Official Name: Kingdom of Morocco.

Independence Day: November 18

Capital: Rabat

Population: 29,891,708 (2004 est.); Urban residents: 55.1 percent, rural residents: 44.9 percent. Casablanca, with 3.6 million inhabitants, is the largest city and commercial center.

Age Structure: 0-14 years: 32.6 percent (male 5,355,388; female 5,156,762); 15-64 years: 62.5 percent (male 10,013, 466; female 10,112,060); 65 years and older: 4.9 percent (male 692,465; female 878,960) (2004).

Median Age: Total: 23.3 years (male: 22.8 years; female: 23.8 years) (2004).

Population Growth Rate: 1.4 percent (2004).

Labor force: 5.860 million (2004).

Language: Classical Arabic is Morocco’s official language, but the country’s unique Arabic dialect is the most widely spoken language. About 10 million Moroccans still speak various dialects of Berber. French is Morocco’s third unofficial language; it is widely taught in public schools and is used in government and business.

Labor Force – By Occupation: Agriculture 40 percent, Industry 15 percent, Services 45 percent.

Ethnic Groups: Arab-Berber 99.1 percent, other 0.7 percent, Jewish 0.2 percent.

Religions: Muslim 98.7 percent, Christian 1.1 percent, Jewish 0.2 percent.

Geography:
Area: 275,000 square miles
Arable land: 19.61 percent
Irrigated land: 12,910 square miles
Coastline: 1,140 miles

Ports and Harbors: Agadir, El Jadida, Casablanca, El Jorf Lasfar, Kenitra, Mohammedia, Nador, Rabat, Safi, Tangier, plus Spanish-controlled Ceuta and Melilla.

Railways: 1,184 miles.

Highways: 35,857 miles.

Airports With Paved Runways: 25

Exports: $9.864 billion (2004).

Export Commodities: Clothing, fish, inorganic chemicals, transistors, crude minerals, fertilizers (including phosphates), petroleum products, fruits, and vegetables.

Major Export Partners: France (26 percent), Spain (16.6 percent), United Kingdom (7.1 percent), and Italy (4.9 percent).

Imports: $15.973 billion (2004).

Imported Commodities: Crude petroleum, textile fabric, telecommunications equipment, wheat, gas and electricity, transistors, plastics.

Major Import Partners: France (21.1 percent), Spain (13.6 percent), Italy (6.7 percent), Germany (6.7 percent), China (4.6 percent), and Saudi Arabia (4.2 percent).

International Organization Participation:

Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (ABEDA), Agence de Cooperation Culturelle et Technique (ACCT), African Development Bank (AfDB), Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), Arab Monetary Fund (AMF), Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Group of 77 (G-77), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), International Criminal Court (ICCt), International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), International Committee for Radionuclide Metrology (ICRM), International Development Association (IDA), Islamic Development Bank (IDB), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), International Finance Corporation (IFC), International Federation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (IFRCS), International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), International Labor Organization (ILO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Maritime Organization (IMO), Interpol, International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Organization of Migration (IOM), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), League of Arab States (LAS), Nonaligned Movement (NAM), Organization of American States (OAS) [observer], Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), United Nations (UN), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), Universal Postal Union (UPU), World Conference of Labor (WCL), World Customs Organization (WCO), World Health Organization (WHO), World Tourism Organization (WTO), and the World Trade Organization (WTO).