Morocco

Morocco's long struggle for independence from France ended in 1956. The internationalized city of Tangier was 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.

• 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

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea

0-14 years:

35% (male 5,372,393; female 5,175,114)

15-64 years:

60% (male 9,021,259; female 9,163,548)

65 years and over:

5% (male 632,698; female 757,338) (2000 est.)

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.84 male(s)/female

total population:

1 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

noun:

Moroccan(s)

adjective:

Moroccan

conventional long form:

Kingdom of Morocco

conventional short form:

Morocco

local long form:

Al Mamlakah al Maghribiyah

local short form:

Al Maghrib

chief of state:

King MOHAMED VI (since 23 July 1999)

head of government:

Prime Minister Abderrahmane YOUSSOUFI (since 14 March 1998)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch

elections:

• none;
• the monarch is hereditary;
• prime minister appointed by the monarch following legislative elections

• Action Party or PA [Ahmed ABAKIL];
• Constitutional Union or UC [Abdellatif SEMLALI];
• Democratic Forces Front or FFD [Thami KHIARI];
• Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [Issa al-OUARDIGHI];
• Democratic Party for Independence or PDI [Thami el-OUAZZANI, Said BOUACHRINE];
• Istiqlal Party or IP [Abbas EL-FASSI];
• Labor Party or UT [leader NA];
• National Democratic Party or PND [Mohamed Arsalane EL-JADIDI];
• National Popular Movement or MNP [Mahjoubi AHARDANE];
• National Rally of Independents or RNI [Ahmed OSMAN];
• Organization of Democratic and Popular Action or OADP [Mohamed BENSAID];
• Party of Progress and Socialism or PPS [Moulay Ismail al ALAOUI];
• Popular Constitutional and Democratic Movement or MPCD [Dr. Abdelkarim al-KHATIB];
• Popular Movement or MP [Mohamed LAENSER];
• Social Democratic Movement or MDS [Mahmoud ARCHANE];
• Socialist Union of Popular Forces or USFP [Abderrahmane YOUSSOUFI]

• Association of Popular Trade Unions or ADP [leader NA];
• Democratic Confederation of Labor or CDT [Noubir AMAOUI];
• Democratic National Trade Union or USND [leader NA];
• Democratic Trade Union or SD [leader NA];
• General Union of Moroccan Workers or UGTM [Abderrazzak AFILAL];
• Labor Union Commissions or CS [leader NA];
• Moroccan National Workers Union or UNMT [leader NA];
• Moroccan Union of Workers or UTM [Mahjoub BENSEDIQ];
• Party of Shura and Istiqla [Abdelwaheb MAASH];

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant)

chancery:

1601 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone:

[1] (202) 462-7979 through 7982

FAX:

[1] (202) 265-0161

consulate(s) general:

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Edward M. GABRIEL

embassy:

2 Avenue de Marrakech, Rabat

mailing address:

PSC 74, Box 3, APO AE 09718

telephone:

[212] (7) 76 22 65

FAX:

[212] (7) 76 56 61

consulate(s) general:

Casablanca

lowest 10%:

2.8%

highest 10%:

30.5% (1990-91)

domestic:

• 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

international:

• 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

total:

1,907 km

standard gauge:

1,907 km 1.435-m gauge (1,003 km electrified; 540 km double track)

total:

57,847 km

paved:

30,254 km (including 327 km of expressways)

unpaved:

27,593 km (1998 est.)

• crude oil 362 km;
• petroleum products 491 km (abandoned);
• natural gas 241 km

total:

40 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 218,987 GRT/263,191 DWT

ships by type:

cargo 9, chemical tanker 6, container 3, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 9, roll-on/roll-off 8, short-sea passenger 1 (1999 est.)

• claims and administers Western Sahara, but sovereignty is unresolved and the UN is attempting to hold a referendum on the issue;
• the UN-administered cease-fire has been 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

• illicit producer of hashish;
• trafficking on the increase for both domestic and international drug markets;
• shipments of hashish mostly directed to Western Europe;
• transit point for cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]