Morocco

Location

• Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Mauritania
• strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar; the only African nation to have both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines; the waters off the Atlantic coast are particularly rich fishing areas

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Casablanca	3,665,954
Rabat	1,655,753	Capital
Fes	1,191,905
Tangier	1,035,141
Marrakesh	995,871
Salé	972,299
Agadir	698,310
Meknes	568,295
Oujda	539,711
Kenitra	470,949

Size

• 172,413 square miles
• 446,550 square kilometers
• slightly larger than twice the size of California

History

In 788, about a century after the Arab conquest of North Africa, a series of 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 Western Sahara, Morocco has extended its de facto administrative control to roughly 75% 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, which broke down in late 2020, between Morocco and the Polisario Front -- an organization advocating the territory’s independence -- and restarted negotiations over the status of the territory in 2018. In 2020, the US recognized Morocco's sovereignty over all of Western Sahara. In 2011, King MOHAMMED VI responded to the spread of pro-democracy protests in the North Africa region by implementing a reform program that included a new constitution, passed by popular referendum, under which some new powers were extended to parliament and the prime minister, but ultimate authority remains in the hands of the monarch. Later that year, the Justice and Development Party (PJD) -- a moderate Islamist democratic party -- won the largest number of seats in parliamentary elections, becoming the first Islamist party to lead the Moroccan Government. In 2015, Morocco held its first direct elections for regional councils, which was one of the reforms included in the 2011 constitution. The PJD again won the largest number of seats in nationwide parliamentary elections in 2016, but it lost its plurality to the probusiness National Rally of Independents (RNI) in 2021. In 2020, Morocco signed a normalization agreement with Israel, similar to those that Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Sudan had concluded with Israel earlier that year.

Climate

Mediterranean in the north, becoming more extreme in the interior; in the south, hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dewnote:  data does not include former Western Sahara

Terrain

mountainous northern coast (Rif Mountains) and interior (Atlas Mountains) bordered by large plateaus with intermontane valleys, and fertile coastal plains; the south is mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces 

Languages

Arabic (official), Tamazight languages (Tamazight (official), Tachelhit, Tarifit), French (often the language of business, government, and diplomacy)major-language sample(s): كتاب ديال لحقائق متاع العالم، احسن مصدر متاع المعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.note: the proportion of Tamazight speakers is disputed

Religions

Muslim 99% (official; virtually all Sunni, <0.1% Shia), other 1% (includes Christian, Jewish, and Baha'i); note - Jewish about 3,000-3,500 (2020 est.)note: does not include data from the former Western Sahara

Government

parliamentary constitutional monarchy

• Constitution: history: several previous; latest drafted 17 June 2011, approved by referendum 1 July 2011 amendment process: proposed by the king, by the prime minister, or by members in either chamber of Parliament; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by both chambers and approval in a referendum; the king can opt to submit self-initiated proposals directly to a referendum
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: mixed system of civil law based on French civil law and Islamic (sharia) law; Constitutional Court reviews legislative acts
• Executive Branch: chief of state: King MOHAMMED VI (since 30 July 1999)head of government: Prime Minister Aziz AKHANNOUCH (since 7 October 2021)cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the prime minister in consultation with Parliament and appointed by the monarch; the monarch chooses the ministers of Interior, Foreign Affairs, Islamic Affairs, and National Defense Administrationelection/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; monarch appoints the prime minister from the majority party following legislative elections
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court or Court of Cassation (consists of 5-judge panels organized into civil, family matters, commercial, administrative, social, and criminal sections); Constitutional Court (consists of 12 members)judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the Superior Council of Judicial Power, a 20-member body presided over by the monarch, which includes the Supreme Court president, the prosecutor general, representatives of the appeals and first instance courts  (among them 1 woman magistrate), the president of the National Council for Human Rights (CNDH), and 5 "notable persons" appointed by the monarch; judges appointed for life; Constitutional Court members - 6 designated by the monarch and 6 elected by Parliament; court president appointed by the monarch from among the court members; members serve 9-year nonrenewable termssubordinate courts: courts of appeal; High Court of Justice; administrative and commercial courts; regional and Sadad courts (for religious, civil and administrative, and penal adjudication); first instance courts
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Parliament (Barlaman)legislative structure: bicameral

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• lower middle-income North African economy; ongoing recovery from recent drought and earthquake; rebounding via tourism, manufacturing, and raw materials processing; significant trade and investment with EU; reform programs include fiscal rebalancing, state enterprise governance and private sector investments
• Budget: revenues: $38.458 billion (2023 est.)expenditures: $44.819 billion (2023 est.)note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt
• Industries: automotive parts, phosphate mining and processing, aerospace, food processing, leather goods, textiles, construction, energy, tourism
• Agricultural Products: wheat, milk, potatoes, sugar beets, tomatoes, barley, olives, apples, tangerines/mandarins, onions (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 67.9% (2022 est.)arable land: 16.8% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 4% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 47.1% (2022 est.)forest: 12.9% (2022 est.)other: 19.2% (2022 est.)note: does not include the area of the former Western Sahara, which is almost exclusively desert
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: refined petroleum, cars, vehicle parts/accessories, natural gas, coal (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: Spain 16%, China 11%, France 10%, USA 9%, Turkey 5% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: fertilizers, cars, garments, insulated wire, tomatoes (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Spain 20%, France 17%, Germany 6%, UK 5%, Italy 4% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports