Morocco

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Country summary

Capital

Rabat

Borders

Algeria 1,559 km, Western Sahara 443 km, Spain (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Spain (Melilla) 9.6 km

Government type

constitutional monarchy

Population

31,285,174 (July 2010 est.)[1]

Population growth

1.099% (2010 est.)[1]

Life expectancy

75.47 years[1]

Unemployment

9.1% (2009 est.)[1]

Index of Economic Freedom

91[2]

Corruption Perceptions Index

89[3]

Doing Business ranking

128[4]


In 788, about a century after the Arab conquest of North Africa, successive Moorish dynasties began to rule in Morocco. In the 16th century, the Sa'adi monarchy, particularly under Ahmad AL-MANSUR (1578-1603), repelled foreign invaders and inaugurated a golden age. 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. A protracted independence struggle with France ended successfully in 1956. The internationalized city of Tangier and most Spanish possessions were turned over to the new country that same year. Morocco virtually annexed Western Sahara during the late 1970s, but final resolution on the status of the territory remains unresolved. Gradual political reforms in the 1990s resulted in the establishment of a bicameral legislature, which first met in 1997. The country has made improvements in human rights under King MOHAMMED VI and its press is moderately free, but the government occasionally takes action against journalists who report on three broad subjects considered to be taboo: the monarchy, Islam, and the status of Western Sahara. Despite the continuing reforms, ultimate authority remains in the hands of the monarch.[1]

Economical characteristics

  • Currency: Moroccan dirham (ISO code: MAD)
  • Central bank discount rate: 3.31% (31 December 2009)[1]
  • Commercial banks lending rate: 6.5% (31 December 2008 )[1]
  • Stock of money (M1): $69.25 billion (31 December 2008)[1]
  • Quasi money (with M1 makes M2): $18.98 billion (31 December 2008)[1]

Notable events:

Statistics

Statistic / Year 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
GDP (million USD)[7] 5 917 6 102 6 187 6 824 7 925 10 251 11 508 14 211 18 599
Govt. debt (% of GDP)[8]
Govt. revenue (% of GDP)[9] 22.534 19.937 22.353 21.699 24.052 24.623 25.834 25.569 28.724 32.543
Govt. expenses (% of GDP)[10] 20.683 16.676 16.963 16.129 15.171 12.307 12.216 11.373 9.988 13.428
Debt to revenue (years)

References

Note: statistical data was rounded. Different sources may use different methodologies for their estimates. Debt to revenue is calculated by dividing the two variables from their original ('unrounded') values. It represents how long it would a government take to repay its entire debt if it used its whole revenue for this purpose.

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 CIA - The World Factbook. "Morocco", from The World Factbook. Referenced 2010-10-04.
  2. Heritage Foundation. "Morocco", Economic Freedom Score. A lower ranking is better; but please be careful when comparing between different countries or years. Referenced 2010-10-04.
  3. Transparency International. "Morocco", Corruption Perceptions Index 2009. A lower ranking is better; but please note that the numbers cannot be compared between countries or years due to different methodology. Referenced 2010-10-04.
  4. Doing Business. "Morocco", Doing Business 2010 (part of The World Bank Group). A lower ranking is better; but please be careful when comparing between different countries or years. Referenced 2010-10-04.
  5. Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff. "This Time is Different", Princeton University Press, ISBN 978-0-691-14216-6, p. 375. (The list does not claim to be complete.) Referenced 2011-07-20.
  6. Carmen M. Reinhart. "This Time is Different Chartbook: Country Histories on Debt, Default, and Financial Crises" (pdf), March 3, 2010, p. 77. (The list does not claim to be complete.) Referenced 2011-07-20.
  7. World Bank. "Morocco: GDP", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-04.
  8. World Bank. "Morocco: government debt", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-04.
  9. World Bank. "Morocco: government revenue", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-04.
  10. World Bank. "Morocco: government expenses", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-04.

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