Morocco - geography
The landscape is dominated by the Atlas Mountains, which cut through the
country from southwest to northeast and continue into Algeria. In Morocco are
the three parallel chains, Anti Atlas, High Atlas (Toubkal 4165 m) and Middle
Atlas. To the north are the Rif Mountains, which delimit the narrow coastal
plain to the Mediterranean. Together, actual mountain areas cover more than
two-thirds of the area, and the country's average. altitude is 800 m. West of
the Atlas Mountains are coastal plains with fertile agricultural land and the
majority of the country's population. South of the capital, Rabat, the coastal
plain is separated from the Atlas Mountains by the Moroccan Plateau, a 400-700 m
high plateau intersected by river valleys. Between the High Atlas and the Anti
Atlas lies the river valley around the Oued Sous with its outlet at Agadir. East
of the Atlas and Rif Mountains is a semi-arid lowland around the Oued Moulouya,
Morocco's largest river, and on the border with Algeria lies the Eastern
Moroccan Plateau. Farthest to the south and southeast, the landscape turns into
the Sahara desert.
Climate. Along the coasts there is a typical Mediterranean climate
with winter rain and summer drought. The interior of the country has more
continental climate, in the mountains with cold, snowy winters and to the south
and east with very hot summers. Along the coast and especially to the north, the
precipitation is quite large, but the long, dry summers mean that the natural
vegetation is almost everywhere drought-prone. To the south, precipitation
decreases towards the actual desert climate, but in the mountains much more rain
can fall, and here most of Morocco's forest is found.
Population
The majority of the population can be described as Arabized Berbers, but
many still have Berber as their main language. approximately 75% of the residents
live in the coastal areas and on the plateaus, where you will also find the
larger cities. The rural population has traditionally been settled farmers, but
there are also semi-nomadic tribes. Just over 55% of the population now live in
cities, and there is a particularly large influx of people to Casablanca. The
highlands are inhabited especially by Berbers. The mountain villages often have
a fortress-like character; they cling to a mountainside or mountaintop, and
larger flat field areas are rare. Some groups live as semi-nomads who move with
their animals (sheep and goats) between summer and winter camps, transhumance. The
small population in the desert areas to the south are descendants of both
Berbers and peoples from sub-Saharan Africa. Most are now permanent residents of
old natural and new well-watered oases. In the past, nomadic camel breeding was
an important economic activity and a source of high status; today, this way of
life has largely disappeared. Before Morocco's independence in 1956, there were
large French and Spanish minorities, but most left the country around
independence. The Moroccan Jews have emigrated to Israel and France in
particular.
Population growth has in recent years fallen to around 1.6% per year
(2006). Unemployment is estimated at around 18%, but is probably higher in rural
areas. Between five and seven million. Moroccans are believed to have emigrated,
primarily to Europe; Opportunities for emigration have been severely limited in
recent years.
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population pyramid and resident density about this country.
Industries
Morocco's economy is relatively differentiated with agriculture, mining,
industry and service. Over 9 million ha is cultivated, there are significant
mineral resources and a great potential for tourism, but GDP is still low.
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries contribute almost 16% of GDP,
but employ a much larger share of the labor force. A significant portion of the
best land is owned by the king and operated as a large-scale state farm. With
irrigation, citrus fruits and vegetables for export. However, the majority
of the land is operated as a family farm with wheat, barley, fruit and
vegetables as important crops. Both in the lowlands and in the mountains there
is a large livestock with cattle, sheep and goats, and in the southern oases
dates are grown. Agricultural production is particularly limited by water
problems and the country is not self-sufficient in food; most years, a third of
the grain requirement must be imported. On the other hand, exports of fruit and
vegetables are significant, and efforts are being made to increase sugar and
cotton production. With state support are several irrigationsprojects under
development.
The potential for fishing is great, but both the fishing fleet and
the onshore processing facilities have too little capacity to make full use of
the rich fish banks in the upwelling areas off the Atlantic coast, and
some fishing quotas are sold to EU fishermen. The main fishing ports are
Casablanca, Agadir, Safi and Essaouira, and tuna and sardines in particular
are caught.
Mining. Morocco is the world's largest exporter and has the largest
reserves of crude phosphate used in the production of fertilizers. Iron, lead,
zinc and manganese are extracted to a lesser extent, and there is less coal
production. No significant oil or gas deposits have yet been found, but high
hopes are being set for oil discoveries off the Atlantic coast. So far, a lot of
energy has to be imported. Hydropower is only of marginal importance, but there
are good opportunities for development on several rivers. However, the long
summer drought means that the economy of hydropower projects can be problematic.
Industry employs 16% of the workforce but contributes 25% of
GDP. The most important sector is the state-controlled processing of raw
phosphate into fertilizers. The rest of the industry is characterized by smaller
companies within e.g. food, textiles, leather and building materials, including
cement factories. In addition, there is the widespread and still living
tradition of artisanal production of carpets, ceramics and wood and leather
goods.
For both agriculture and fisheries, Morocco suffers from EU quotas on
important Moroccan exports.
Infrastructure. Morocco's road network is well developed in the
densely populated areas, and many roads are of good quality, not least in the
coastal areas. It's about. 1900 km railway. Tangier is a regional traffic hub
with ferry routes to Europe; other important ports are Agadir and
Casablanca. There are several international airports, among others to serve the
many tourists.
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Morocco - language
Official language is standard Arabic. Moroccan (Maghreb) Arabic is spoken by
approximately 60% (2005) and Berber of approximately 40% of the population. Berber
includes the main dialects Tashelhit/Shleuh (Southern
Moroccan), Tamazight/Imazighen (Central Moroccan)
and Tarifit or Rif/Ruafa (Northern
Moroccan). Arabic has since 600-t. slowly displaced Berber. French is still
widely used as a second language and in teaching; Spanish is spoken by a
minority to the north and in the Sahara.
Morocco - religion
Islam is Morocco's official religion, and approximately 98% of Morocco's population
are Muslims. Islamic law is the basis of legislation in all family law
matters. The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Foundations ensures that the
Islamic tradition is upheld and a large number of imams at the country’s mosques
are employed by the ministry. The Moroccan royal house claims to be descended
from the family of the Prophet Muhammad. In the country's struggle for
independence from France, the Islamic traditions of the population were strongly
emphasized, and the tradition has played an important role throughout the
country's independence both as legitimacy through the royal house's symbolic use
of Islam and as a starting point for criticism of the political system.
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