Location: Morocco is a Northern African country, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and the annexed Western Sahara
Geographic coordinates: 32 00 N, 5 00 W
Map references: Africa
Area (excluding the annexed Western Sahara):
total:
446,550 kmē
land:
446,300 kmē
water:
250 kmē
Area - comparative: slightly larger than California
Land boundaries:
total:
2,017.9 km
border countries:
Algeria 1,559 km, Western Sahara 443 km, Spain (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Spain (Melilla) 9.6 km
Coastline: 1,835 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nautical miles
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
200 nautical miles
territorial sea:
12 nautical miles
Climate: Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior
Terrain: northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas of bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point:
Sebkha Tah -55 m
highest point:
Jebel Toubkal 4,165 m
Natural resources: phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt
Land use:
arable land:
21%
permanent crops:
1%
permanent pastures:
47%
forests and woodland:
20%
other:
11% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 12,580 kmē (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: northern mountains geologically unstable and subject to earthquakes; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: 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
Environment - international agreements:
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
Geography - note: strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar