Morocco
Country Info
Who's who
Country Info
Morocco
Geography and People
TopGeneral
Short Name: Morocco
Official Name: Kingdom of Morocco
Local Short Form: Al Maghrib Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara
Area: 446,550 sq km
Capital: Rabat
Independence: 2 March 1956 (from France)
National Holiday: Throne Day (accession of King Mohammed VI to the throne), 30 July (1999)
Constitution: 10 March 1972, revised 4 September 1992, amended (to create bicameral legislature) September 1996
Population: 32,209,101 (July 2004 est.)
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (as of January 2003)
Ethnicity: Arab-Berber 99.1 per cent, other 0.7 per cent, Jewish 0.2 per cent
Languages: Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often the language of business, government, and diplomacy
Religions: Muslim 98.7 per cent, Christian 1.1 per cent, Jewish 0.2 per cent
TopGeography
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara
Geographic Co-ordinates: 32 00 N, 5 00 W
Area: total: 446,550 sq km; land: 446,300 sq km; water: 250 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than California
Land Boundaries: total: 2,017.9km; border countries: Algeria 1,559 km, Western Sahara 443 km, Spain (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Spain (Melilla) 9.6 km
Coastline: 1,835km
Maritime Claims: territorial sea 12nm, contiguous zone 24nm, exclusive economic zone 200nm, continental shelf 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
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 -55m; highest point: Jbel Toubkal 4,165m
Natural Resources: phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt
Geography – note: strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar
Political System
TopPolitical System
Morocco is an Islamic, democratic and social constitutional monarchy with a king, executive branch, bicameral legislature, and judiciary branch.
The King
The king is considered the Supreme Representative of the Nation, the symbol of its unity and Defender of the Faith. He is entrusted with protecting the rights and liberties of all citizens, social groups and organizations. His powers include appointing the prime minister and cabinet members, presiding over cabinet meetings, promulgating laws, dissolving parliament, addressing the nation and parliament, issuing royal decrees, commanding the Royal Armed Forces, being in charge of foreign policy, presiding over the Supreme Magistrate Council, appointing judges, and granting pardons. The crown is passed down to the eldest son unless the king named a different successor during his lifetime. The closest male relative is chosen if the past king did not have sons and did not appoint another successor.
King: Mohammed VI (since 30 July 1999)
The Regent Council
The Regent Council performs the constitutional roles of the King until he reaches the age of 16 and serves as an advisory board until he turns 20.
Legislative
The legislature consists of the House of Representatives and the House of Counselors. House of Representatives members are elected to six-year terms. For the House of Counselors, two-fifths of members are elected by the people and three-fifths are chosen by regional electoral colleges for nine-year terms. The legislature's powers include voting on laws, determining crimes and penalties, determining the statute of magistrates and pubic offices, determining the electoral system of local assemblies and councils, establishing new public agencies and nationalizing enterprises.
Executive
The prime minister is selected by the king and ensures the execution of laws. His powers include introducing bills, the co-ordination of ministerial activities and other administrative tasks.
Prime Minister: Abbas El Fassi (since 7 September 2007)
Judiciary
The king appoints magistrates based on recommendations of the Supreme Magistrate Council. They are independent of the legislative and executive branches and cannot be removed. The High Court of Justice, which consists of an equal number of legislators from both the House of Representatives and House of Counselors, conducts trials for government members accused of crimes.
