Morocco - Name, History, Politics, Administrative divisions, Geography, Economy, Demographics, Culture, International rankings, Affliations, Bilateral and multilateral agreements

Official name The Kingdom of Morocco, Arabic al-Mamlakah al-Maghribiyah

Local name al-Magrib Timezone GMT Area 409 200 km²/157 951 sq mi population total (2002e) 29 632 000 Status Kingdom Date of independence 1956 Capital Rabat Languages Arabic (official), Berber, Spanish, and French also widely spoken Ethnic groups Arab-Berber (99%), non-Moroccan (0·7%), Jewish (0·2%) Religions Sunni Muslim (98%), Christian (1%), Jewish (0·2%) Physical features Dominated by a series of mountain ranges, rising in the Atlas Mts (S) to 4165 m/13 664 ft at Jebel Toubkal; broad coastal plain; main rivers, Drâ'ar (S and SW) and Moulouya (N) draining into the Mediterranean. Climate Mediterranean climate on N coast; semi-arid in S; Sahara virtually rainless; average annual temperatures 13°C (Jan), 22°C (Jul) in Rabat; average annual rainfall 564 mm/22·2 in. Currency 1 Moroccan Dirham (MAD) = 100 Moroccan francs Economy Agriculture (employs over 50% of population); largest known reserves of phosphate in world; fishing, textiles, cement, soap, tobacco, chemicals, paper, timber products; tourism centred on the four imperial cities and the warm Atlantic resorts. GDP (2002e) $121·8 bn, per capita $3900 Human Development Index (2002) 0·602 History N coast occupied by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, and Romans since 12th-c BC; invasion by Arabs, 7th-c AD; conflicting French and Spanish interest in the region in 19th-c; Treaty of Fez in 1912, established Spanish Morocco (capital, Tétouan) and French Morocco (capital, Rabat); Tangier became an international zone, 1923–56; protectorates gained independence, 1956; became Kingdom of Morocco, 1957; Spanish withdrew from former Spanish Sahara (Western Sahara) in 1975; Morocco laid claim to this area using the ‘Green March’ as a gesture of peaceful occupation; Mauritania withdrew from southern third of territory in 1979, leaving Morocco fighting with the Polisario for the whole of Western Sahara; ceasefire agreement signed, 1990; ‘constitutional’ monarchy, but the King presides over his appointed Cabinet, which is led by a Prime Minister; a unicameral Chamber of Representatives.

المملكة المغربية Al-Mamlaka al-Maghribiya Kingdom of Morocco
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: الله، الوطن، الملك  (Arabic) "Allāh, al Waţan, al Malik"  (transliteration) "God, Country, King"
Anthem: Hymne Chérifien
The striped area on the map shows Western Sahara, most of which is de facto administered by Morocco as its "Southern Provinces".
Capital	Rabat 34°02′N 6°51′W
Largest city	Casablanca
Official language	Arabic (French, Amazigh, Moroccan Arabic widely spoken)
Government	Constitutional monarchy
- King	Mohammed VI
- Prime Minister	Driss Jettou
Independence
- from France	March 2, 1956
- from Spain	April 7, 1956
Area
- Total	446,550 km² (57th) 172,414 sq mi
- Water (%)	negligible
Population
- 2005 estimate	33,241,259 (37th)
- Density	70/km² (122nd) 181/sq mi
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
- Total	$135.74 billion (54th)
- Per capita	$4,503 (109th)
HDI  (2003)	0.631 (medium) (124th)
Currency	Moroccan dirham (MAD)
Time zone	UTC (UTC+0)
- Summer (DST)	UTC (UTC+0)
Internet TLD	.ma
Calling code	+212
All data excludes Western Sahara, much of which Morocco is in de facto military and administrative control (see "Southern Provinces").

The Kingdom of Morocco (Arabic: المملكة المغربية) is a country in North Africa. There are also two Spanish exclaves bordering Morocco to the north. Morocco claims ownership of Western Sahara and has administered most of the territory since 1975.

Morocco, a constitutional monarchy, is the only African country that is not currently a member of the African Union.

Name

The full Arabic name of the country (Al-Mamlaka al-Maghribiya) translates to The Western Kingdom. For historical references, historians used to refer to Morocco as Al Maghrib al Aqşá (The Furthest West), disambiguating it from the historical region called the Maghreb.

History

Berber Morocco

The area of modern Morocco has been inhabited since Neolithic times, at least 8000 BCE, as attested by signs of the Capsian culture, in a time when the Maghreb was less arid than it is today. In the classical period, Morocco was known as Mauretania, although this should not be confused with the modern country of Mauritania.

Roman and sub-Roman Morocco

North Africa and Morocco were slowly drawn into the wider emerging Mediterranean world by Phoenician trading colonies and settlements in the late Classical period. During this time, however, the high mountains of most of modern Morocco remained unsubdued, and stayed in the hands of their Berber inhabitants.

Early Islamic Morocco

By the seventh century, Arab expansion was at its greatest. His army swept into what is now Morocco, which he called "Maghreb al Aqsa" or "The Far West", in the year 683. The Arab invasion of Morocco faced strong resistance from local Berbers. After about a century of fierce battles with Berbers, the Arabs occupied Morocco. Arabs lost political control over Morocco when Berbers adopted Islam and started to form their own Islamic dynasties, independent from the Arab East.

What became modern Morocco in the seventh century, was the area invaded by the Arabs, who brought their customs, culture, and Islam, to which most of the Berbers converted, forming states such as the Kingdom of Nekor.

Morocco would reach its height under a series of Berber origin dynasties that would replace the Arab Idrisids.

Morocco 1666-1912

The Alaouite Dynasty eventually gained control.

Morocco was the first nation, in 1777, to recognize the fledgling United States as an independent nation.

European influence

Successful Portuguese efforts to control the Atlantic coast in the fifteenth century did not profoundly affect the Mediterranean heart of Morocco. For the first time, Morocco became a state of some interest in itself to the European Powers. Recognition by the United Kingdom in 1904 of France's sphere of influence in Morocco provoked a German reaction; the crisis of June 1905 was resolved at the Algeciras Conference, Spain in 1906, which formalized France's "special position" and entrusted policing of Morocco to France and Spain jointly. The Treaty of Fez (signed on March 30, 1912) made Morocco a protectorate of France.

Many Moroccan soldiers (Goumieres) who served in the French army assisted European and American troops in both World War I and World War II.

Resistance

Nationalist political parties, which subsequently arose under the French protectorate, based their arguments for Moroccan independence on such World War II declarations as the Atlantic Charter (a joint U.S.-British statement that set forth, among other things, the right of all people to choose the form of government under which they live). For this reason, the revolution that Morocco knew was called "la révolution du Roi et du Peuple" (The revolution of the King and the People) and it is celebrated every August 20.

Independence

Morocco recovered its political independence from France on March 2, 1956 and on April 7 France officially relinquished its protectorate. Hassan II became King of Morocco on March 3, 1961. The Spanish enclave of Ifni in the south became part of the new Morocco in 1969. Morocco annexed Western Sahara during the 1970s, but final resolution on the status of the territory remains unresolved. Morocco was granted Major non-NATO ally status in June 2004 and signed free trade agreements with the United States and the European Union.

In 2003, Morocco's largest city, Casablanca suffered from terrorist attacks.

In 2006, Morocco celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of its independence.

Politics

Morocco is a de jure constitutional monarchy, with an elected parliament.

Human rights

Morocco's history after independence and under the reign of Hassan II was marked by the period of the so-called Years of Lead.

However, under the reign of Mohammed VI, and with the launch of Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER) to investigate into the atrocities, Morocco is trying to reconciliate with the victims.

Despite improvements under Mohammed VI, international organisations continue raising criticism against the human rights situation in Morocco in general (i.e.

Administrative divisions

Morocco is divided into sixteen regions , and subdivided into sixty-two prefectures and provinces . These regions are:

Chaouia-Ouardigha Doukkala-Abda Fès-Boulemane Gharb-Chrarda-Béni Hssen Grand Casablanca Guelmim-Es Semara Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz

Meknès-Tafilalet Oriental Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer Souss-Massa-Draâ Tadla-Azilal Tangier-Tétouan Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate

Western Sahara status

Due to the conflict over Western Sahara, the status of both regions of "Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra" and "Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira" is disputed.

Morocco suggests, through the CORCAS, a self-governing and autonomy status to the whole territory of Western Sahara.

Geography

See also List of cities in Morocco and Western Sahara

At 172,402 sq.mi (446,550 sq.km), Morocco is the fifty-seventh largest country in the world (after Uzbekistan).

Algeria borders Morocco to the east and southeast though the border between the two countries has been closed since 1994. To the north, Morocco is bordered by and controls part of the Strait of Gibraltar, giving it power over the waterways in and out of the Mediterranean sea. To the south, lies the Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony that was annexed by Morocco in 1975 (see Green March). Morocco claims that the Western Sahara is part of its territory and refers to that as its Southern Provinces.

Morocco's capital city is Rabat;

Economy

Morocco has signed Free Trade Agreements with the European Union (to take effect 2010) and the United States of America.

Morocco's largest industry is the mining of phosphates. Its second largest source of income is from nationals living abroad who transfer money to relatives living in Morocco.

Morocco ranks among the world’s largest producers and exporters of cannabis, and its cultivation and sale provide the economic base for much of the population of northern Morocco. This represents 10 % of the total area and 27 per cent of the arable lands of the surveyed territory and 1.5 per cent of Morocco's total arable land. Morocco is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention and in 1992 Morocco passed legislation designed to implement the Convention.

Morocco has an unemployment rate of 12.1% (2004 Data) and a 1999 estimate by the CIA puts 19% of the Moroccan population under the poverty line.

Though working towards change, Morocco historically has utilized child labor on a large scale.

Demographics

Morocco is the fourth most populous Arab country, after Egypt, Sudan and Algeria. The Arabs invaded Morocco in the seventh century and established their culture there. Morocco's Jewish minority has decreased significantly and numbers about 7,000 (see Jewish exodus from Arab lands).

Morocco's official language is classical Arabic. Approximately 12 million (40% of the population), mostly in rural areas, speak Berber – which exists in Morocco in three different dialects (Tarifit, Tashelhiyt, and Tamazight) – either as a first language or bilingually with the spoken Arabic dialect. French, which remains Morocco's unofficial second language, is taught universally and still serves as Morocco's primary language of commerce and economics. Tangier is the gateway to Morocco from Spain and also a major port;

Education in Morocco is free and compulsory through primary school (age 15). On September 2006, UNESCO awarded Morocco amongst other countries;

Morocco has about 230,000 students enrolled in fourteen public universities.

Culture

Morocco is an ethnically diverse country with a rich culture and civilization. Through Moroccan history, Morocco hosted many people coming from both East (Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Jews and Arabs), South (Africans) and North (Romans, Vandals, Moors and Jews).

Ethnically and culturally speaking, Morocco nowadays can be considered the least Arabic among Arab countries.

Cuisine

Moroccan cuisine has long been considered as one of the most diversified cuisines in the world. The cuisine of Morocco is a mix of Berber, Spanish, Moorish, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and African cuisines. The cuisine of Morocco has been influenced by the native Berber cuisine, the Arabic Andalusian cuisine;

Literature

Moroccan literature is written in Arabic, Berber or French, and particularly by people of Morocco. Morocco, as a French and Spanish protectorate left Moroccan intellectuals the opportunity to exchange and to produce literary works freely enjoying the contact of other Arabic literature and Europe.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Morocco was a refuge and artistic centre and attracted writers as Paul Bowles, Tennessee Williams and William S.

Music

Moroccan music is predominantly Arab, but Andalusian and other imported influences have had a major effect on the country's musical character.

Morocco is home to Andalusian classical music that is found throughout North Africa.

International rankings

The 2002 Reporters Without Borders' worldwide press freedom index ranked Morocco 119th out of 167 countries. The Economist''s worldwide quality-of-life index 2005 ranked Morocco 65th out of 111 countries.

Affliations

Organization		Dates
	United Nations	since November 12, 1956
	Arab League	since October 1, 1958
	International Olympic Committee	since 1959
	Organization of African Unity	co-founder May 25, 1963; withdrew November 12, 1984
	Group of 77	since June 15, 1964
	Organization of the Islamic Conference	since September 22, 1969
	Arab Maghreb Union	since February 17, 1989
	World Trade Organization	since January 1, 1995
	Mediterranean Dialogue group	since February 1995
	Major non-NATO ally	since January 19, 2004

Bilateral and multilateral agreements

Agadir Agreement Middle East Free Trade Area General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade Euro-Mediterranean free trade area US-Morocco Free Trade Agreement

Public holidays