Morocco

National name: al-Mamlaka al- Maghrebia

Government
Constitutional monarchy.

Geography
Morocco, lies across the Strait of Gibraltar on the Mediterranean and looks out on the Atlantic from the northwest shoulder of Africa. On the Atlantic coast there is a fertile plain. The Mediterranean coast is mountainous. The Atlas Mountains, running northeastward from the south to the Algerian frontier, average 11,000 ft (3,353 m) in elevation.

Historical Background
In 788, about a century after the Arab conquest of North Africa, successive Moorish dynasties began to rule in Morocco. In 1860, Spain occupied northern Morocco and ushered in a half century of trade rivalry among European powers that saw Morocco's sovereignty steadily erode; in 1912, the French imposed a protectorate over the country. Gradual political reforms in the 1990s resulted in the establishment of a bicameral legislature, which first met in 1997. Parliamentary elections were held for the second time in September 2002 and municipal elections were held in September 2003.

Facts & Figures

Name

MOROCCO

Capital

Rabat

Government

Constitutional monarchy King Mohammed VI Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi

Language

Arabic

Religion

Most Montenegrin inhabitants are Orthodox Christians, followers of the Serbian Orthodox Church's Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral and the Montenegrin Orthodox Church.

Area

13,812 km2 (160th) 5,019 sq mi

Population

666,730 (July 2010 est.)

Currency

Euro (€)2

GDP(PPP)

2010 estimate Total $6.439 billion

GDP(nominal)

2010 estimate  - Total $4.105 billion

Time Zone

CET (UTC+1) Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)