Morocco - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Morocco. Strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar; the only African nation to have both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines; the waters off the Atlantic coast are particularly rich fishing areas. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 72 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Morocco
Location Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Mauritania
Geographic coordinates 28 30 N, 10 00 W
Map references Africa
Tarrain mountainous northern coast (Rif Mountains) and interior (Atlas Mountains) bordered by large plateaus with intermontane valleys, and fertile coastal plains; the south is mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces 
Natural Resources phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt
Natural Hazards in the north, the mountains are geologically unstable and subject to earthquakes; periodic droughts; windstorms; flash floods; landslides; in the south, a hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility
Irrigated Land 17,645 sq km (2019)
Major rivers (by length in km) Draa - 1,100 km
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 3,523.5 km
Border Countries Algeria 1,941 km; Mauritania 1,564 km; Spain (Ceuta) 8 km and Spain (Melilla) 10.5 km
Coastline 2,945 km
Climate Mediterranean in the north, becoming more extreme in the interior; in the south, hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew
Area
Total Area
Land Area 716,300 sq km
Water Area 250 sq km
comparative Area slightly larger than twice the size of California
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Contiguous zone 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Continental shelf 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Elevations
Highest point Jebel Toubkal 4,165 m
Lowest point Sebkha Tah -59 m
Mean elevation 909 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 67.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 17.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 2.9% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 47.1% (2018 est.)
Forest 11.5% (2018 est.)
Other 21% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

The highest population density is found along the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts; a number of densely populated agglomerations are found scattered through the Atlas Mountains as shown in this population distribution map

People and Society

In Morocco, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Arab-Amazigh 99%, other 1%

Population
Pop growth rate 0.84% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 16.8 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 6.6 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 6% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 1 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Total fertility rate 2.25 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 1.1 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 70.8% (2018)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 58.8% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 6.8% of GDP (2020)
Net Migration rate -1.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Moroccan | Moroccan(s)
Languages
Religions Muslim 99% (official; virtually all Sunni, <0.1% Shia), other 1% (includes Christian, Jewish, and Baha'i); note - Jewish about 3,000-3,500 (2020 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 25.7% (male 4,898,154/female 4,701,786)
15-64 years 65.9% (male 12,236,752/female 12,410,567)
65 years and over 8.4% (2024 est.) (male 1,529,357/female 1,610,969)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 52.2
Youth dependency ratio 40.9
Elderly dependency ratio 11.3
Potential support ratio 8.9 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 30.6 years (2024 est.)
Male 30.1 years
Female 31 years
Urbanization
Urban population 65.1% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 1.88% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 3.893 million Casablanca, 1.959 million RABAT (capital), 1.290 million Fes, 1.314 million Tangier, 1.050 million Marrakech, 979,000 Agadir (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.95 male(s)/female
Total population 1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 18.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 20.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 16 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 74.2 years (2024 est.)
Male 72.5 years
Female 76 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 98.3% of population
Improved: rural rural: 79.1% of population
Improved: total total: 91% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 1.7% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 20.9% of population
Unimproved: total total: 9% of population (2017 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 98.2% of population
Improved: rural rural: 72.4% of population
Improved: total total: 88.8% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 1.8% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 27.6% of population
Unimproved: total total: 11.2% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 0.51 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 0.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.24 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 14.5% (2020 est.)
Male 28.2% (2020 est.)
Female 0.8% (2020 est.)
Child marriage
Women married by age 15 0.5%
Women married by age 18 13.7% (2018 est.)
Demographic profile

Morocco is undergoing a demographic transition. Its population is growing but at a declining rate, as people live longer and women have fewer children. Infant, child, and maternal mortality rates have been reduced through better health care, nutrition, hygiene, and vaccination coverage, although disparities between urban and rural and rich and poor households persist. Morocco’s shrinking child cohort reflects the decline of its total fertility rate from 5 in mid-1980s to 2.2 in 2010, which is a result of increased female educational attainment, higher contraceptive use, delayed marriage, and the desire for smaller families. Young adults (persons aged 15-29) make up almost 26% of the total population and represent a potential economic asset if they can be gainfully employed. Currently, however, many youths are unemployed because Morocco’s job creation rate has not kept pace with the growth of its working-age population. Most youths who have jobs work in the informal sector with little security or benefits.

During the second half of the 20th century, Morocco became one of the world’s top emigration countries, creating large, widely dispersed migrant communities in Western Europe. The Moroccan Government has encouraged emigration since its independence in 1956, both to secure remittances for funding national development and as an outlet to prevent unrest in rebellious (often Berber) areas. Although Moroccan labor migrants earlier targeted Algeria and France, the flood of Moroccan "guest workers" from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s spread widely across northwestern Europe to fill unskilled jobs in the booming manufacturing, mining, construction, and agriculture industries. Host societies and most Moroccan migrants expected this migration to be temporary, but deteriorating economic conditions in Morocco related to the 1973 oil crisis and tighter European immigration policies resulted in these stays becoming permanent.

A wave of family migration followed in the 1970s and 1980s, with a growing number of second generation Moroccans opting to become naturalized citizens of their host countries. Spain and Italy emerged as new destination countries in the mid-1980s, but their introduction of visa restrictions in the early 1990s pushed Moroccans increasingly to migrate either legally by marrying Moroccans already in Europe or illegally to work in the underground economy. Women began to make up a growing share of these labor migrants. At the same time, some higher-skilled Moroccans went to the US and Quebec, Canada.

In the mid-1990s, Morocco developed into a transit country for asylum seekers from Sub-Saharan Africa and illegal labor migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia trying to reach Europe via southern Spain, Spain’s Canary Islands, or Spain’s North African enclaves, Ceuta and Melilla. Forcible expulsions by Moroccan and Spanish security forces have not deterred these illegal migrants or calmed Europe’s security concerns. Rabat remains unlikely to adopt an EU agreement to take back third-country nationals who have entered the EU illegally via Morocco. Thousands of other illegal migrants have chosen to stay in Morocco until they earn enough money for further travel or permanently as a "second-best" option. The launching of a regularization program in 2014 legalized the status of some migrants and granted them equal access to education, health care, and work, but xenophobia and racism remain obstacles.

All Important Facts about Morocco

Want to know more about Morocco? Check all different factbooks for Morocco below.

Morocco is found in Northern Africa