Morocco
| Kingdom of Morocco
المملكة المغربية (ar)
ⵜⴰⴳⵍⴷⵉⵜ ⵏ ⵍⵎⴰⵖⵔⵉⴱ (ber) |
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| Motto: الله، الوطن، الملك (Arabic) Allāh, al-Waṭan, al-Malik ⴰⴽⵓⵛ . ⴰⵎⵓⵔ . ⴰⴳⵍⵍⵉⴷ (Berber) Akuc, Amur, Agellid "God, Homeland, King" |
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Anthem:
 النشيد الوطني المغربي "Cherifian Anthem" |
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.svg) The fully green area shows the internationally recognized territory of Morocco. The striped area is the disputed territory of Western Sahara; Morocco administers most of this territory as its de facto Southern Provinces.
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| Capital | Rabat 34°02′N 6°51′W / 34.033°N 6.85°W |
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| Largest city | Casablanca | |||||
| Official language(s) | Arabic,[1] Amazigh[2][a] | |||||
| Native languages | Moroccan Arabic, Tachelhit, Central Atlas Tamazight Tarifit, Hassaniya. [b] | |||||
| Ethnic groups | 99.1% Arab-Berber 0.7% Other 0.2% Jews [3] |
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| Demonym | Moroccan | |||||
| Government | Unitary parliamentary democracy and Constitutional Monarchy | |||||
| - | King | Mohammed VI | ||||
| - | Prime Minister | Abdelillah Benkirane | ||||
| Legislature | Parliament | |||||
| - | Upper House | Assembly of Councillors | ||||
| - | Lower House | Assembly of Representatives | ||||
| Monarchy | 110 BC | |||||
| - | Kingdom of Mauretania | 110 BC – 40 AD | ||||
| - | Alaouite dynasty | 1666–modern day | ||||
| - | Independence from France | March 2, 1956 | ||||
| - | Independence from Spain | April 7, 1956 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 446,550 km2 [c] or 710,850 km²[c](58th/40th) 172,487 sq mi |
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| - | Water (%) | 250 km² (0,056%) | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| - | 2011 estimate | 32,208,557[4] (38th) | ||||
| - | 2004 census | 29,680,069[5] | ||||
| - | Density | 71.6/km2 (122nd) 185.5/sq mi |
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| GDP (PPP) | 2011 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | $163.181 billion[6] | ||||
| - | Per capita | $5,069.783[6] | ||||
| GDP (nominal) | 2011 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | $101.767 billion[6] | ||||
| - | Per capita | $3,161.728[6] | ||||
| HDI (2010) | ▲ 0.567 (medium) (114th) | |||||
| Currency | Moroccan dirham (MAD) |
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| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) | |||||
| - | Summer (DST) | WEST (UTC+1) | ||||
| Drives on the | right | |||||
| Internet TLD | .ma | |||||
| Calling code | +212 | |||||
| a. ^ French is also used in official government documents and by the business community, although it has no official status.
b. ^ see also Languages of Morocco. c. ^ 446,550 km2 (172,410 sq mi) excludes all disputed territories.710,850 km2 (274,460 sq mi) Includes Moroccan-administered territory of Western Sahara which is claimed by the Polisario Front as the Sahrawi Republic |
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Morocco is a country in north Africa. Its official name is the Kingdom of Morocco.
Contents |
[change] Politics
Morocco is a constitutional monarchy. However, most of the political powers are in the hands of king Muhammad VI (the sixth). He is the head of state (Person in charge of the country) and the most important person. His authority is unquestionable (nobody can say no to him).
The people of Morocco vote for Members of Parliament to speak for them and to help make laws for them. The king defines what must be done and gives orders to all the ministers and the army officers. He makes all the important decisions but he leaves the small details to the ministers and the low-ranking officers. The second most important person in Morocco is the Prime Minister, who is in charge of the government, although he received orders from the king as well. Today, the Prime Minister is Abbas AlFassi. He was chosen by the king after the elections.
[change] Geography
Morocco is next to the countries of Algeria to its east and Western Sahara to its south. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the north of Morocco, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.
Morocco has a diverse geography from fertile plains, to forests, cold mountains, dry lands, and deserts. Most people live in areas close to the coast, or in fertile farms. Morocco has an area of 446,550 km². Morocco also controls most of the Western Sahara which is 266.000 km² big.
The capital of Morocco is Rabat. About 1.2 million people live in Rabat. The biggest city in Morocco is however Casablanca, with nearly 4 million people living there. Both Rabat and Casablanca have large ports and industrial zones. The third biggest city is Marrakesh from which the word "Morocco" is made.
[change] People and culture
The population of Morocco is about 34 million. People from Morocco are called Moroccans. Moroccans are essentially Berbers just like their neighbors: the Algerians and Libyans. Although, many of the Moroccans have Arab, Spanish, black African, and Jewish ancestors.
The official language of Morocco is Arabic, but millions of Moroccans also speak the Berber language and want it to be official too. French is also used, but only in big companies, universities, and in some TV channels. Morocco used to be occupied by France for 44 years. Some people in the north (close to Spain) speak Spanish as well. Spain also occupied parts of Morocco before leaving them in 1956 and in 1975.
Most educated Moroccans do not speak English well, or do not know it at all. But since recent years, English is being taught to students in an increasing number of schools.
Most Moroccans follow Islam as their religion. There are very small numbers of Christians, Jews, and non-believers.
[change] Economy
Mining, agriculture, fishing, and tourism are the 4 main parts of Morocco's national economy. Also, Moroccans working in Europe (about 2 million) send billions of Euros of money home to their families every year.
Tourism is becoming very important too. Many Americans and Europeans come to see the historical places of Morocco, live the Berber countryside life, or enjoy the warm sun and the long and clean beaches. Marrakesh is the most liked city by tourists.
The currency of Morocco is called the Dirham, its code is MAD.
[change] Notes and references
- ↑ "An Islamic and fully sovereign state whose official language is Tamazight, the Kingdom of Morocco constitutes a part of the Great Maghreb." "Moroccan Constitution". 2011. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2011/06/morocco-reform-can-lead-to-a-genuine-constitutional-monarchy.html "An Islamic and fully sovereign state whose official language is Tamazight, the Kingdom of Morocco constitutes a part of the Great Maghreb.".
- ↑ "BBC News – Morocco's King Mohammed unveils constitutional reforms". 2011-06-18. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13816974.
- ↑ "Ethnic groups". World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mo.html. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
- ↑ Site institutionnel du Haut-Commissariat au Plan du Royaume du Maroc. Hcp.ma. Retrieved on 2011-07-23.
- ↑ Haut-Commissariat Au Plan (2004). Recensement général de la Population et de l'Habitat 2004. http://www.hcp.ma/Profil.aspx. Retrieved 2009-08-08.[dead link]
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Morocco". International Monetary Fund. http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2011/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=62&pr.y=3&sy=2009&ey=2016&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=686&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC&grp=0&a=. Retrieved 2011-05-06.
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