@Morocco, Economy
Overview:
Morocco faces the typical problems of developing
countries—restraining government spending, reducing constraints on
private activity and foreign trade, and keeping inflation within
bounds. Since the early 1980s the government has pursued an economic
program toward these objectives with the support of the IMF, the World
Bank, and the Paris Club of creditors. The economy has substantial
assets to draw on: the world's largest phosphate reserves, diverse
agricultural and fishing resources, a sizable tourist industry, a
growing manufacturing sector, and large remittances from Moroccans
working abroad. However, a severe drought in 1992-93 has depressed
economic activity and held down experts. Real GDP contracted by 2.9%
in 1992, and growth for 1993 is estimated at only 2%. Despite these
setbacks, initiatives to relax capital controls, strengthen the
banking sector, and privatize state enterprises went forward in 1993.
Servicing the large debt, high unemployment, and vulnerability to
external economic forces remain long-term problems for Morocco.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $70.3 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
2% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
$2,500 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.5% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
16% (1992 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
$7.5 billion
expenditures:
$7.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.9 billion (1992
est.)
Exports:
$5.7 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
food and beverages 30%, semiprocessed goods 23%, consumer goods 21%,
phosphates 17%
partners:
EC 64%, India 6%, Japan 4%, US 3%
Imports:
$8.4 billion (c.i.f., 1992)
commodities:
capital goods 24%, semiprocessed goods 22%, raw materials 16%, fuel
and lubricants 16%, food and beverages 13%, consumer goods 9%
partners:
EC 63%, US 6%, Saudi Arabia 4%, FSU 4%, Japan 1%
External debt:
$21.3 billion (1992)
Industrial production:
growth rate 0.1% (year NA); accounts for 31% of GDP (1991)
Electricity:
capacity:
2,384,000 kW
production:
8.864 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
317 kWh (1992)
Industries:
phosphate rock mining and processing, food processing, leather goods,
textiles, construction, tourism
Agriculture:
accounts for 14% of GDP, 50% of employment, and 30% of export value;
not self-sufficient in food; cereal farming and livestock raising
predominate; barley, wheat, citrus fruit, wine, vegetables, olives
Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of hashish; trafficking on the increase for both
domestic and international drug markets; shipments of hashish mostly
directed to Western Europe; occasional transit point for cocaine from
South America destined for Western Europe.
Economic aid:
recipient:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.3 billion; US
commitments, including Ex-Im (1992), $123.6 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $7.5 billion;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $4.8 billion; Communist countries
(1970-89), $2.5 billion
note:
$2.8 billion debt canceled by Saudi Arabia (1991); IMF standby
agreement worth $13 million; World Bank, $450 million (1991)
Currency:
1 Moroccan dirham (DH) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
Moroccan dirhams (DH) per US$1 - 9.669 (January 1994), 9.299 (1993),
8.538 (1992), 8.707 (1991), 8.242 (1990), 8.488 (1989)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
@Morocco, Communications
Railroads:
1,893 km 1.435-meter standard gauge (246 km double track, 974 km
electrified)
Highways:
total:
59,198 km
paved:
27,740 km
unpaved:
gravel, crushed stone, improved earth, unimproved earth 31,458 km
Pipelines:
crude oil 362 km; petroleum products (abandoned) 491 km; natural gas
241 km
Ports:
Agadir, Casablanca, El Jorf Lasfar, Kenitra, Mohammedia, Nador, Safi,
Tangier; also Spanish-controlled Ceuta and Melilla
Merchant marine:
47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 226,369 GRT/335,089 DWT, cargo
9, chemical tanker 11, container 3, oil tanker 4, refrigerated cargo
12, roll-on/roll-off cargo 6, short-sea passenger 2
Airports:
total:
73
usable:
64
with permanent-surface runways:
26
with runways over 3,659 m:
2
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
13
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
25
Telecommunications:
good system composed of wire lines, cables, and microwave radio relay
links; principal centers are Casablanca and Rabat; secondary centers
are Fes, Marrakech, Oujda, Tangier, and Tetouan; 280,000 telephones
(10.5 telephones per 1,000 persons); broadcast stations - 20 AM, 7 FM,
26 TV and 26 repeaters; 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations -
2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 ARABSAT; microwave radio relay to
Gibraltar, Spain, and Western Sahara; coaxial cable and microwave to
Algeria; microwave radio relay network linking Syria, Jordan, Egypt,
Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco
@Morocco, Defense Forces
Branches:
Royal Moroccan Army, Royal Moroccan Navy, Royal Moroccan Air Force,
Royal Gendarmerie, Auxiliary Forces
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 7,076,261; fit for military service 4,494,641; reach
military age (18) annually 317,093 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $1.1 billion, 3.8% of GDP (1993 budget)
@Mozambique, Geography
Location:
Southern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel between South Africa
and Tanzania opposite the island of Madagascar
Map references:
Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
801,590 sq km
land area:
784,090 sq km
comparative area:
slightly less than twice the size of California
Land boundaries:
total 4,571 km, Malawi 1,569 km, South Africa 491 km, Swaziland 105
km, Tanzania 756 km, Zambia 419 km, Zimbabwe 1,231 km
Coastline:
2,470 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical to subtropical
Terrain:
mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus in
northwest, mountains in west
Natural resources:
coal, titanium
Land use:
arable land:
4%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
56%
forest and woodland:
20%
other:
20%
Irrigated land:
1,150 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
civil strife in the hinterlands has resulted in increased migration to
urban and coastal areas with adverse environmental consequences;
desertification; pollution of surface and coastal waters
natural hazards:
severe drought and floods occur in central and southern provinces
international agreements:
party to - Endangered Species; signed, but not ratified -
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
@Mozambique, People
Population: 17,346,280 (July 1994 est.) Population growth rate: 5.87% (1994 est.) Birth rate: 44.97 births/1,000 population (1994 est.) Death rate: 16.33 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.) Net migration rate: 30.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.) Infant mortality rate: 128.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 48.49 years male: 46.63 years female: 50.41 years (1994 est.) Total fertility rate: 6.25 children born/woman (1994 est.) Nationality: noun: Mozambican(s) adjective: Mozambican Ethnic divisions: indigenous tribal groups, Europeans about 10,000, Euro-Africans 35,000, Indians 15,000 Religions: indigenous beliefs 60%, Christian 30%, Muslim 10% Languages: Portuguese (official), indigenous dialects Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 33% male: 45% female: 21% Labor force: NA by occupation: 90% engaged in agriculture