Nov. 21 (Reuters) – – Here are some facts about Morocco, which is holding parliamentary elections on Nov. 25.
* THE ECONOMY:
— Morocco’s economic growth probably slowed to an annual rate of 4.1 percent in the third quarter, below the country’s full-year target, after a slowdown in mining and tourism, the planning authority said at the beginning of November.
— The central bank last month said hotel and restaurant activity recorded a 3.8 percent drop in the second quarter, its worst quarterly performance since the first quarter of 2009.
— Tourism contributes close to 10 percent of Morocco’s economy and directly employs 450,000 people.
— After growing by 4 percent to around $95 billion in 2010, Morocco’s gross domestic product grew 5 percent during the first quarter of 2011 and 4.2 percent in the second, according to the central bank.
— The finance ministry forecasts 5 percent growth for all of 2011.
* COUNTRY DETAILS:
POPULATION: 32 million. The population of disputed territory Western Sahara is around 385,000.
ETHNIC GROUPS: Arab 70 percent, Berber 30 percent.
RELIGION: Mainly Sunni Muslim (99 percent). There are Christian and Jewish minorities.
LANGUAGE: Most people speak Darija, a mixture of Arabic, European and Berber languages. Arabic is the country’s official language. Berber languages are spoken in mountainous areas and the south, and many Moroccans also speak French or Spanish.
AREA: About the size of Sweden at 446,550 sq km (172,414 sq miles), bordering the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Algeria lies to the east and to the southwest lies Western Sahara, a disputed territory which the Rabat government says is part of Morocco.
Sources: Reuters/CIA/State Dept/UNDP/MENA Today/EIKON (For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit:africa.reuters.com/ ) (Writing by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit)
