MOROCCO
Also known as: Kingdom of Morocco, Al Mamlakah al Maghribiyah, Al Maghrib or

Specific information on Western Sahara can be accessed by clicking here.

Quick Facts

On this page, you will find:

• Country- Map, Flag & Coat of Arms
• Introduction
• Journey Element 1: Nature & Wildlife (Natural Environment; Plants & Wildlife)
• Journey Element 2: Life & Society (History, Society & Culture, Government & Politics)
• Journey Element 3: Trade, Travel & Economy (Transportation, Communication, Economy, Tourism)
• Journey Element 4: Highlights, Current Events & Helpful Links (Highlights & amazing statistics, Current events, Other Helpful Links)

Country- Map, Flag & Coat of Arms

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Introduction

Morocco's long struggle for independence from France ended in 1956. The internationalized city of Tangier was 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 in 1997. Parliamentary elections were held for the second time in September 2002 and municipal elections were held in September 2003.

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Natural Environment

Plants & Wildlife

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Journey Element 2: Life & Society

History Overview

Significant dates & events

Society & Culture

Most Moroccans are Sunni Muslims of Arab, Berber, or mixed Arab-Berber stock. The Arabs invaded Morocco in the 7th and 11th centuries and established their culture there. Morocco's Jewish minority numbers about 4,000. Most of the 100,000 foreign residents are French or Spanish; many are teachers or technicians.

Classical Arabic is Morocco's official language, but the country's distinctive Arabic dialect is the most widely spoken language in Morocco. In addition, about 10 million Moroccans, mostly in rural areas, speak Berber--which exists in Morocco in three different dialects (Tarifit, Tashelhit, and Tamazight)--either as a first language or bilingually with the spoken Arabic dialect. French, which remains Morocco's unofficial third language, is taught universally and still serves as Morocco's primary language of commerce and economics; it also is widely used in education and government. Many Moroccans in the northern part of the country speak Spanish. English, while still far behind French and Spanish in terms of number of speakers, is rapidly becoming the foreign language of choice among educated youth. English is taught in all public schools from the fourth year on.

Most people live west of the Atlas Mountains, a range that insulates the country from the Sahara Desert. Casablanca is the center of commerce and industry and the leading port; Rabat is the seat of government; Tangier is the gateway to Spain and also a major port; "Arab" Fes is the cultural and religious center; and "Berber" Marrakech is a major tourist center.

Arts and crafts	Coming from the road!
Dance	Ahouash (High Atlas); Ahaidous (Middle Atlas); Guedra (southern Morocco); Tissint (south of Agadir); Gnawa; Taskiouine (High Atlas - Ouarzazate)
Dress	Coming from the road!
Ethnic groups	Arab-Berber 99.1%, other 0.7%, Jewish 0.2% Most Moroccans are Sunni Muslims of Arab, Berber, or mixed Arab-Berber stock. The Arabs invaded Morocco in the 7th and 11th centuries and established their culture there. Morocco's Jewish minority numbers about 4,000. Most of the 100,000 foreign residents are French or Spanish.
HIV/AIDS	adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.) (Compare to other countries) people living with HIV/AIDS: 15,000 (2001 est.) (Compare to other countries)
Infant mortality rate	total: 41.62 deaths/1,000 live births male: 45.42 deaths/1,000 live births female: 37.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) (Compare to other countries)
Languages	Arabic (official), several Berber dialects; French is often the language of business, government, and diplomacy
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 70.66 years male: 68.35 years female: 73.07 years (2005 est.) (Compare to other countries)
Literacy (age 15 and over can read & write)	total population: 51.7% male: 64.1% female: 39.4% (2003 est.) In the whole of Morocco, there is an extremely high illiteracy rate, especially in the countryside, and especially among women. According to the UNDP, more than 80% of women in rural Morocco are illiterate.
Music	Coming from the road!
Myths and legends	Coming from the road!
Nationality	noun: Moroccan(s) adjective: Moroccan
Population	32,725,847 (July 2005 est.) (Compare to other countries)
Population growth rate	1.57% (2005 est.)
Religion	Muslim 98.7%, Christian 1.1%, Jewish 0.2%
School enrollment (% relevant age group) From UNESCO.	Net primary enrollment: 83.7% (2000) Net secondary enrollment: NA Education in Morocco is free and compulsory through primary school (age 15). Nevertheless, many children--particularly girls in rural areas--still do not attend school. The country's illiteracy rate has been stuck at around 50% for some years but reaches as high as 83 % among women in rural regions. In some ways the most prestigious university is Mohammed V in Rabat, with faculties of law, sciences, liberal arts, and medicine. Karaouine University, in Fes, has been a center for Islamic studies for more than 1,000 years and is the oldest university in Morocco. Morocco has one private university, Al-Akhawayn, in Ifrane. Al-Akhawayn, founded in 1993 by King Hassan II and King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, is an English-medium, American-style university comprising about 1,000 students.
Sports	soccer, basketball and athletics
Total fertility rate	2.73 children born/woman (2005 est.) (Compare to other countries)
Typical dishes	Coming from the road!

Government & Politics

The Moroccan Constitution provides for a monarchy with a Parliament and an independent judiciary. Ultimate authority rests with the King. He presides over the Council of Ministers; appoints the prime minister following legislative elections; appoints all members of the government taking into account the prime minister's recommendations; and may, at his discretion, terminate the tenure of any minister, dissolve the Parliament, call for new elections, or rule by decree.

The issue of sovereignty over Western Sahara remains unresolved. The territory, a desert area bordering the Atlantic Ocean between Mauritania and Morocco, is contested by Morocco and the Polisario (an independence movement based in Tindouf, Algeria). Morocco's claim to sovereignty over the Western Sahara is based largely on an historical argument of traditional loyalty of the Sahrawi tribal leaders to the Moroccan sultan as spiritual leader and ruler. The Polisario claims to represent the aspirations of the Western Saharan inhabitants for independence. Algeria claims none of the territory for itself but maintains that Sahrawis should determine the territory's future status.

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Journey Element 3: Trade, Travel & Economy

Macroeconomic stability coupled with low inflation and relatively slow economic growth has characterized the Moroccan economy over the past several years. The Jettou government continues to pursue reform, liberalization, and modernization aimed at stimulating growth and creating jobs. Employment, however, remains overly dependent on the agriculture sector, which is extremely vulnerable to inconsistent rainfall.

Through a foreign exchange rate anchor and well-managed monetary policy, Morocco has held inflation rates to industrial country levels over the past decade. Despite criticism among exporters that the dirham has become badly overvalued, the country maintains a current account surplus. The combination of strong foreign exchange reserves and active external debt management gives Morocco ample capacity to service its debt.

Economic growth has been hampered by an over-reliance on the agriculture sector. Agriculture production is extremely susceptible to rainfall levels and ranges from 15% to 20% of GDP. Given that almost 50% of Morocco's population depends directly on agriculture production, droughts have a severe knock-on effect to the economy. Over the long term, Morocco will have to diversify its economy away from agriculture to develop a more stable economic basis for growth.

The current government is continuing a series of structural reforms begun in recent years. The most promising reforms have been in labor market and financial sectors, and privatization has accelerated the sale of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) licenses in the last few years. Morocco also has liberalized rules for oil and gas exploration and has granted concessions for many public services in major cities. The tender process in Morocco is becoming increasingly transparent. Many believe, however, that the process of economic reform must be accelerated in order to reduce urban unemployment below the current rate of 18%.

Transportation

Airports	63 and 1 heliport (2004 est.) (Compare to other countries)
Highways	total: 57,694 km paved: 32,551 km (including 481 km of expressways) unpaved: 25,143 km (2002) (Compare to other countries)
Ports and Harbors	Agadir, Casablanca, Mohammedia, Nador, Safi, Tangier; also Spanish-controlled Ceuta and Melilla

Communication

Economy

Tourism

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Journey Element 4: Highlights, Current Events & Helpful Links

Highlights & amazing statistics

Current events

Other Helpful Links

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