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CITIES

Capital and Seat of Government: Rabat 1,636,600

Largest City and Center of Commerce and Industry: Casablanca 3,397,000

Other Major Cities: Fes (cultural and religious centre: 941,800), Marrakech (dominantly Berber capital of the South: 755,200), Agadir, Essaouira, Meknes, Oujda, Ouarzazate, Safi, Tangier, Tiznit, Sale, and Tan-Tan.

AREA

Total (including Western Sahara ): 712,850 sq km

Total (excluding Western Sahara ): 446,550 sq km

Land: 446,300 sq km

Water: 250 sq km

Land boundaries: 2,018km

Coastline: 1,835km

LOCATION AND TERRAIN

One-tenth larger than the size of California , Morocco is nestled away in the northwest corner of Africa enclosed with oceans, desert and mountains. With a strategic location along the Strait of Gibraltar across from Spain and a coast that extends over 3,500km, Morocco is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea on the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The south of Morocco is desert, where it has a 443km border with the disputed territory of the Western Sahara . To the east, the Atlas Mountains run towards its 1,559km border with Algeria . Morocco boasts three prominent mountain ranges, including the Atlas, Anti-Atlas, and Rif Mountain ranges. These three mountain ranges run parallel to each other from the southwest to the northeast. The Atlas Mountains run down the backbone of the country, while the Rif Mountains border the Mediterranean . Along with the Sahara desert, these Atlas Mountains serve to separate Morocco from the rest of Africa , and give it a more Mediterranean feel. This Mediterranean feel extends to the beautiful sandy beaches, lush river valleys, and fertile plains that add so much exotic beauty to the northwest. Towards the southeast, at the edge of the Anti Atlas Mountains, rivers form magnificent gorges, and then eventually die out into the vast expanse of the Sahara desert. This means that most of the population lives north of the mountains, and the south remains economically unproductive.