Morocco

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Morocco (disambiguation).

Kingdom of Morocco المملكة المغربية al-Mamlaka al-Maġribiyyah
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: الله، الوطن، الملك Allāh, al Waṭan, al Malik God - Homeland - King
Anthem: "Hymne Chérifien"
The striped area on the map shows Western Sahara, most of which is de facto administered by Morocco as its "Southern Provinces". Its sovereignty is currently in dispute.
Capital		Rabat 34°02′N 6°51′W
Largest city		Casablanca
Official language(s)		Arabic[1][2]
Recognised national languages		Moroccan Arabic, Berber, French, Spanish
Ethnic groups		Arab-Berbers 99.1%, Jews 0.2%, others 0.7%[3]
Demonym		Moroccan
Government		Constitutional monarchy
-	King	Mohammed VI
-	Prime Minister	Abbas El Fassi
Unification		780
-	Unified by Idrisid dynasty	780–974
-	Alaouite dynasty	1666–current
-	Independence from France	March 2, 1956
-	Independence from Spain	April 7, 1956
Area
-	Total	710,850 km2 (57th) 274,460 sq mi
-	Water (%)	250 km² (0,056%)
Population
-	2009 estimate	32,200,000[4] (38th)
-	2004 census	29,680,069[4]
-	Density	71.6/km2 (122nd) 185.5/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2010 estimate
-	Total	$151.432 billion[5]
-	Per capita	$4,754[5]
GDP (nominal)		2010 estimate
-	Total	$103.482 billion[5]
-	Per capita	$3,249[5]
HDI (2010)		0.567 (medium) (114th)
Currency		Moroccan dirham (MAD)
Time zone		WET (UTC+0)
-	Summer (DST)	WEST (UTC+1)
Drives on the		right
ISO 3166 code		MA
Internet TLD		.ma
Calling code		+212
*All data excludes the Western Sahara, much of which is under Moroccan de facto administrative control.
1	French is neither official nor national, but it is widely used in official government documents, and by the business community. Moroccan Arabic or Darija is a common native language, and it is spoken but not written, like other Arabic dialects. Classical Arabic is the official language, and it is used for education, reading, writing and administration and is broadcast on television in news only. Amazigh languages are unofficially considered as national languages but are rather regional dialects spoken besides Moroccan Arabic throughout the country.

Morocco (Arabic: المغرب‎, al-Maġrib), officially the Kingdom of Morocco^[6] (المملكة المغربية, al-Mamlakah al-Maġribiyya), is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of nearly 33 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara. It is a part of the Maghreb region, besides Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania and Libya, with whom it shares cultural, historical, and linguistic ties.
Morocco is a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. The King of Morocco holds vast executive powers, including dissolving parliament at will. Executive power is exercised by the government but more importantly by the king himself. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament, the Assembly of Representatives and the Assembly of Councillors. The king can also issue decrees called dahirs which have the force of law. Parliamentary elections were held in Morocco on 7 September 2007, and were considered by some neutral observers to be mostly free and fair; although voter turnout was estimated to be 37%, the lowest in decades. The political capital is Rabat, and the largest city is Casablanca; other large cities include Marrakesh, Tetouan, Tangier, Salé, Fes, Agadir, Meknes and Oujda.
The population speak a mixture of Darija and Berber languages of Morocco with many regional dialects. Berber-speaking Moroccans can be divided in three main dialectal groups: Riffians, Shlouh Berbers and Middle-Atlas Berbers.