Geography of Morocco

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Location of Morocco

True-colour image of Morocco from Terra spacecraft

Topography of Morocco

Morocco is the northwesternmost country which spans from the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean on the north and the west respectively, into large mountainous areas in the interior, to the Sahara desert in the far south. Morocco is a Northern African country, located in the extreme northwest of Africa on the edge of continental Europe. The Strait of Gibraltar separates Spain from Morocco with a Template:Convert span of water. Morocco borders the North Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the western Mediterranean Sea to the north, and has borders with Algeria and disputed Western Sahara.

The terrain of Morocco is largely mountainous. The Atlas Mountains stretch from the central north to the southwest. It expands to about Template:Convert and is the dorsal spine of the country. To the north of the Atlas Mountains, there are the Rif Mountains, a chain that makes part of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Andalusia, Spain. The massive range expands to about Template:Convert from Tangier in the west to Nador eastward.

In the west of the country, along the Atlantic coast, the Moroccan Plateau stretches from Tangier to essaouira and get inward to Saiss Plains near Fes and Tansift-Alhaouz near Marrakech. These vast plains promotes fertile agricultural lands and support 15% of the local economy.

In the extreme southeast of the country, the lands are arid due to their proximity to the Sahara Desert. Palm trees oasis are developed in many regions, notably in Figuig and Zagora.

Geography statisticsEdit

File:MoroccoWesternSaharaOMC.png

Morocco's and Western Sahara's cities and main towns

Coordinates:

Coordinates: Template:Coord

Area:
total: 446,550 km²
land: 446,302 km² (or 712,200 km²)
water: 250 km²

Land boundaries:
total: 2,018.9 km
border countries: Algeria 1 559 km, Western Sahara 444 km, Spain (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Spain (Melilla) 9.6 km

Coastline: 1835 km

Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: Template:Convert
Contiguous zone: Template:Convert
Exclusive economic zone: Template:Convert with Template:Convert
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

ClimateEdit

File:Morocco Köppen.svg

Köppen climate types in Morocco

Morocco's climate can be divided into two parts: The northwest and the southeast. In the southeast, the climate is arid and poorly populated. The northwest has a mild climate, and 95% of the Moroccan population lives in these regions.

The largely populated areas of the northwest of the country mostly have a Mediterranean climate, but since the country is heavily mountainous, continental and alpine influence is evident, as well as the oceanic influence along the Atlantic coastline. And finally, the semi-arid lands, that cover few regions in the northeast, the central-south, and the southwest.

Along the Mediterranean coast, the climate is typically Mediterranean and supports all types of typical Mediterranean vegetation. The summers are moderately hot and the winters are mild. Further away from the coast, into the Rif Mountain range, the climate starts to become more continental in character, with colder winters and hotter summers. At elevations above Template:Convert, the climate is alpine with warm summers and cold winters. Rainfall is much higher on the west side than it is on the east side. The average annual precipitation is between Template:Convert, and Template:Convert respectively. Snow is abundant at higher elevations.

Typical Mediterranean climate cities: Tangier, Tétouan, Al Hoceima, Nador
Typical continental-influenced cities: Chefchaouen, Issaguen, Targuist, Taza
Typical alpine-influenced cities: Bab Berred

Along the Atlantic coast, the climate is the Mediterranean with oceanic influence. The imprint of the oceanic climate differs along the coastline from region to region. It is generally presented from Asilah to Essaouira. The summers are warm to moderately hot, and winters are cooler than on the Mediterranean coast. Further away from the coastal lands, into the Atlas Mountain range, the climate starts to become more continental in character, with colder winters and hotter summers. At elevations above Template:Convert, the climate is typically alpine, with warm summers and cold winters. Rainfall is generally high. The average annual precipitations is between Template:Convert on the north, but as you move southward, the average drops by about Template:Convert. Snow is abundant at higher elevations. There are two ski stations, one in the middle-Atlas Mischliffen, and the other in the High-Atlas Oukaïmeden.

Typical oceanic-influenced cities: Rabat, Casablanca, Essaouira, Larache
Typical continental-influenced cities: Fès, Meknès, Khenifra, Beni Mellal
Typical alpine-influenced cities: Ifrane, Azrou, Midelt, Imouzzer Kandar

The southern regions of the northwest are semi-arid. Rainfall is lower, and is between Template:Convert annually. Although temperature ranges generally do not change in comparison with the upper provinces, a slight increase in high averages is not to be dismissed. Largely due to the lower latitudes where they fall.

Typical cities with such climate are Agadir and Marrakesh.

Template:Weather box

Template:Weather box Template:Weather box

Climate changeEdit

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Physical geographyEdit

File:Valley of Ammeln.jpg

Anti-Atlas mountain range

The northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas of bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains. The northern mountains are geologically unstable and subject to earthquakes.

Morocco occupies a strategic location along the Strait of Gibraltar, the waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.

Elevation extremes:
Lowest point: Sebkha Tah −55 m
Highest point: Toubkal mountain 4,165 m

Longest river: Draa River (1,100 km)

Land use and natural resourcesEdit

Natural resources: Phosphates, Iron ore, Manganese, Lead, Zinc, Fish, Salt

Land use:
Arable land: 17.5%
Permanent crops: 2.9%
Permanent pastures: 47.1%
Forests: 11.5%
Other: 21.61% (2011)

Irrigated land: 14,850 km² (2004)

Total renewable water resources: 29 km³ (2011)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts

EnvironmentEdit

EcoregionsEdit

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Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrubEdit

Freshwater ecoregionsEdit

Marine ecoregionsEdit

Current environmental issuesEdit

Land degradation/desertification (soil erosion resulting from farming of marginal areas, overgrazing, destruction of vegetation); water supplies contaminated by raw sewage; siltation of reservoirs; oil pollution of coastal waters.

International environmental agreementsEdit

Morocco is party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution (MARPOL 73/78), Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Extreme pointsEdit

This is a list of the extreme points of Morocco, the points that are farther north, east or west than any other location.

Northernmost point – Pointe Leona,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region

Easternmost point – unnamed point on the border with Algeria immediately east of the town of Iche, Oriental region
Westernmost point – the point at which the border with Western Sahara enters the Atlantic Ocean, Guelmim-Oued Noun region
- Note: Morocco does not have a southernmost point, its southern border with Western Sahara following latitude 27° 40′ north.