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5 definitions found
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Morocco \Mo*roc"co\, n. [Named from Morocco, the country. Cf.
{Morris} the dance.]
A fine kind of leather, prepared commonly from goatskin
(though an inferior kind is made of sheepskin), and tanned
with sumac and dyed of various colors; -- said to have been
first made by the Moors.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
Morocco
n 1: a kingdom (constitutional monarchy) in northwestern Africa
with a largely Muslim population; achieved independence
from France in 1956 [syn: {Kingdom of Morocco}, {Maroc},
{Marruecos}, {Al-Magrib}]
2: a soft pebble-grained leather made from goatskin; used for
shoes and book bindings etc.
From CIA World Factbook 2002 [world02]:
Morocco
Introduction Morocco
--------------------
Background: Morocco's long struggle for
independence from France ended in
1956. The internationalized city of
Tangier was 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 in 1997.
Geography Morocco
-----------------
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North
Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean
Sea, between Algeria and Western
Sahara
Geographic coordinates: 32 00 N, 5 00 W
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 446,550 sq km
land: 446,300 sq km
water: 250 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than California
Land boundaries: total: 2,017.9 km
border countries: Algeria 1,559 km,
Western Sahara 443 km, Spain (Ceuta)
6.3 km, Spain (Melilla) 9.6 km
Coastline: 1,835 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to
the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate: Mediterranean, becoming more extreme
in the interior
Terrain: northern coast and interior are
mountainous with large areas of
bordering plateaus, intermontane
valleys, and rich coastal plains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Sebkha Tah -55 m
highest point: Jbel Toubkal 4,165 m
Natural resources: phosphates, iron ore, manganese,
lead, zinc, fish, salt
Land use: arable land: 20.12%
permanent crops: 2.05%
other: 77.83% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 12,910 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: northern mountains geologically
unstable and subject to earthquakes;
periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: land degradation/desertification
(soil erosion resulting from farming
of marginal areas, overgrazing,
destruction of vegetation); water
supplies contaminated by raw sewage;
siltation of reservoirs; oil
pollution of coastal waters
Environment - international party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
Environmental Modification, Law of
the Sea
Geography - note: strategic location along Strait of
Gibraltar
People Morocco
--------------
Population: 31,167,783 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 33.8% (male 5,364,948;
female 5,166,666)
15-64 years: 61.5% (male 9,518,503;
female 9,640,292)
65 years and over: 4.7% (male
661,054; female 816,320) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.68% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 23.69 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 5.86 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: -1.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/
female
total population: 1 male(s)/female
(2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 46.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.73 years
female: 72.08 years (2002 est.)
male: 67.49 years
Total fertility rate: 2.97 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.03% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ NA
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Moroccan(s)
adjective: Moroccan
Ethnic groups: Arab-Berber 99.1%, other 0.7%,
Jewish 0.2%
Religions: Muslim 98.7%, Christian 1.1%, Jewish
0.2%
Languages: Arabic (official), Berber dialects,
French often the language of
business, government, and diplomacy
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 43.7%
male: 56.6%
female: 31% (1995 est.)
Government Morocco
------------------
Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of
Morocco
conventional short form: Morocco
local short form: Al Maghrib
local long form: Al Mamlakah al
Maghribiyah
Government type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Rabat
Administrative divisions: 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, Tanger,
Tan-Tan, Taounate, Taroudannt, Tata,
Taza, Tetouan, Tiznit
note: three additional provinces of
Ad Dakhla (Oued Eddahab), Boujdour,
and Es Smara as well as parts of
Tan-Tan and Laayoune fall within
Moroccan-claimed Western Sahara;
decentralization/regionalization law
passed by the legislature in March
1997 created many new provinces/
regions; specific details and scope
of the reorganization not yet
available
Independence: 2 March 1956 (from France)
National holiday: Throne Day (accession of King
MOHAMED VI to the throne), 30 July
(1999)
Constitution: 10 March 1972, revised 4 September
1992, amended (to create bicameral
legislature) September 1996
Legal system: based on Islamic law and French and
Spanish civil law system; judicial
review of legislative acts in
Constitutional Chamber of Supreme
Court
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: King MOHAMED VI
(since 23 July 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister
Abderrahmane YOUSSOUFI (since 14
March 1998)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
appointed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is
hereditary; prime minister appointed
by the monarch following legislative
elections
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an
upper house or Chamber of Counselors
(270 seats; members elected
indirectly by local councils,
professional organizations, and
labor syndicates for nine-year
terms; one-third of the members are
renewed every three years) and a
lower house or Chamber of
Representatives (325 seats; members
elected by popular vote for five-
year terms)
elections: Chamber of Counselors -
last held 15 September 2000 (next to
be held NA 2002); Chamber of
Representatives - last held 14
November 1997 (next to be held NA
November 2002)
election results: Chamber of
Counselors - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - NA;
Chamber of Representatives - percent
of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - USFP 57, UC 50, RNI 46, MP
40, MDS 32, IP 32, MNP 19, PND 10,
MPCD 9, PPS 9, FFD 9, PSD 5, OADP 4,
PA 2, PDI 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed
on the recommendation of the Supreme
Council of the Judiciary, presided
over by the monarch)
Political parties and leaders: Action Party or PA [Muhammad EL
IDRISSI]; Avant Garde Social
Democratic Party or PADS
[Abderrahman BENAMROU]; Citizen's
Forces [Abderrahman LAJOUJI];
Constitutional Union or CU [Mohamed
ABIED (interim)]; Democratic Forces
Front or FFD [Thami EL KHYARI];
Democratic Socialist Party or PSD
[Eissa OUARDIGHI]; Democratic Party
for Independence or PDI [Abd al
Wahid AL MAASH]; Democratic Union or
UD [Bouazza IKKEN]; Istiqlal Party
or IP [Abbas El FASSI]; Moroccan
Liberal Party [Mohamed ZIANE];
National Democratic Party or PND
[Abdallah KADIRI]; National Popular
Movement or MNP [Mahjoubi AHERDANE];
National Rally of Independents or
RNI [Ahmed OSMAN]; Organization of
Democratic and Popular Action or
OADP [Mohamed Ben Said AIT IDDER];
Party of Justice and Development or
PJD (note - formerly the Popular
Constitutional and Democratic
Movement or MPCD) [Dr. Abdelkarim
KHATIB]; Party of the National
Unionist Congress [Abdelmajid
BOUZOUBAA]; Party of Progress and
Socialism or PPS [Ismail ALAOUI];
Party of Reform and Development
[Abderrahman EL KOUHEN]; Popular
Movement or MP [Mohamed LAENSER];
Social Democratic Movement or MDS
[Mahmoud AARSHANE]; Socialist Union
of Popular Forces or USFP
[Abderrahman EL-YOUSSOUFI]
Political pressure groups and Democratic Confederation of Labor or
leaders: CDT [Noubir AMAOUI]; General Union
of Moroccan Workers or UGTM
[Abderrazzak AFILAL]; Moroccan
Employers Association or CGEM
[leader NA]; National Labor Union of
Morocco or UNMT [Abdelslam MAATI];
Union of Moroccan Workers or UMT
[Mahjoub BENSEDDIK]
International organization ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF,
participation: AMU, CCC, EBRD, ECA, FAO, G-77,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAS
(observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE
(partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Abdullah MAAROUFI
consulate(s) general: New York
FAX: [1] (202) 265-0161
telephone: [1] (202) 462-7979
through 7982
chancery: 1601 21st Street NW,
Washington, DC 20009
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador Ms.
US: Margaret TUTWILER (since 11 Jul.
2001)
embassy: 2 Avenue de Mohamed El
Fassi, Rabat
mailing address: PSC 74, Box 3, APO
AE 90718
telephone: [212] (37) 76 22 65
FAX: [212] (37) 76 56 61
consulate(s) general: Casablanca
Flag description: red with a green pentacle (five-
pointed, linear star) known as
Solomon's seal in the center of the
flag; green is the traditional color
of Islam
Economy Morocco
---------------
Economy - overview: Morocco faces the problems typical
of developing countries -
restraining government spending,
reducing constraints on private
activity and foreign trade, and
achieving sustainable economic
growth. Following structural
adjustment programs supported by the
IMF, World Bank, and the Paris Club,
the dirham is now fully convertible
for current account transactions,
and reforms of the financial sector
have been implemented. Droughts
depressed activity in the key
agricultural sector and contributed
to a stagnant economy in 1999 and
2000. During that time, however,
Morocco reported large foreign
exchange inflows from the sale of a
mobile telephone license and partial
privatization of the state-owned
telecommunications company.
Favorable rainfall in 2001 led to a
growth of 5%. Formidable long-term
challenges include: servicing the
external debt; preparing the economy
for freer trade with the EU; and
improving education and attracting
foreign investment to boost living
standards and job prospects for
Morocco's youth.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $112
billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,700
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 15%
industry: 33%
services: 52% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 19% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: 2.6%
percentage share: highest 10%: 30.9% (1998-99)
Distribution of family income - Gini 39.5 (1998-99)
index:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 11 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 50%, services 35%,
industry 15% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 23% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $13.8 billion
expenditures: $14.6 billion,
including capital expenditures of
$2.1 billion (2001 est.)
Industries: phosphate rock mining and
processing, food processing, leather
goods, textiles, construction,
tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 0.5% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 14.243 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 91.27%
hydro: 8.73%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 14.346 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 1.1 billion kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: barley, wheat, citrus, wine,
vegetables, olives; livestock
Exports: $8.2 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: phosphates and fertilizers, food and
beverages, minerals
Exports - partners: France 26%, Spain 10%, UK 8%, Italy
6%, Germany 5%, India 5%, US 5%
(2000)
Imports: $12.4 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: semiprocessed goods, machinery and
equipment, food and beverages,
consumer goods, fuel
Imports - partners: France 25%, Spain 11%, Germany 6%,
Italy 6%, UK 5%, US 5% (2000)
Debt - external: $19 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $565.6 million (1995)
Currency: Moroccan dirham (MAD)
Currency code: MAD
Exchange rates: Moroccan dirhams per US dollar -
11.584 (January 2002), 11.303
(2001), 10.626 (2000), 9.804 (1999),
9.604 (1998), 9.527 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Morocco
----------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 1.391 million (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 116,645 (1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: modern system
with all important capabilities;
however density is low with only 4.6
main lines available for each 100
persons
domestic: good system composed of
open-wire lines, cables, and
microwave radio relay links;
Internet available but expensive;
principal switching centers are
Casablanca and Rabat; national
network nearly 100% digital using
fiber-optic links; improved rural
service employs microwave radio
relay
international: 7 submarine cables;
satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1
Arabsat; microwave radio relay to
Gibraltar, Spain, and Western
Sahara; coaxial cable and microwave
radio relay to Algeria; participant
in Medarabtel; fiber-optic cable
link from Agadir to Algeria and
Tunisia (1998)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 27, FM 25, shortwave 6 (1998)
Radios: 6.64 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 35 (plus 66 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 3.1 million (1997)
Internet country code: .ma
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 8 (2000)
Internet users: 220,000 (2001)
Transportation Morocco
----------------------
Railways: total: 1,907 km
standard gauge: 1,907 km 1.435-
m gauge (1,003 km electrified; 540
km double-tracked) (2001)
Highways: total: 57,847 km
paved: 30,254 km (including 327 km
of expressways)
unpaved: 27,593 km (1998)
Waterways: none
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: 41 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 227,364 GRT/277,306 DWT
ships by type: cargo 10, chemical
tanker 6, container 6, petroleum
tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 8, roll
on/roll off 8, short-sea passenger 1
note: includes some foreign-owned
ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Germany 1, Hong Kong 1,
Netherlands 2, Norway 2 (2002 est.)
Airports: 67 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 26
over 3,047 m: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2001)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 41
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
under 914 m: 11 (2001)
914 to 1,523 m: 19
Heliports: 1 (2001)
Military Morocco
----------------
Military branches: Royal Armed Forces (includes Army,
Navy, Air Force), Gendarmerie,
Auxiliary Forces
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 8,393,772 (2002
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 5,289,283 (2002
service: est.)
Military manpower - reaching military males: 348,380 (2002 est.)
age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar $1.4 billion (FY99/00)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 4% (FY99/00)
GDP:
Transnational Issues Morocco
----------------------------
Disputes - international: claims and administers Western
Sahara, but sovereignty remains
unresolved; UN-administered cease-
fire has remained in effect since
September 1991, but attempts to hold
a referendum have failed and parties
reject other proposals; Spain
controls three small possessions off
the coast of Morocco - the islands
of Penon de Alhucemas, Penon de
Velez de la Gomera, and Islas
Chafarinas and two autonomous
communities on the coast of Morrocco
- Ceuta and Mellila; Morocco
rejected Spain's unilateral
designation of a median line from
the Canary Islands in 2002 to
explore undersea resources and to
interdict illegal refugees from
Africa
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of hashish;
trafficking increasing for both
domestic and international drug
markets; shipments of hashish mostly
directed to Western Europe; transit
point for cocaine from South America
destined for Western Europe
From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]:
Morocco, IN (town, FIPS 51138)
Location: 40.94561 N, 87.45269 W
Population (1990): 1044 (502 housing units)
Area: 1.5 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 47963
From U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000) [gaz-place]:
Morocco, IN -- U.S. town in Indiana
Population (2000): 1127
Housing Units (2000): 508
Land area (2000): 0.578851 sq. miles (1.499216 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 0.578851 sq. miles (1.499216 sq. km)
FIPS code: 51138
Located within: Indiana (IN), FIPS 18
Location: 40.945650 N, 87.454193 W
ZIP Codes (1990): 47963
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Morocco, IN
Morocco
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