Geography

Morocco Erg Chebbi
Photo: Claire Spottiswoode

Morocco has a land area of 446,550 km2 and an estimated  population of over 32 million with an extremely high growth rate. It is situated in Northern Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara with a coastline of 1,835 km. The climate is Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior. The northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas of bordering plateaux, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains. The altitude varies from 55 m below sea level to the highest point in North Africa at 4,165 m.  Arabic is the official language and French is often the language of business, government, and diplomacy. More details can be found at CIA Factbook.

Western Sahara represents an additional land area of 266,000 km2 and an estimated  population of 267,000. It borders Mauritania, Morocco and Algeria with a coastline of 1,110 km. The climate is hot, dry desert and rain is rare with cold offshore air currents producing fog and heavy dew. The terrain is mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in the south and north-east with the highest point at 463 m. Administratively, movement in Western Sahara is straightforward, although it is important to check which areas may still potentially be mined. More details can be found at CIA Factbook.