Morocco
Morocco "Land of God"is a country in the Maghrebregion ofNorth
Africa. Geographically, Morocco is characterized by a rugged
mountainous interior and large portions of desert. It is one of
only three countries (withSpainandFrance) to have both Atlantic and
Mediterranean coastlines. Morocco has a population of over 33,8
million and an area of 446,550km2(172,410sqmi). Its political
capital isRabat, although the largest city isCasablanca; other
major cities
includeMarrakesh,Tangier,Tetouan,Sal,Fes,Agadir,Meknes,Oujda,Kenitra,
andNador. A historically prominent regional power, Morocco has a
history of independence not shared by its neighbours. Its distinct
culture is a blend ofBerber,Arab, Sub-Saharan African, and European
influences.Morocco is aconstitutional monarchywith an elected
parliament. TheKing of Moroccoholds vast executive and legislative
powers, especially over themilitary, foreign policy and religious
affairs.Executive poweris exercised by thegovernment,
whilelegislative poweris vested in both the government and the two
chambers of parliament, theAssembly of Representativesand
theAssembly of Councillors. The king can issue decrees
calleddahirswhich have the force of law. He can also dissolve the
parliament after consulting thePrime Ministerand the president of
the Constitutional court.Morocco's predominant religion is Islam,
while the official languages areBerberandArabic.Moroccan Arabic,
referred to asDarija, and Frenchare also widely spoken.
Military
Mohammed VI, aFREMM multipurpose frigateof theRoyal Moroccan
Navy.Compulsory military service in Morocco has been officially
suppressed since September 2006, and the countrys reserve
obligation lasts until age 50. The countrys military consists of
the Royal Armed Forcesthis includes theArmy(the largest branch),
theNavy, theAir Force, theRoyal Guard, theRoyal Gendarmerieand
theAuxiliary Forces. Internal security is generally effective, and
acts of political violence are rare (with one exception, the2003
Casablanca bombingswhich killed 45 people[46]). The UN maintains a
small observer force in Western Sahara, where a large number of
Moroccos troops are stationed. The Saharawi groupPolisariomaintains
an active militia of an estimated 5,000 fighters in Western Sahara
and has engaged in intermittent warfare with Moroccan forces since
the 1980s.Foreign relationsMorocco is a member of theUnited
Nationsand belongs to theArab League,Arab Maghreb
Union(UMA),Organisation of Islamic Cooperation(OIC), theNon-Aligned
Movementand theCommunity of Sahel-Saharan States(CEN_SAD).
Morocco's relationships vary greatly between African, Arab, and
Western states. Morocco has had strong ties to the West in order to
gain economic and political benefits.[47]France and Spain remain
the primary trade partners, as well as the primary creditors and
foreign investors in Morocco. From the total foreign investments in
Morocco, theEuropean Unioninvests approximately 73.5%, whereas, the
Arab world invests only 19.3%. Many countries from the Gulf
andMaghrebregions are getting more involved in large-scale
development projects in Morocco.[48]Morocco remains the only
African state not to be a member of theAfrican Uniondue to its
unilateral withdrawal on 12 November 1984 over the admission of
theSahrawi Arab Democratic Republicin 1982 by theAfrican Union(then
called Organization of African Unity) as a full member without the
organization of a referendum of self-determination in the disputed
territory of Western Sahara.Adispute with Spain in 2002 over the
tiny island of Perejilrevived the issue of the sovereignty
ofMelillaandCeuta. These small enclaves on the Mediterranean coast
are surrounded by Morocco and have been administered by Spain for
centuries.Morocco has been given the status of non-NATO ally by the
US government.Morocco is included in the European Union'sEuropean
Neighbourhood Policy(ENP) which aims at bringing the EU and its
neighbours closer.
TourismTourism is one of the most important sectors in Moroccan
economy, it is well developed with a strong tourist industry
focused on the country's coast, culture, and history . Morocco
attracted more than 10 million tourists in 2013. Tourism is the
second largest foreign exchange earner in Morocco after the
phosphate industry. The Moroccan government is heavily investing in
tourism development, in 2010 the government launched its Vision
2020 which plans to make Morocco one of the top 20 tourist
destinations in the world and to double the annual number of
international arrivals to 20 million by 2020,[57]with the hope that
tourism will then have risen to 20% of GDP. A large government
sponsored marketing campaigns to attract tourists advertised
Morocco as a cheap and exotic, yet safe, place for tourists, most
of the visitors to Morocco continue to be European, with French
nationals making up almost 20% of all visitors. Most Europeans
visit in April and the autumn, apart from the Spanish, who mostly
visit in June and August In 2013. Morocco's relatively high amount
of tourists has been aided by its location, Morocco is close to
Europe and attracts visitors to its beaches. Because of its
proximity to Spain, tourists in southern Spain's coastal areas take
one- to three-day trips to Morocco. Air services between Morocco
and Algeria have been established, many Algerians have gone to
Morocco to shop and visit family and friends. Morocco is relatively
inexpensive because of the devaluation of the dirham and the
increase of hotel prices in Spain. Morocco has an excellent road
and rail infrastructure that links the major cities and tourist
destinations with ports and cities with international airports.
Low-cost airlines offer cheap flights to the country.Tourism is
increasingly focused on Morocco's culture, such as its ancient
cities. The modern tourist industry capitalizes on Morocco's
ancient Roman and Islamic sites, and on its landscape and cultural
history. 60% of Morocco's tourists visit for its culture and
heritage. Agadir is a major coastal resort and has a third of all
Moroccan bed nights. It is a base for tours to the Atlas Mountains.
Other resorts in north Morocco are also very popular.[58]Casablanca
is the major cruise port in Morocco, and has the best developed
market for tourists in Morocco, Marrakech in central Morocco is a
popular tourist destination, but is more popular among tourists for
one- and two-day excursions that provide a taste of Morocco's
history and culture. The Majorelle botanical garden in Marrakech is
a popular tourist attraction. It was bought by the fashion designer
Yves Saint-Laurent and Pierre Berg in 1980. Their presence in the
city helped to boost the city's profile as a tourist
destination.[59]As of 2006, activity and adventure tourism in the
Atlas and Rif Mountains are the fastest growth area in Moroccan
tourism. These locations have excellent walking and trekking
opportunities from late March to mid-November. The government is
investing in trekking circuits. They are also developing desert
tourism in competition with Tunisia.TheRoyal Moroccan Armed
ForcesThey consist of theArmy, theNavy, theAir Force, theRoyal
Guard, theRoyal Gendarmerieand theAuxiliary Forces.The Royal
Moroccan Armed Forces are large, expensive and well-trained with
extensive experience incounter-insurgency,desert warfareand
combined air-land operations, Further experience has come from
participating inpeace-keepingoperations[2]however It has not fought
a conventional interstate war since theAlgerian-Moroccan war of
1963meaning that They have little experience in state-on-state
Warfare.[4]But this force still faces many challenges. The U.S.
Embassy in Rabat commented in 2008 that: "The military remains
plagued by corruption, an inefficient bureaucracy, low levels of
education in the ranks, periodic threats of radicalization of some
of its soldiers, political marginalization, and the deployment of
most of its forces inWestern Sahara".Branches:The modern Moroccan
military is composed of the following branches:The Royal ArmyThe
Royal Moroccan Army is the branch of the Royal Moroccan Armed
Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The army is
about 175,000 troops strong, In case of war or state of siege, an
additional force of 150,000 Reservists and paramilitary forces,
including 20,000 regulars of the Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie and
30,000 Auxiliary Forces come under the Ministry of Defense
command.
Royal Guard The Moroccan Royal Guard is officially part of the
Royal Moroccan Army, However it is under the direct operational
control of the Royal Military Household of His Majesty the King,
The sole duty of the guard is to provide for the security and
safety of the King and royal family of Morocco.The Royal Air
ForceThe Royal Moroccan Air Force is the air force branch of the
Moroccan Armed Forces, It employs 13,000 personnel and is equipped
with more than 300 aircraft, in the 21st century the Royal Moroccan
Air Force started a progressive modernization program of its ageing
fleet and their technical and operational capacities.The Royal
NavyThe Royal Navy is the branch of the Moroccan Armed Forces
responsible of conducting naval operations, Its mission includes
the protection of Moroccan territory and sovereignty, as well as
the control of Morocco's 81,000 square nautical mile Exclusive
Economic Zone. Given Morocco's significant coastline (2,952km) and
strategic position oversseing the strait of Gibraltar, it (with
Spain and the United Kingdom) is deeply involved in the security of
this important international waterway.Royal GendarmerieThe Moroccan
Royal Gendarmerie is the Gendarmerie body of Morocco, the
legislation which founded the Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie describes
it as a public force designed to guarantee public security and
public order and the implementation of laws. This legislation text
attaches the Gendarmerie to the Royal Moroccan Army, then
constituting a military force in its structure, administration and
command forms. It consists of officers and NCOs.Auxiliary ForcesThe
Moroccan Auxiliary Forces is a paramilitary force legally part of
the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces but following the command of the
Ministry of the Interior of Morocco, which supplements the
military, Gendarmerie and police when needed, Auxiliary Forces'
missions are to support security forces and the army, maintain
public security, and participate in operational missions of
territory defense.Participation in peacekeeping operationsUnited
Nations Operation in Cte d'IvoireMorocco has deployed one infantry
battalion to participate in the ONUCI peacekeeping mission whose
objective is "to facilitate the implementation by the Ivorian
parties of the peace agreement signed by them in January 2003"
(which aimed to end the Ivorian Civil War). The two main Ivorian
parties here are the Ivorian Government forces who control the
south of the country, and the New Forces (former rebels), who
control the north. The UNOCI mission aims to control a "zone of
confidence" across the centre of the country separating the two
parties.MONUSCO (Democratic Republic of the Congo)Morocco has
deployed 6 observers, one mechanised infantry battalion and one
field hospital to participate in the United Nations Security
Council efforts to monitor the peace process of the Second Congo
War .Kosovo ForceMorocco has deployed one company of soldiers[18]to
contribute in the NATO-led international peacekeeping force which
was responsible for establishing a secure environment in
Kosovo.Peacekeeping mission in Central African RepublicThe Moroccan
Royal Armed Forces Has sent a contingent on December 25, 2013 for
the Central African Republic to be deployed in the UN Integrated
Peace building Office (BINUCA). Moroccan authorities also said they
stand ready to support the Central African Republic in its path
toward peace and stability.
