Morocco

al-Mamlakat al-Maghribiyah

Political Status: Independent since March 2, 1956; constitutional monarchy established in 1962; present constitution approved by referendum on July 1, 2011.

Area: 274,461 sq. mi. (710,850 sq. km), including approximately 97,343 sq. mi. (252,120 sq. km) of Western Sahara, two-thirds of which was annexed in February 1976 and the remaining one-third claimed upon Mauritanian withdrawal in August 1979.

Population: 32,873,714 (2012E—UN); 32,309,239 (2012E—U.S. Census).

Major Urban Centers (2005E): RABAT (1,654,000), Casablanca (2,957,000), Fez (967,000), Marrakesh (840,000), Oujda (406,000).

Official Languages: Arabic and Tamazight.

Monetary Unit: Dirham (official rate November 5, 2012: 8.66 dirhams = $1US).

Sovereign: King MOHAMED VI, became king on July 23, 1999, following the death of his father, HASSAN II.

Heir to the Throne: Crown Prince MOULAY HASSAN.

Prime Minister: Abdelillah BENKIRANE (PJD), appointed on November 29, ...