Morocco

D

Energy

Around 94 per cent of Morocco’s annual production of electricity is generated in thermal plants, and the remainder is produced in hydroelectric facilities. Morocco has an installed electricity-generating capacity of about 2.6 million kW. Output of electricity in 2003 was about 17.3 billion kWh.

E

Currency and Banking

The monetary unit of Morocco is the Moroccan dirham of 100 francs (7.83 dirhams equalled US$1; early 2008). It is issued by the Banque al-Maghrib (1959), the state bank. The country also has several large private banks.

F

Commerce and Trade

Morocco’s leading exports are phosphates and phosphoric acid. Other exports include citrus fruit, wheat, fish, and minerals. Exports in 2003 earned around US$8,777 million. Imports, consisting mainly of industrial equipment, food products, manufactured goods, and fuels, were valued at US$14,231 million. The principal trade partners of Morocco are France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates. Morocco gains much foreign exchange from remittances by Moroccans working abroad and from the expenditures of the 3.5 million tourists who visit the country each year.

G

Labour

Morocco’s workforce in 2006 included some 11.3 million people. Approximately 34 per cent of the labour force was engaged in agriculture, about 8 per cent worked in services, and some 24 per cent was employed in industry. Only a small percentage of the total workforce is organized; the leading trade unions are the Union Marocaine du Travail and the Union Générale des Travailleurs du Maroc.

H

Transport

Morocco has extensive port facilities, concentrated principally at Casablanca. Other ports include Agadir, Kenitra, Mohammedia, Safi, and Tangier. The country has some 1,907 km (1,185 mi) of railway track and about 57,493 km (35,724 mi) of roads, some 57 per cent of which were hard-surfaced. Morocco had about 45 passenger cars per 1,000 people in 2002. Domestic and international air service is provided by Royal Air Maroc; several major foreign airlines also serve Morocco. Mohammed V International Airport at Casablanca is the country’s major airport. Menara Airport at Marrakesh and Al Massira at Agadir are also important points of arrival and departure.