32 00 N, 5 00 W

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 446,550 sq km land: 446,300 sq km water: 250 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than California

Land boundaries:

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

Coastline:

1,835 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior

Terrain:

northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas of bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Sebkha Tah -55 m highest point: Jebel Toubkal 4,165 m

Natural resources:

phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt

Land use:

arable land: 19% permanent crops: 2% other: 79% (2005)

Irrigated land:

14,450 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

29 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 12.6 cu km/yr (10%/3%/87%) per capita: 400 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

northern mountains geologically unstable and subject to earthquakes; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:

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

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Geography - note:

strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar

People
Morocco

Population:

34,343,220 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 30.5% (male 5,337,322/female 5,136,156) 15-64 years: 64.3% (male 11,015,409/female 11,069,038) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 765,882/female 1,019,412) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 24.7 years male: 24.1 years female: 25.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.505% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

21.31 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.49 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.77 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 38.22 deaths/1,000 live births male: 41.74 deaths/1,000 live births female: 34.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 71.52 years male: 69.16 years female: 74 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.57 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

15,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: