morocco

Name: Kingdom of Morocco
Political Capital: Rabat (1.717.000 habitants.)
Major cities: Casablanca (4.000.000 hab.), Fes, Marrakech, Agadir, Tangeri, Meknes
Form of Government: Constitutional Monarchy
Political situation: Under King Mohammed VI - who in 1999 succeeded his father on the throne - human rights and stability of the country have improved. Morocco has a moderately free press. Recently there is an ongoing project to reform the Constitution.
Territorial subdivision: 16 regions, further divided into prefectures and provinces for a total of 62 administrations of 2 nd level.
Population: 31,968,361 hab.*
Urbanization rate: 58%
Population density: 70 inhabitants per km2
Ethnic groups: Berbers (99.1%), other (0.7%), Jews (0.2%)
Official religions: Muslim (98.7%), Christian (1.1%), Jewish (0.2%)
Official language: Arabic (in trade relations is the most popular French, there are Berber and Spanish-speaking minorities (especially in the north).
Territory surface: 446,550 km2 (710,850 km2 * including Western Sahara), of which, the land 446.300 km2 of land, 250 km2 of water
Land: the northern coast and the interior are mostly mountainous, border areas have plateaus, mountain valleys, while the coast is flat.
Neighbouring countries: Algeria to the east, "Territories of Western Sahara" to the south, Spain (Ceuta and Melilla) and Mediterranean Sea to the north, Atlantic Ocean to the west.
Climate: In coastal regions the climate tends to be mild. To the north can be cold and rainy. Average temperatures in Tangier and Casablanca ranging from 12 ° to 25 ° in summer while the southern part of the country is arid with low rainfall.
In the mountains the thermometer can score down to -20 °.
Festivities and work hours: January 11 - Independence Day, March 3 - Feast of the Throne, May 1 - Labour Day, July 9 - Feast of Youth, August 20 – Commemoration of the revolution of the king and the people, November 18 - Commemoration of the return home from exile of Mohamed V, Ramadan. Opening hours during the period of Ramadan are subject to changes.
Passport and Visa: it is necessary a passport or identity card valid for expatriation, visa is required to stay in the country longer than 3 months.
Local currency: Dirham (Dh)
Currency exchange rate: € 1 is around Dh 11
GDP growth rate: 2009: 5,7%
Inflation: 2009: 3,1%
Unemployment: 2009: 10,2%
Transport system: The road network covers 68,550 km , with 60% paved. The railway is widespread in Morocco and is among the most developed networks of all Africa with a total of 1,907 km, including 1,022 electrified. Moroccan air transport has had an enormous development in recent years. Morocco now has 15 airports
Economy: The current Moroccan economy is strong and diversified: in addition to the world's largest reserves of phosphates, the country has a diversified agricultural sector, a flourishing fishing industry, a well-developed tourism sector and a growing manufacturing sector
Primary Sector: Agricultural production, which has a variable weight between 15% and 20% of GDP and employs 40% of the labor force, covering the internal needs satisfactorily. The main products are cereals, sugar beets and sugar cane, lemons, potatoes, olives, tomatoes, strawberries and bananas. Fishing plays a central role, providing more than 12% of export earnings
Secondary sector: The manufacturing industry, which employs 37% of the total labor force is growing rapidly. The main sectors consist of food, tobacco, beverages, textiles and clothing industry and leather, chemical, mechanical, metallurgical, electrical and electronics, wood processing and construction
Tertiary sector: The real driving force of the tertiary sector is the tourism, the sector's development has also focused on the sectors of banking, finance, retail and mobile communications
Renewable energies: Morocco is a country with extremely limited availability of oil resources, for this reason the country is keen to develop renewable energy sources in a decisive manner, with the aim of reducing the import of oil and gas (97% of Moroccan currently imported and domestic demand for energy grows by an average of 5% per year). The goal for 2020 is to achieve 20% of national energy needs through the production of energy from alternative sources to fossil fuels
Investment incentives: The FDI procedure in Morocco is governed by the Charter of Investments. Morocco encourages foreign investment and guarantees to them the same rights and benefits that are granted to all local investors.
There is also an agreement in place with Italy, which prohibits double taxation.

* Morocco considers as an integral part of his Kingdom the Western Sahara territory, which covers 252,120 square kilometers with a population estimated at 300,000 inhabitants.