What is the capital of Morocco?

The capital of Morocco is Rabat.

What is the population of Morocco?

Morocco has a population of about 38.43 million, the #41 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.

Morocco covers 446,550 km², ranking #59 by area, with about 86 people per square kilometre.

Which countries border Morocco?

Morocco shares a land or maritime border with Spain, Algeria, Western Sahara.

What is the largest city in Morocco?

Casablanca is the largest city in Morocco, with a metropolitan population of about 3.18 million.

What is the highest mountain in Morocco?

The highest summit recorded for Morocco in YearMaps is Jebel Toubkal at 4,165 m (13,665 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.

Country · Africa · MA

Map of Morocco

Morocco is a country in Africa with its capital at Rabat, home to about 38.43 million people across 446,550 km². The interactive map below plots 26 cities and towns, 4 rivers, 4 mountain summits and 12 ports recorded for Morocco in YearMaps.

Population: 38.43 million
Area: 446,550 km²
Capital: Rabat
Continent: Africa

About Morocco

Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to the east; the Spanish exclaves of Ceuta, Melilla and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera along the north, which it claims together with several small Spanish-controlled islands; and the disputed territory of Western Sahara to the south, partly occupied by Morocco since 1975. Morocco also claims to share a border with Mauritania through the disputed territory of Western Sahara. It has a population of approximately 37 million. Its capital is Rabat, while its largest city is Casablanca.

The region constituting Morocco has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era, more than 300,000 years ago. The Moroccan state traces its origins to the establishment of the Idrisid dynasty by Idris I in 788, although its historical territories did not coincide with those of present-day Morocco; the country is regarded as one of the world's oldest continuously existing states. Morocco was subsequently ruled by a series of other independent dynasties, reaching its zenith as a regional power in the 11th and 12th centuries, under the Almoravid and Almohad dynasties, both Berber kingdoms, when it controlled the southern and eastern Iberian Peninsula and the Maghreb. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Morocco faced external threats to its sovereignty, with Portugal seizing some territory and the Ottoman Empire encroaching from the east. The Marinid and Saadi dynasties otherwise resisted foreign domination, and Morocco was the only North African nation to escape Ottoman dominion. The Saadi dynasty expanded its territory through the conquest of the Songhai Empire in the late 16th century. The Alawi dynasty, which rules the country to this day, seized power in 1631, and over the next two centuries expanded diplomatic and commercial relations with the Western world. It is among the world's oldest reigning royal dynasties. Morocco's strategic location near the mouth of the Mediterranean drew renewed European interest. In 1912, France and Spain established protectorates over the country and designated Tangier as an international zone, while the Sultan remained the formal sovereign with limited authority under colonial control. Following intermittent riots and revolts against colonial rule, Morocco regained its independence and reunified in 1956 under the leadership of Sultan Mohammed V.

Since independence, Morocco has remained relatively stable.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Morocco (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Geography and Climate of Morocco

In 788, about a century after the Arab conquest of North Africa, a series of Muslim dynasties began to rule in Morocco. In the 16th century, the Sa'adi monarchy, particularly under Ahmad al-MANSUR (1578-1603), repelled foreign invaders and inaugurated a golden age. The Alaouite Dynasty, to which the current Moroccan royal family belongs, dates from the 17th century. In 1860, Spain occupied northern Morocco and ushered in a half-century of trade rivalry among European powers that saw Morocco's sovereignty steadily erode; in 1912, the French imposed a protectorate over the country. A protracted independence struggle with France ended successfully in 1956. The internationalized city of Tangier and most Spanish possessions were turned over to the new country that same year. Sultan MOHAMMED V, the current monarch's grandfather, organized the new state as a constitutional monarchy and in 1957 assumed the title of king. Since Spain's 1976 withdrawal from Western Sahara, Morocco has extended its de facto administrative control to roughly 75% of this territory; however, the UN does not recognize Morocco as the administering power for Western Sahara. The UN since 1991 has monitored a cease-fire, which broke down in late 2020, between Morocco and the Polisario Front -- an organization advocating the territory’s independence -- and restarted negotiations over the status of the territory in 2018. In 2020, the US recognized Morocco's sovereignty over all of Western Sahara. In 2011, King MOHAMMED VI responded to the spread of pro-democracy protests in the North Africa region by implementing a reform program that included a new constitution, passed by popular referendum, under which some new powers were extended to parliament and the prime minister, but ultimate authority remains in the hands of the monarch. Later that year, the Justice and Development Party (PJD) -- a moderate Islamist democratic party -- won the largest number of seats in parliamentary elections, becoming the first Islamist party to lead the Moroccan Government. In 2015, Morocco held its first direct elections for regional councils, which was one of the reforms included in the 2011 constitution. The PJD again won the largest number of seats in nationwide parliamentary elections in 2016, but it lost its plurality to the probusiness National Rally of Independents (RNI) in 2021. In 2020, Morocco signed a normalization agreement with Israel, similar to those that Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Sudan had concluded with Israel earlier that year.

Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Mauritania.
Climate: Mediterranean in the north, becoming more extreme in the interior; in the south, hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew.
Terrain: Mountainous northern coast (Rif Mountains) and interior (Atlas Mountains) bordered by large plateaus with intermontane valleys, and fertile coastal plains; the south is mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces.
Highest point: Jebel Toubkal 4,165 m.
Lowest point: Sebkha Tah -59 m.
Coastline: 2,945 km.
Land borders: Total: 3,523.5 km; border countries: Algeria 1,941 km; Mauritania 1,564 km; Spain (Ceuta) 8 km and Spain (Melilla) 10.5 km.
Major rivers: Draa - 1,100 km.
Natural resources: Phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt.
Land use: Agricultural land: 66.7% (2023 est.); arable land: 15.4% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 4.3% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 47.1% (2023 est.); forest: 12.8% (2023 est.); other: 20.3% (2023 est.)
Natural hazards: In the north, the mountains are geologically unstable and subject to earthquakes; periodic droughts; windstorms; flash floods; landslides; in the south, a hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility.
Geographic note: Strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar; the only African nation to have both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines; the waters off the Atlantic coast are particularly rich fishing areas.
Languages: Arabic (official), Tamazight languages (Tamazight (official), Tachelhit, Tarifit), French (often the language of business, government, and diplomacy)
Religions: Muslim 99% (official; virtually all Sunni, <0.1% Shia), other 1% (includes Christian, Jewish, and Baha'i); note - Jewish about 3,000-3,500 (2020 est.)
Ethnic groups: Arab-Amazigh 99%, other 1%.
Economy: Lower middle-income North African economy; ongoing recovery from recent drought and earthquake; rebounding via tourism, manufacturing, and raw materials processing; significant trade and investment with EU; reform programs include fiscal rebalancing, state enterprise governance and private sector investments.

From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.

Morocco in Numbers

Population: 38.43 million
GDP: US$182.4 billion
GDP per person: US$4,672
Life expectancy: 75.5 years
Population growth: 0.91% a year
Population density: 85 per km²
Urban population: 63.1%
Surface area: 446,550 km²
Forest cover: 12.8%
Arable land: 15.8%
Access to electricity: 100.0%
Internet users: 91.2%

Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.

Morocco in Depth

History

The area of present-day Morocco has been inhabited since at least Paleolithic times, beginning sometime between 190,000 and 90,000 BC. A recent publication has suggested that there is evidence for even earlier human habitation of the area: Homo sapiens fossils that had been discovered in the late 2000s near the Atlantic coast in Jebel Irhoud were recently dated to roughly 315,000 years ago. Hominin fossils from Thomas Quarry I in Casablanca, published in 2026, push evidence of hominin presence in the region back to approximately 773,000 years ago, near the root of the Homo sapiens lineage. During the Upper Paleolithic, the Maghreb was more fertile than it is today, resembling a savanna, in contrast to its modern arid landscape.

Geography

Morocco has a coast on the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by Spain to the north (a water border through the Strait and land borders with three small Spanish-controlled exclaves, Ceuta, Melilla, and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera), Algeria to the east, and Western Sahara to the south. Since Morocco controls most of Western Sahara, its de facto southern border is with Mauritania. The geography of Morocco spans from the Atlantic Ocean, to mountainous areas, to the Sahara desert. Morocco is a Northern African country, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and the annexed Western Sahara.

Economy

Morocco's economy is considered a liberal economy, governed by the law of supply and demand. Since 1993, the country has followed a policy of privatisation of certain economic sectors which used to be in the hands of the government. Morocco has become a major player in African economic affairs, and is the sixth largest economy in Africa by GDP (PPP). Morocco was ranked as the first African country by the Economist Intelligence Unit's quality-of-life index, ahead of South Africa. However, in the years since that first-place ranking was given, Morocco has slipped into fourth place behind Egypt.

In 2025, Morocco became Africa's leading industrial economy according to the African Development Bank, overtaking South Africa for the first time since the ranking began.

Demographics

Morocco has a population of around 36,828,330 inhabitants (2024 census). Morocco's population was 11.6 million in 1960. In 2024, 49.7% of the population is female, while 50.3% of it is male. According to the 2014 Morocco population census, there were around 84,000 immigrants in the country. Of these foreign-born residents, most were of French origin, followed by individuals mainly from various nations in West Africa and Algeria. There are also a number of foreign residents of Spanish origin.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Morocco (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Morocco: Key Facts

Key facts about Morocco
Currency	Moroccan dirham
Official languages	Arabic, Standard Moroccan Tamazight
Head of state	Mohammed VI of Morocco
Head of government	Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri
Form of government	constitutional monarchy
Calling code	+212
Internet domain	.ma
Highest point	Jbel Toubkal
Lowest point	Sebkha Tah
Established	789 CE

Facts from Wikidata Q1028 (CC0).

History of Morocco: Empires and States

The atlas records 26 polities whose mapped territory included part of Morocco, from Carthage in 480 BCE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.

Polities that held Morocco, in chronological order
Polity	Period here	Extent
Carthage	480–198 BCE	A small part
Mauretania	212 BCE – 42 CE	A large part
The Roman Empire	43–438 CE	A large part
Western Roman Empire	395–438 CE	A small part
Vandal Kingdom	439–533 CE	A small part
The Umayyad Caliphate	692–749 CE	Most
Idrisids	793–979 CE	A large part
Barghawata Conference	793–1065 CE	A small part
Fatimid Caliphate	922–946 CE	A large part
Caliphate of Córdoba	980–1014 CE	A large part
Almoravid Dynasty	1056–1151 CE	Nearly all
Almohad Caliphate	1139–1343 CE	Most
Marinid Sultanate	1250–1467 CE	Most
Wattasid dynasty	1468–1555 CE	Most
The Portuguese Empire	1492–1546 CE	A small part
Portuguese Africa	1507–1546 CE	A small part
Saadi Sultanate	1556–1669 CE	Most
Morocco	1670–2024 CE	Most
Kingdom of Spain	1885–1931 CE	A small part
The Spanish Empire	1885–1931 CE	A small part
French Third Republic	1912–1939 CE	Most
French Africa	1912–1955 CE	Most
The French Colonial Empire	1912–1955 CE	Most
Second Spanish Republic	1932–1938 CE	A small part
Francoist Spain	1939–1975 CE	A small part
French Fourth Republic	1945–1955 CE	Most

Historical Maps of Morocco

Morocco on the world map in each year one of these states held it:

Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.

Visiting Morocco

Morocco (Arabic: المغرب, Al-Maghrib; Berber: ⵍⵎⴰⵖⵔⵉⴱ, Elmaɣrib; French: Maroc) is the northwesternmost country in Africa. Morocco has, for most people, been the gateway to Africa. With plenty of attractive locations, historical sights, and unique cultural traditions, there's lots to see and do in this beautiful, mesmerising country. At just a few hours from the main European cities, Morocco has everything to overwhelm you with the amazing colours, smells and sounds of Islamic Africa. Imagine bustling souqs and spice markets, stunning mosques, white-washed sea side towns and medieval city centres. With panoramic views varying from snow-covered peaks in the High Atlas to the endless sand dunes of the Sahara, no-one ever has to be bored in this beautiful country.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Morocco (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Largest Cities in Morocco

26 cities recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.

Largest Cities in Morocco
#	Name	Population	Region	Role
1	Casablanca	3.18 million	Grand Casablanca	Admin-1 capital
2	Rabat	1.71 million	Rabat - Salé - Zemmour - Zaer	National capital
3	Fez	1.00 million	Fès - Boulemane	Admin-1 capital
4	Marrakesh	872,000	Marrakech - Tensift - Al Haouz	Admin-1 capital
5	Agadir	825,467	Souss - Massa - Draâ	Admin-1 capital
6	Tangier	750,060	Tanger - Tétouan	Populated place
7	Meknes	697,628	Meknès - Tafilalet	Admin-1 capital
8	Kenitra	551,786	Gharb - Chrarda - Béni Hssen	Populated place
9	Oujda	409,391	Oriental	Admin-1 capital
10	Safi	353,476	Doukkala - Abda	Populated place
11	Ksar El Kebir	306,600	Tanger - Tétouan	Populated place
12	Er Rachidia	228,489	Mekncs - Tafilalet	Populated place
13	Taza	199,633	Taza - Al Hoceima - Taounate	Populated place
14	Laayoune	188,084	Laâyoune - Boujdour - Sakia El Hamra	Admin-0 capital alt
15	El Jadida	180,470	Doukkala - Abda	Populated place
16	Settat	161,748	Chaouia - Ouardigha	Populated place
17	Larache	120,082	Tanger - Tétouan	Populated place
18	Goulimine	115,267	Guelmim - Es-Semara	Populated place
19	Ad Dakhla	89,292	Oued el Dahab	Populated place
20	Ouezzane	69,658	Gharb - Chrarda - Béni Hssen	Populated place
21	Tan Tan	64,868	Guelmim - Es-Semara	Populated place
22	Tiznit	57,705	Souss - Massa - Draâ	Populated place
23	Smara	48,149	Guelmim - Es-Semara	Populated place
24	Bir Anzarane	6,597	Oued el Dahab	Populated place
25	Lemsid	100	LaRyoune - Boujdour - Sakia El Hamra	Populated place

The other 1 (population, region, role)

Dawra · 10 · LaRyoune - Boujdour - Sakia El Hamra · Populated place

Highest Mountains in Morocco

4 mountains recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.

Highest Mountains in Morocco
#	Name	Elevation	Feet	Region
1	Jebel Toubkal	4,165 m	13,665 ft	Africa
2	Adrar Bou Nasser	3,340 m	10,958 ft	Africa
3	Jebel Tidirhine	2,456 m	8,058 ft	Africa
4	Jebel Lekst	2,359 m	7,740 ft	Africa

Rivers in Morocco

4 rivers recorded. Listed alphabetically. A river is listed where its mapped reach lies, so long rivers appear under more than one country.

Rivers in Morocco
Name	Type	Also Flows Through
Moulouya	River	—
Oued Sebou	River	—
Oum Er Rbia	River	—
Sous	River	—

Ports in Morocco

12 ports recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.

Ports in Morocco
#	Name	Channel Depth	Class	Sea	Max Vessel
1	Kenitra	53 m	Small	Atlantic Coast of Africa	medium vessels
2	el Jadida	53 m	Very Small	Atlantic Coast of Africa	medium vessels
3	Mohammedia	45.7 m	Very Small	Atlantic Coast of Africa	large vessels
4	Agadir	42.1 m	Major	Atlantic Coast of Africa	medium vessels
5	Safi	42.1 m	Small	Atlantic Coast of Africa	medium vessels
6	Casablanca	31.1 m	Major	Atlantic Coast of Africa	large vessels
7	Ad Dakhla	31.1 m	Very Small	Atlantic Coast of Africa	medium vessels
8	el Jorf Lasfar	23.8 m	Small	Atlantic Coast of Africa	medium vessels
9	Port D al Hoceima	12.8 m	Very Small	Western Mediterranean	medium vessels
10	Tangier-Mediterranean	—	Major	Western Mediterranean	point_of_interest

The other 2 (channel depth, class, sea, max vessel)

Essaouira · Very Small · Atlantic Coast of Africa · point_of_interest
Laayoune · Very Small · Atlantic Coast of Africa · medium vessels

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Morocco

7 World Heritage Sites recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Morocco
#	Name	Inscribed	Type	Criteria
1	Medina of Fez	1981	Cultural	(ii) (v)
2	Medina of Marrakesh	1985	Cultural	(i) (ii) (iv) (v)
3	Aït Benhaddou	1987	Cultural	(iv) (v)
4	Medina of Meknes	1996	Cultural	(iv)
5	Medina of Tétouan	1997	Cultural	(ii) (iv) (v)
6	Volubilis	1997	Cultural	(ii) (iii) (iv) (vi)
7	Rabat	2012	Cultural	(ii) (iv)

Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Morocco

9 mountain ranges, deserts and other landforms recorded. Ranked by mapped area. Covers mountain ranges, deserts, plateaus, named glaciers, plains, basins, peninsulas and capes. One that crosses a border is listed under every country it lies in, with the area of the whole feature.

More on these mountain ranges, deserts and other landforms →

Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Morocco
#	Name	Area	Type	Region
1	Africa	29.41M km²	Continent	Africa
2	Sahara	4.73M km²	Desert	Africa
3	Atlas Mountains	63,011 km²	Range/mtn	Africa
4	Haut Atlas	47,844 km²	Range/mtn	Africa
5	Moyen Atlas	22,084 km²	Range/mtn	Africa
6	Hamada du Drâa	11,707 km²	Desert	Africa
7	Atlas Tellien	172 km²	Range/mtn	Africa
8	Er Rif	56 km²	Range/mtn	Africa
9	Anti Atlas	2 km²	Range/mtn	Africa

Countries Bordering Morocco

Land and maritime neighbours.

More Maps in Africa

Morocco: Quick Answers

What is the capital of Morocco?: The capital of Morocco is Rabat.
What is the population of Morocco?: Morocco has a population of about 38.43 million, the #41 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
How big is Morocco?: Morocco covers 446,550 km², ranking #59 by area, with about 86 people per square kilometre.
Which continent is Morocco in?: Morocco is in Africa.
Which countries border Morocco?: Morocco shares a land or maritime border with Spain, Algeria, Western Sahara.
What is the largest city in Morocco?: Casablanca is the largest city in Morocco, with a metropolitan population of about 3.18 million.
What is the highest mountain in Morocco?: The highest summit recorded for Morocco in YearMaps is Jebel Toubkal at 4,165 m (13,665 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.

Interactive Map of Morocco