Geography OfMOROCCO WHERE IS MOROCCO
Location
Morocco is located in North of Africa and is over 446,000sq km in area, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Mauritania. In the north-west, Morocco is separated from Spain by the narrow Straits of Gibraltar (strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar ).
Morocco, about one-tenth larger than California, lies across the Strait of Gibraltar on the Mediterranean and looks out on the Atlantic from the northwest shoulder of Africa. Algeria is to the east and Mauritania to the south. On the Atlantic coast there is a fertile plain. The Mediterranean coast is mountainous. The Atlas Mountains, running northeastward from the south to the Algerian frontier, average 11,000 ft (3,353 m) in elevation.
The capital city is Rabat on the Atlantic Coast. Casablanca, also on the Atlantic coast, is the country's chief port. The city of Fes is the spiritual and cultural centre of Morocco, famous for its ancient university. Marrakesh, an oasis at the edge of the desert, is also an important trade centre and the main city of southern Morocco. Tangier in the north, opposite Gibraltar is famous for the many writers and artists who have lived there.
Along the coastline of the Atlantic lies a fertile plain which stretches to the Atlas mountains. Another mountain range, the Rif Mountains, runs west to east a short distance from the Mediterranean coast.
The main rivers of Morocco are the Sebou which runs into the Atlantic and the Moulouya which runs into the Mediterranean.
To the south and east lies the Sahara Desert. The Sahara is the world's largest desert and in Arabic its name means "wilderness". The desert is not entirely flat and waterless. The streams in the hills and the oases in the desert support both human and animal life.
Summary
Geography - note: strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar.
Area: total:446,550 sq km / land: 446,300 sq km / water: 250 sq km
Coastline: 1,835 km
Terrain: northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas of bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains.
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Sebkha Tah -55 m / highest point: Jebel Toubkal 4,165 m.
Natural resources: phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt.
Environment - international agreements:: 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, Wetlands, Whaling.