]! ^! In 788, about a century after the Arab conquest of North Africa, successive Moorish dynasties began to rule in Morocco. In the 16th century, the Sa'adi monarchy, particularly under Ahmad AL-MANSUR (1578-1603), repelled foreign invaders and inaugurated a golden age. In 1860, Spain occupied northern Morocco and ushered in a half century of trade rivalry among European powers that saw Morocco's sovereignty steadily eroded; in 1912, the French imposed a protectorate over the country. A protracted independence struggle with France ended successfully in 1956. The internationalized city of Tangier and most Spanish possessions were 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. 
]" ^" Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara ^# 32 00 N, 5 00 W ^$ Africa ^% `! 446,550 sq km `" 446,300 sq km `# 250 sq km ^& slightly larger than California ^' `! 2,017.9 km `U Algeria 1,559 km, Western Sahara 443 km, Spain (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Spain (Melilla) 9.6 km ^( 1,835 km ^) `$ 12 nm `H 24 nm `I 200 nm `J 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation ^* Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior ^+ northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas of bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains ^, `% Sebkha Tah -55 m `& Jebel Toubkal 4,165 m ^- phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt ^. `' 19.61% `( 2.17% `) 78.22% (2001) ^/ 12,910 sq km (1998 est.) ^0 northern mountains geologically unstable and subject to earthquakes; periodic droughts ^1 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 _J `K Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling `L Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea ^2 strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar 
]# ^3 32,725,847 (July 2005 est.) ^4 `* 32.1% (male 5,349,247/female 5,150,497) `+ 63% (male 10,259,808/female 10,346,608) `, 4.9% (male 708,921/female 910,766) (2005 est.) ^5 `! 23.61 years `- 23.11 years `. 24.13 years (2005 est.) ^6 1.57% (2005 est.) ^7 22.29 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^8 5.64 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^9 -0.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^: `/ 1.05 male(s)/female `0 1.04 male(s)/female `+ 0.99 male(s)/female `, 0.78 male(s)/female `1 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.) ^; `! 41.62 deaths/1,000 live births `- 45.42 deaths/1,000 live births `. 37.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) ^< `1 70.66 years `- 68.35 years `. 73.07 years (2005 est.) ^= 2.73 children born/woman (2005 est.) ^> 0.1% (2001 est.) ^? 15,000 (2001 est.) ^@ NA __ degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, and hepatitis A vectorborne diseases: may be a significant risk in some locations during the transmission season (typically April through November) (2004) ^A `2 Moroccan(s) `3 Moroccan ^B Arab-Berber 99.1%, other 0.7%, Jewish 0.2% ^C Muslim 98.7%, Christian 1.1%, Jewish 0.2% ^D Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often the language of business, government, and diplomacy ^E `M age 15 and over can read and write `1 51.7% `- 64.1% `. 39.4% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `4 Kingdom of Morocco `5 Morocco `V Al Mamlakah al Maghribiyah `W Al Maghrib ^H constitutional monarchy ^I Rabat ^J 14 regions: Grand Casablanca, Chaouia-Ouardigha, Doukkala-Abda, Fes-Boulemane, Gharb-Chrarda-Beni Hssen, Guelmim-Es Smara, Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz, Meknes-Tafilalet, Oriental, Rabat-Sale-Zemmour-Zaer, Souss-Massa-Draa, Tadla-Azilal, Tanger-Tetouan, Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate note: Morocco claims the territory of Western Sahara, the political status of which is considered undetermined by the United States Government; one additional region, Oued Eddahab-Lagouira, falls entirely within Western Sahara; another region, Laayoune-Boujdour-Sahia El Hamra, falls mostly within Western Sahara; a small portion of this region, in the southwestern part of the country, falls within Moroccan-administered territory as recognized by the United States; the province of Guelmim-Es Smara lies in both entities ^K 2 March 1956 (from France) ^L Throne Day (accession of King MOHAMED VI to the throne), 30 July (1999) ^M 10 March 1972; revised 4 September 1992, amended (to create bicameral legislature) September 1996 ^N based on Islamic law and French and Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of Supreme Court ^O 18 years of age; universal (as of January 2003) ^P `6 King MOHAMED VI (since 30 July 1999) `7 Prime Minister Driss JETTOU (since 9 October 2002) `8 Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch `9 none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch following legislative elections ^Q bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Chamber of Counselors (270 seats; members elected indirectly by local councils, professional organizations, and labor syndicates for nine-year terms; one-third of the members are renewed every three years) and a lower house or Chamber of Representatives (325 seats; 295 by multi-seat constituencies and 30 from national lists of women; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms) `9 Chamber of Counselors - last held 6 October 2003 (next to be held NA 2006); Chamber of Representatives - last held 27 September 2002 (next to be held NA 2007) `: Chamber of Counselors - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RNI 42, MDS 33, UC 28, MP 27, PND 21, PI 21, USFP 16, MNP 15, PA 13, FFD 12, other 42; Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - USFP 50, PI 48, PJD 42, RNI 41, MP 27, MNP 18, UC 16, PND 12, PPS 11, UD 10, other 50 ^R Supreme Court (judges are appointed on the recommendation of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, presided over by the monarch) ^S Action Party or PA [Muhammad EL IDRISSI]; Alliance of Liberties or ADL [Ali BELHAJ]; Annahj Addimocrati or Annahj [Abdellah EL HARIF]; Avant Garde Social Democratic Party or PADS [Ahmed BENJELLOUN]; Citizen Forces or FC [Abderrahman LAHJOUJI]; Citizen's Initiatives for Development [Mohamed BENHAMOU]; Constitutional Union or UC [Mohamed ABIED (interim)]; Democratic and Independence Party or PDI [Abdelwahed MAACH]; Democratic and Social Movement or MDS [Mahmoud ARCHANE]; Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [Aissa OUARDIGHI]; Democratic Union or UD [Bouazza IKKEN]; Environment and Development Party or PED [Ahmed EL ALAMI]; Front of Democratic Forces or FFD [Thami EL KHYARI]; Istiqlal Party (Independence Party) or PI [Abbas El FASSI]; Justice and Development Party or PJD [Saad Eddine OTHMANI]; Moroccan Liberal Party or PML [Mohamed ZIANE]; National Democratic Party or PND [Abdallah KADIRI]; National Ittihadi Congress Party or CNI [Abdelmajid BOUZOUBAA]; National Popular Movement or MNP [Mahjoubi AHERDANE]; National Rally of Independents or RNI [Ahmed OSMAN]; National Union of Popular Forces or UNFP [Abdellah IBRAHIM]; Parti Al Ahd or Al Ahd [Najib EL OUAZZANI, chairman]; Party of Progress and Socialism or PPS [Ismail ALAOUI]; Party of Renewal and Equity or PRE [Chakir ACHABAR]; Party of the Unified Socialist Left or GSU [Mohamed Ben Said AIT IDDER]; Popular Movement or MP [Mohamed LAENSER]; Reform and Development Party or PRD [Abderrahmane EL KOUHEN]; Social Center Party or PSC [Lahcen MADIH]; Socialist Union of Popular Forces or USFP [Mohammed El-YAZGHI] ^T Democratic Confederation of Labor or CDT [Noubir AMAOUI]; General Union of Moroccan Workers or UGTM [Abderrazzak AFILAL]; Moroccan Employers Association or CGEM [Hassan CHAMI]; National Labor Union of Morocco or UNMT [Abdelslam MAATI]; Union of Moroccan Workers or UMT [Mahjoub BENSEDDIK] ^U ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO ^V `N Ambassador Aziz MEKOUAR `O 1601 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 `P [1] (202) 462-7979 through 7982 `Q [1] (202) 265-0161 `R New York ^W `N Ambassador Thomas T. RILEY `Z 2 Avenue de Mohamed El Fassi, Rabat `[ PSC 74, Box 021, APO AE 09718 `P [212] (37) 76 22 65 `Q [212] (37) 76 56 61 `R Casablanca ^X red with a green pentacle (five-pointed, linear star) known as Sulayman's (Solomon's) seal in the center of the flag; red and green are traditional colors in Arab flags, although the use of red is more commonly associated with the Arab states of the Persian gulf; design dates to 1912 
]% ^Y Morocco faces problems typical for developing countries: restraining government spending, reducing constraints on private activity and foreign trade, and achieving sustainable growth. Despite structural adjustment programs supported by the IMF, the World Bank, and the Paris Club, the dirham is only fully convertible for current account transactions. In 2004 Moroccan authorities instituted measures to boost foreign direct investment and trade by signing a free trade agreement with the US and selling government shares in the state telecommunications company and in the largest state-owned bank. Favorable rainfall over the past two years has boosted agricultural output and GDP growth passed 4% in 2004. In 2005 the budget deficit is expected to rise sharply - from 1.9% of GDP in 2004 - because of substantial increases in wages and oil subsidies. Long-term challenges include preparing the economy for freer trade with the US and European Union, improving education and job prospects for Morocco's youth, and raising living standards. ^Z $134.6 billion (2004 est.) ^[ 4.4% (2004 est.) ^\ purchasing power parity - $4,200 (2004 est.) ^] `; 21.2% `< 35.8% `= 43% (2004 est.) ^^ 11.02 million (2004 est.) ^_ agriculture 40%, industry 15%, services 45% (2003 est.) ^` 12.1% (2004 est.) ^a 19% (1999 est.) _! `> 2.6% `? 30.9% (1998-99) _d 39.5 (1998-99) _" 2.1% (2004 est.) _P 22.4% of GDP (2004 est.) _# `@ $12.86 billion `A $15.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.19 billion (2004 est.) _Q 70.2% of GDP (2004 est.) _$ barley, wheat, citrus, wine, vegetables, olives; livestock _% phosphate rock mining and processing, food processing, leather goods, textiles, construction, tourism _& NA _' 13.91 billion kWh (2002) _( 14.24 billion kWh (2002) _) 0 kWh (2002) _* 1.3 billion kWh (2002) _+ 1,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) _, 167,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) _- NA _. NA _R 300 million bbl (2004 est.) _S 50 million cu m (2001 est.) _T 50 million cu m (2001 est.) _U 0 cu m (2001 est.) _V 0 cu m (2001 est.) _W 665.4 million cu m (2004) _X $765.4 million (2004 est.) _/ $9.754 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) _0 clothing, fish, inorganic chemicals, transistors, crude minerals, fertilizers (including phosphates), petroleum products, fruits, vegetables _1 France 33.6%, Spain 17.4%, UK 7.7%, Italy 4.7%, US 4.1% (2004) _2 $15.63 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) _3 crude petroleum, textile fabric, telecommunications equipment, wheat, gas and electricity, transistors, plastics _4 France 18.2%, Spain 12.1%, Italy 6.6%, Germany 6%, Russia 5.7%, Saudi Arabia 5.4%, China 4.2%, US 4.1% (2004) _Y $15.14 billion (2004 est.) _5 $17.07 billion (2004 est.) _6 ODA $218 million (2002) _7 Moroccan dirham (MAD) _8 Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.868 (2004), 9.574 (2003), 11.021 (2002), 11.303 (2001), 10.626 (2000) _9 calendar year 
]& _: 1,219,200 (2003) _; 7,332,800 (2003) _< `B modern system with all important capabilities; however, density is low with only 4.6 main lines available for each 100 persons `C good system composed of open-wire lines, cables, and microwave radio relay links; Internet available but expensive; principal switching centers are Casablanca and Rabat; national network nearly 100% digital using fiber-optic links; improved rural service employs microwave radio relay `D country code - 212; 7 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; microwave radio relay to Gibraltar, Spain, and Western Sahara; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria; participant in Medarabtel; fiber-optic cable link from Agadir to Algeria and Tunisia (1998) _= AM 27, FM 25, shortwave 6 (1998) _> 35 (plus 66 repeaters) (1995) _? .ma _@ 3,627 (2004) _A 800,000 (2003) 
]' _e `! 1,907 km `b 1,907 km 1.435-m gauge (1,003 km electrified) (2004) _B `! 57,694 km `E 32,551 km (including 481 km of expressways) `F 25,143 km (2002) _[ gas 695 km; oil 285 km (2004) _C Agadir, Casablanca, Mohammedia, Nador, Safi, Tangier _K `! 41 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 236,131 GRT/252,367 DWT by type: cargo 6, chemical tanker 6, container 8, passenger/cargo 13, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 5 `S 6 (France 1, Germany 2, Switzerland 2, United Kingdom 1) (2005) _D 63 (2004 est.) _E `! 25 `] 11 `G 4 `^ 8 `_ 1 `T 1 (2004 est.) _L `! 38 `G 2 `^ 10 `_ 15 `T 11 (2004 est.) _\ 1 (2004 est.) 
]( _F Royal Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force (Force Aerienne Royale Marocaine) _M 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004) _] males age 18-49: 7,908,864 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 6,484,787 (2005 est.) _^ `` 353,377 (2005 est.) _N $2,305.6 million (2003) _O 5% (2004) 
]) _H claims and administers Western Sahara whose sovereignty remains unresolved - UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; Morocco protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera, the islands of Penon de Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, and surrounding waters; discussions have not progressed on a comprehensive maritime delimitation setting limits on exploration and refugee interdiction since Morocco's 2002 rejection of Spain's unilateral designation of a median line from the Canary Islands; Morocco serves as one of the primary launching areas of illegal migration into Spain from North Africa _I illicit producer of hashish; shipments of hashish mostly directed to Western Europe; transit point for cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe 