Morocco
The Country of the Week
Quick Facts
- Capital
- Rabat
- Population
- 37,387,585 (2024 est.)
- Area
- 716,550 sq km
- Government
- parliamentary constitutional monarchy
- Religions
- Muslim 99% (official; virtually all Sunni, <0.1% Shia), other 1% (includes Christian, Jewish, and Baha'i); note - Jewish about 3,000-3,500 (2020 est.)
- Ethnic Groups
- Arab-Amazigh 99%, other 1%
- Currency
- Moroccan dirhams (MAD)
- Life Expectancy
- 74.2 years (2024 est.)
- Internet Domain
- .ma
- Climate
- Mediterranean in the north, becoming more extreme in the interior; in the south, hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew
- Terrain
- mountainous northern coast (Rif Mountains) and interior (Atlas Mountains) bordered by large plateaus with intermontane valleys, and fertile coastal plains; the south is mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces
- Natural Resources
- phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt
- Major Exports
- fertilizers, cars, garments, insulated wire, tomatoes (2023)
Source: CIA World Factbook (public domain)
Overview
In 788, about a century after the Arab conquest of North Africa, a series of Muslim dynasties began to rule in Morocco. In the 16th century, the Sa'adi monarchy, particularly under Ahmad al-MANSUR (1578-1603), repelled foreign invaders and inaugurated a golden age.