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MOROCCO
The Kingdom of Morocco is a country of
northwest Africa. It has a long coastline on the Atlantic Ocean which
reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea.
Morocco has annexed Western Sahara, but this is not universally
recognised.
History
Morocco was a French protectorate from 1912, remaining a Kingdom, and
achieved independence in 1956, and it took control over Tangier,
formerly an international city. The northern area of Morocco was under a
Spanish protectorate concurrently. Morocco annexed Western Sahara in the
1970s (which was a colony under the Spaniards since the 19th century,
and previous to that, an area of Moroccan influence), but this has not
been recognised by many nations.
Morocco was the first nation to recognize
the fledging American republic in 1777, and has the oldest non-broken
friendship treaty with this country since 1783: the Moroccan-American
Treaty of Friendship. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were the American
signatories. The United States legation (embassy) in Tangier, now a
museum, is one of the oldest official American buildings outside the US.
Politics
The King of Morocco is an active leader, although decreasingly so.
Political parties are legal, and a plethora of them exist.
Provinces of Morocco
Morocco is divided into 37 provinces and 2 wilayas*:
Agadir
Al Hoceima
Azilal
Beni Mellal
Ben Slimane
Boulemane
Casablanca*
Chaouen
El Jadida
El Kelaa des Sraghna
Er Rachidia
Essaouira
Fes
Figuig
Guelmim
Ifrane
Kenitra
Khemisset
Khenifra
Khouribga
Laayoune
Larache
Marrakech
Meknes
Nador
Ouarzazate
Oujda
Rabat-Sale*
Safi
Settat
Sidi Kacem
Tangier
Tan-Tan
Taounate
Taroudannt
Tata
Taza
Tetouan
Tiznit
Three additional provinces, Ad Dakhla (Oued Eddahab), Boujdour, and Es
Smara, as well as parts of Tan-Tan and Laayoune, fall within Moroccan-claimed
Western Sahara.
As part of a 1997 decentralization/regionalization law passed by the
legislature, 16 new regions (provided below) were created although full
details and scope of the reorganization are limited:
Casablanca
Chaouia-Ourdigha
Doukkala-Abda
Fes-Boulmane
Gharb-Chrarda-Beni Hssen
Guelmim-Es Smara
Laayoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra
Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz
Meknes-Tafilalet
Oriental
Oued Eddahab-Lagouira
Rabat-Sale-Zemmour-Zaer
Souss-Massa-Draa
Tadla-Azilal
Tangier-Tetouan
Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate
Geography of Morocco
Algeria borders Morocco to the east and southeast (the Algerian border
is closed. There are also four Spanish enclaves on the Mediterranean
coast: Ceuta, Melilla Peñon Velez de la Gomera and Peñon de Alhucemas,
as well as several islands including Perejil (status disputed) and
Chafarinas. Off the Atlantic coast the Canary Islands belong to Spain
whereas Madeira, to the North, is Portuguese.
The capital city is Rabat. Its largest city is Casablanca.
Other cities include Agadir, Dakhla, Essaouira, Fes, Laayoune,
Marrakech, Meknes, Oujda, Safi, Smara, Tangier, Tiznit, Salè and
Tan-Tan.
Economy of Morocco
Morocco has signed a Free Trade Agreement with the European Union and
the US
Transportation in Morocco
Railways:
total: 1,907 km
standard gauge: 1,907 km 1.435-m gauge (1,003 km electrified; 540 km
double track)
Railway company:
l'Office National des Chemins de Fer (ONCF)
Highways:
total: 57,847 km
paved: 30,254 km (including 327 km of expressways)
unpaved: 27,593 km (1998 est.)
Pipelines:
crude oil 362 km; petroleum products 491 km (abandoned); natural gas 241
km
Ports and harbors:
Agadir, El Jadida, Casablanca, El Jorf Lasfar, Kenitra, Mohammedia,
Nador, Rabat, Safi, Tangier; also Spanish-controlled Ceuta and Melilla
Merchant marine:
total: 40 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 218,987 GRT/263,191 DWT
ships by type: cargo 9, chemical tanker 6, container 3, passenger 1,
petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 9, roll-on/roll-off 8, short-sea
passenger 1 (1999 est.)
Airports:
70 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 26
over 3,047 m: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 44
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 22
under 914 m: 11 (1999 est.)
Heliports:
1 (1999 est.)
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