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Geography, agriculture and the economy The Kingdom of Morocco is located in North Africa, to the extreme west of the Maghreb. It has a population of 29.8 million and a surface area of 446,000 km2. Average population density is 146 habitants per km2 in rural areas. Morocco is bordered by the Mediterranean to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and by Algeria to the northwest and Mauritania to the south. Rugged, mountainous terrain characterizes the north, with the Rif range culminating in Djebel Tidirhine at 2,448 m and the Atlas Massif at an altitude of 4,165 m in Djebel Toubkal. The northern part of Morocco receives more rainfall than other zones in North Africa. The southern half of the country includes an extremely arid desert zone that is part of the Sahara Desert. Agriculture and the economy Agriculture in the remaining cultivated area depends on uncertain precipitation that affects production. In recent decades a rapid increase in population has led to reduction of the size of landholdings and to encroachment on forest and pasture areas. Agriculture accounts for 16 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) and employs about 40 per cent of the population. Farming systems range from subsistence farming to production of commercial crops. Since most land is not irrigated, the country’s agricultural potential is far from being realized. Cereal production, for example, which occupies 68 per cent of mainly non-irrigated cultivated land, ranges between 2 and 10 million tonnes, depending on precipitation, with an average cereal production of 6 million tonnes. Other export crops, grown on irrigated land, include citrus fruits, tomatoes, potatoes and eating olives. Fishing, which provides 400,000 jobs, alone accounts for half of all food export revenues. The services sector is the country’s most highly developed economic activity, contributing 54 per cent of GDP. Within that sector, trade and tourism are major activities, employing about 35 per cent of the active population. Morocco, the world’s principal exporter of crude and processed phosphates, also exports textiles, garments, footwear, fruit, vegetables and fish. Despite expansion of the manufacturing sector and rapid industrialization, current economic growth is highly dependent on fluctuations in agricultural output. In 2002 the economy was growing at a rate of 2 per cent. Source: IFAD |
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