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: 446,550 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 446,300 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 250 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 58

Area - comparative:
slightly more than three times the size of New York; slightly larger than California
Area comparison map:

Land boundaries:
total: 2,362.5 km
border countries (3): Algeria 1,900 km, Western Sahara 444 km, Spain (Ceuta) 8 km, Spain (Melilla) 10.5 km
note: an additional 75-meter border segment exists between Morocco and the Spanish exclave of Penon de Velez de la Gomera
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]

Coastline:
1,835 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

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

Climate:
Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior

Terrain:
mountainous northern coast and interior bordered by large plateaus with intermontane valleys, and fertile coastal plains

Elevation:
mean elevation:
[see also: Mean Elevation country ranks ]
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:
agricultural land: 67.5% arable land 17.5%; permanent crops 2.9%; permanent pasture 47.1%
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
forest: 11.5%
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 21% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
14,850 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Total renewable water resources:
29 cu km (2011)
[see also: Total renewable water resources country ranks ]

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 12.61 cu km/yr (12%/4%/84%)
per capita: 428.1 cu m/yr (2005)

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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Geography - note:
strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar