Useful tips
Morocco, a multi-faceted country …
A natural patchwork
Morocco deserves its image as a mountainous country. Several mountain ranges, including the High Atlas, which is the largest mountain chain in North Africa, structure its land.North Africa’s highest summit is also in Morocco. It is called the Toubkal (4165m). Its astonishing reliefs shelter a sedentary or semi-nomad Berber population living off agricultural or pastoral activities.
Over the centuries, the population has taken remarkable advantage of the astonishing landscapes of the high valleys to get its food. However, Al Maghreb al Aqça, the “country of the sunset” of Arabian geography, comes from the desert, where it takes its roots.
South of the Atlas, the Sahara spreads for over 800km, from the Atlantic coast to the Hamada du Guir.
The desert sets in softly, barely present at the foot of the montains, to extend itself to the south. When we travel along its northern part, we are surprised by the life which takes root in the “crenelled” villages and the green palm oases.
The desert is still alive as proven by the green valley of the Draa, between Zagora and M’Hamid, and the Jbel Saghro, the land of the nomads from the Ait Atta tribe.
But to really feel the Sahara, you need to cross the big oueds (rivers) Ziz & Draa, which are most of the time just big dry riverbeds.
General Information
- Divine Right Constitutional Monarchy
- Surface Area : 710 850 km² (with the Western Sahara)
- Borders :with Algeria (1350km), Mauritania (650km), Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Mellila (12km)
- Head of State : King Mohamed VI, since August 1999
- Capital City : Rabat, 1.35 million inhabitants
- Economic centre : Casablanca, 3.5 million inhabitants
- Currency : Dirham (1€ = 10 DH)
- Population : about 30 million inhabitants (50% below 20 years of age)
- Religion :Islam (sunni)
- Official language : arabic
- Commonly used languages : Berber, French & Spanish.
- Main economic sectors : Tourism, phosphates, textile industry, fishing, farming and traditional agriculture.
The population
the Moroccan population (29,2 million at the end of 2001)
consists of Berber natives and Arabs who came in waves of
successive invasions.
The Morrocans of Berber origin live
primarily in the mountains and the desert. The Arabs on the
coasts, 40% of the population, have the Berber language as
their mother tongue. Classic Arabic is the written language
of teaching and of the press.Dialectic Arabic is spoken in
the street and at home. Islam is the state religion.
Almost
all Morrocans are Moslems, and practise a Sunni Islam of
the malekite rite, founded by the imam Malik, which admits
that traditions can be modified if they conflict with the
common good. l’imam Malik, qui admet que les traditions
peuvent être modifiées si elles sont en opposition
avec le bien commun.
Some figures :
- Number of inhabitants: 29,2 million at the end of 2001
- Density of population: 41 hab/km²
- Urban Population (as % of the total): 55% in 2001
- Demographic Growth: 1,6% in 2002
- Natality rate : 2,8 in 1999 ( 2,3 in urban areas and 3,9 in rural areas)
- Life expectancy at birth (2002) :
- Rate of illiteracy (1998): 48,3% (men: 33,8%; women: 61,9%)
- Urban: 33,7%; Rural: 66,9%
Economy
GDP: 39 billion € at the end of 2002 including : dont : Agriculture : 15%, Industry & mines : 30,9%, Services :38,1%, Administration : 15,2%
- GDP/inhabitant: At the end of 1300ISD 2002
- Natural resources: phosphates, barytine, salt, zinc
- Economic growth rate: 6,3 % in 2001; 3,2% in 2002; 5,5% in 2003
- Rates of inflation: 0,6% in 2001; 2,8% in 2002; 1% in 2003
- Rate of unemployment: 11,6 in 2003 (urban unemployment: 19,4%)
- Activity ratio: 52,9% in 2000 (male: 78,8%; female: 27,9%)
Politics
Morocco is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy. The country has had five constitutions since independence (March 2, 1956). The King is the supreme head of the armies. He chairs the Council of Ministers. He chooses the Prime Minister and names the ministers proposed by him. The government is responsible to the King and Parliament.
In addition to his preeminent political role, the King holds a religious legitimacy as Commander of Believers and as a descendant of the prophet.
The Constitution of 1996 founded a double chamber system. The Parliament is composed of the House of Representatives ( elected for five years by direct universal suffrage) and the House of Councillors ( elected for nine years by indirect suffrage).
Morocco has chosen political pluralism. There are about thirty legal parties. The old opposition was dominated by two parties which were heirs to the national Movement for the Independence of Morocco: Istiqlal (PI) and the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP). It was, between 1998 and 2002, at the head of the government coalition, called the " transitional government “. A new coalition was formed after the elections of September 2002 including: the USFP, pi, the RNI (center right), the MP and the MNP (left-wing Berbers), and the PPS (ex Communist Party), with at its head a non-political Prime Minister, Mr. Driss Jettou. The principal parties of the opposition are the PJD (left-wing Moslems), and to a lesser extent the CPU, the PND (right) and the GSU (radical left).
The Moroccan territory is cut administratively into 16 wilayas (regions), 26 prefectures & 45 provinces. The movement of decentralization was started by the adoption in 2002 of a new communal charter. The local communities (communes, provincial or prefectoral communities, regions), run by elected officials, occupy an increasing place in the politics of local development.
