tachelhit, Tarifit), French (often the language of business, government, and diplomacy). And the religions: Muslim 99% (official; virtually all Sunni, . How old are the people in average? 29.3 years. We have to add that this number is the median - so one half of the people is older than this, one half is younger. And what is their life expectancy (at birth)? This: 77.1 years. Where the people live in Morocco? Here: the highest population density is found along the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts; a number of densely populated agglomerations are found scattered through the Atlas Mountains. The major urban areas of Morocco are: Casablanca 3.515 million; Rabat (capital) 1.967 million; Fes 1.172 million; Marrakech 1.134 million; Tangier 982,000 (2015).
Government and Economy of Morocco
The capital of Morocco is Rabat and the government type parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Let's take a look at the administrative divisions - 11 regions (recognized); Beni Mellal-Khenifra, Casablanca-Settat, Draa-Tafilalet, Fes-Meknes, Guelmim-Oued Noun, Laayoune-Sakia al Hamra, Oriental, Marrakech-Safi, Rabat-Sale-Kenitra, Souss-Massa, Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima. Regarding the economy of Morocco, important industrial products are automotive parts, phosphate mining and processing, aerospace, food processing, leather goods, textiles, construction, energy, tourism. Important agricultural products are barley, wheat, citrus fruits, grapes, vegetables, olives; livestock; wine. The most important export commodities are clothing and textiles, automobiles, electric components, inorganic chemicals, transistors, crude minerals, fertilizers (including phosphates), petroleum products, citrus fruits, vegetables, fish and the most important export partners are Spain 23.4%, France 21.1%, Italy 4.6% (2016). The most important import commodities are crude petroleum, textile fabric, telecommunications equipment, wheat, gas and electricity, transistors, plastics and the most important import partners are Spain 15.7%, France 13.2%, China 9.1%, US 6.4%, Germany 5.9%, Italy 5.4%, Turkey 4.4% (2016). How rich is Morocco and how rich are people in this country? The most important number here is GDP per capita (PPP): $8,600 (2017 est.). This is quite a low number. Let's add that this means Gross Domestic Product per person, which is recalculated with respect to the relative cost of local goods and services. And one more important number - population below poverty line: 15% (2007 est.).