Sahara 443 km, Spain
(Ceuta) 6.3 km, Spain (Melilla) 9.6 km

Coastline: 1,835 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior

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

Land use:
arable land: 21%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 47%
forests and woodland: 20%
other: 11% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 12,580 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: northern mountains geologically unstable and
subject to earthquakes; periodic droughts

Environment--current issues: 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

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea

Geography--note: strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar

People

Population: 29,661,636 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 36% (male 5,409,322; female 5,208,742)
15-64 years: 60% (male 8,773,625; female 8,922,976)
65 years and over: 4% (male 619,164; female 727,807) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.84% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 25.78 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 6.12 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 50.96 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.87 years
male: 66.85 years
female: 70.99 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.24 childre