Morocco Information Guide & Facts

Area: Total: 446,550 sq km (Land: 446,300 sq km, Water: 250 sq km)
Population: 31.1 million (July 2002 est.)
Capital City: Rabat
People: Arab-Berber (99.1%), other (0.7%), Jewish (0.2%)
Languages: Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often the language of business, government and diplomacy
Religion(s): Muslim (98.7%), Christian (1.1%), Jewish (0.2%)
Currency: 1 Moroccan dirham (DM) = 100 centimes
Major political parties: Union Socialiste des Forces Populaires (USFP) (socialist), Istiqlal (nationalist), Rassemblement National des Independents (RNI) (business), Parti de la Justice (PJD) (moderate Islamist), Mouvement Populaire (MP) (traditional/Berber)

GEOGRAPHY
(32 00 N, 5 00 W)

The Kingdom of Morocco is on the north-west corner of Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

HISTORY

Morocco has a history as an independent nation state stretching back to the 9th century interrupted only by the brief interlude of the Protectorate (1912-1956) when the country was divided into French and Spanish zones. Morocco, unlike her North African neighbours, was never part of the Turkish Empire. To the South, the Moroccans claim and have occupied the territory of the Western (formally Spanish) Sahara. This claim forms a major rallying point in domestic politics.