Geography
Location:
Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara
Geographic coordinates:
32 00 N, 5 00 W
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total area:
446,550 sq km
land area:
446,300 sq km
comparative area:
slightly larger than California
Land boundaries:
total:
2,002 km
border countries:
Algeria 1,559 km, Western Sahara 443 km
note:
excludes the length of the boundary between the places of sovereignty and Morocco
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
International disputes:
claims and administers Western Sahara, but sovereignty is unresolved and the UN is attempting to hold a referendum on the issue; the UN-administered cease-fire has been in effect since September 1991; Spain controls five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco - the coastal enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla which Morocco contests as well as the islands of Penon de Alhucemas, Penon de Velez de la Gomera, and Islas Chafarinas
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
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:
18%
permanent crops:
1%
meadows and pastures:
28%
forest and woodland:
12%
other:
41%
Irrigated land:
12,650 sq km (1989 est.)
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
natural hazards:
northern mountains geologically unstable and subject to earthquakes; periodic droughts
international agreements:
party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea
Geographic note:
strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar
