omic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
claims and administers Western Sahara, but sovereignty is unresolved;
the UN is attempting to hold a referendum; the UN-administered
cease-fire has been currently in effect since September 1991; Spain
controls five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off
the coast of Morocco - the coastal enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla which
Morocco contests as well as the islands of Penon de Alhucemas, Penon
de Velez de la Gomera, and Islas Chafarinas
Climate:
Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior
Terrain:
mostly mountains with rich coastal plains
Natural resources:
phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt
Land use:
arable land:
18%
permanent crops:
1%
meadows and pastures:
28%
forest and woodland:
12%
other:
41%
Irrigated land:
12,650 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
land degradation/desertification (soil erosion resulting from farming
of marginal areas, overgrazing, destruction of vegetation); water
supplies contaminated by untreated sewage; siltation of reservoirs;
oil pollution of coastal waters
natural hazards:
northern mountains geologically unstable and subject to earthquakes
international agreements:
party to - Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ship
Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection
Note:
strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar

@Morocco, People

Population:
28,558,635 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.12% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
28.59 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
6.26 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
-1.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
49.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
68.23 years
male:
66.36 years
female:
70.2 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.83 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Moroccan(s)
adjective:
Moroccan
Ethnic divisions:
Arab-Berber 99.1%, other 0.7%, Jewish 0.2%
Religions:
Muslim 98.7%, Christian 1.1%, Jewish 0.2%
Languages:
Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often the language of
business, government, and diplomacy
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (19