Official Name: Known as The Kingdom of Morocco (locally known as Al Mamlakah al Maghribiyah).
Capital city: The capital of Morocco is Rabat. Located on the Atlantic Ocean with the population of 2 million. The city of Rabat is the second most important city in Morocco.
Location: Morocco is located in Northern Africa on the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Mauritania in the West, Tunisia and Libya on the East. Niger and Mali are to the South.
Size: The total land and water area of Morocco is 446,550 sq km. The total land area is 446,300sq km and the total water area is 250 sq km. Morocco is slightly larger than Iraq and smaller than Uzbekistan.
Climate: The climate of morocco is moderate and subtropical, it is cooled by the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Inland the temperatures can get extremely hot in the summer and quite cold in the winter. Morocco in general is dry but small amounts of rain will fall between November and March.
Population: Morocco has a gross population of approximately 34,859,364 million people and the country ranks 36th worldwide in gross population. This is comparable to the population of Algeria and Poland.
Life expectancy at birth: The total average life expectancy at birth for Morocco is 71.8 years. The life expectancy for males is 69.42 years from birth, while females live a bit longer at an average of 74.3 years. Morocco is ranked 125th in the world for life expectancy, putting it between Cape Verde and Samoa.
Prevalence of HIV/AIDS: The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Morocco is less than 0.1%, putting Morocco at a low ranking of 132 globally, between Mongolia and Malta. There are 21,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in the country.
Major Illnesses: Major illnesses in Morocco are rare and are often the result of people not taking preventative measures to stay healthy such as; washing hands thoroughly with soap and water, avoiding ice and untreated (bottled or boiled) water, washing or peeling all raw vegetables and fruits, avoiding eating uncooked foods, and not going barefooted. The most common illnesses in the country are: colds, diarrhea, sinus and skin infections, minor injuries, and STD's. Recommended vaccinations are: Hepatitis A and B, Yellow Fever, Typhoid Fever, Rabies, and a booster for Tetanus and Diphtheria.
Ethnic Groups: The major ethnic groups in Morocco are Arab and Berber 99.1% and Jewish 0.2%. Morocco has been inhabited by Berbers for at least the last 4000 to 5000 years. Berbers comprise a little more than 33% of the population of Morocco today.
Languages: Arabic is the official language of Morocco. Berber dialect is widely spoken throughout the country. French is the language of business, government, and diplomacy. Spanish is spoken in the Northern coastal regions.
Religion: Morocco is a Muslim country, with 98.7% of the population following Sunni Islam. Islam is the official religion of the Country. There are 1.1% of the population following Christianity and 0.2% follow Judaism.
Government: Morocco has a Constitutional Monarchy. The King has vast executive powers, he can appoint or dismiss the Prime Minister and the members of his cabinet, he can dissolve the legislature, and he can deploy the military if needed. Since gaining its independence Morocco has been dealing with land disputes. In the South there have been unresolved issues in the status of Western Sahara since the 1970's and to the North there were disputes with Spain over various small islands (Melilla and Ceuta).
Head of State: The Head of State in Morocco is King Mohammed VI.
Head of Government: The Head of Government in Morocco is The Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi.
Military: The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces was founded in 1956. It consist of: The Royal Army (includes Air defense), Royal Moroccan Air Force, Royal Navy (includes Marines), Royal Gendarmerie (police duties), and Royal Guard. Military service age is 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary service. Conscript service obligation is 18 months. Military expenditures amounted to USD$2,305.6 million in 2003 (5% of GDP).
Economy: The economy of Morocco is considered a liberal economy which follows the law of supply and demand. Since 1993, the government has lessened its grip and has allowed the privatization of many economical sectors which was once under the governments control. The major resources in Morocco are: agriculture, which accounts only 14% of the GDP but employs over 40% of the population. Agriculture depends on the climate and there have been many droughts which have affected the yields over the years. Morocco contains over 2/3 of the worlds Phosphate reserves. Morocco is Africa’s biggest fish producer, in some product categories even ranking among the leading nations worldwide. The production of textiles and clothing is growing, accounting for 34% of the total exports in 2002, employing close to 40% of the industrial workforce. Morocco has developed a strong tourism sector where over 5 million tourists have visited the country in just the first half of 2009. Tourism is the second largest foreign exchange earner in Morocco.
GDP: The purchasing power parity of Morocco is USD$136.6 billion. This ranks Morocco 59th worldwide, putting the country above Slovakia and just below Kuwait.
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