1989 Edition

Climate

hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore currents produce fog and heavy dew

tropical; rainy season (October to March), dry season (May to October)

Coastline

1,110 km

403 km

Comparative area

slightly smaller than Colorado

slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Disputes

claimed and administered by Morocco, but sovereignty is unresolved and guerrilla fighting continues in the area

Environment

hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility; sparse water and arable land

subject to occasional typhoons; active volcanism

Extended economic zone

200 nm

Land boundaries

2,046 km total; Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km

none

Land use

NEGL% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 19% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 81% other

19% arable land; 24% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows and pastures; 47% forest and woodland; 1 0% other

Maritime claims

contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue

Natural resources

phosphates, iron ore

hardwood forests, fish

Note

located 4,300 km southwest of Honolulu in the South Pacific Ocean about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand

Terrain

mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast

narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior

Territorial sea

12 nm

Total area

266,000 km2; land area: 266,000 km2

2,860 km2; land area: 2,850 km2

Birth rate

48 births/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

34 births/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

Death rate

23 deaths/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

7 deaths/ 1,000 population (1990)

Ethnic divisions

Arab and Berber

Samoan; about 7% Euronesians (persons of European and Polynesian blood), 0.4% Europeans

Infant mortality rate

177 deaths/ 1,000 live births (1990)

48 deaths/ 1 ,000 live births (1990)

Labor force

1 2,000; 50% animal husbandry and subsistence farming

37,000; 22,000 employed in agriculture (198 3 est.)

Language

Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic

Samoan (Polynesian), English

Life expectancy at birth

39 years male, 41 years female (1990) Western Sahara (continued) Western Samoa

64 years male, 69 years female (1990)

Literacy

20% among Moroccans, 5% among Saharans (est.)

90%

Nationality

noun — Saharan(s), Moroccan(s); adjective — Saharan, Moroccan

noun — Western Samoan(s); adjective — Western Samoan

Net migration rate

2 migrants/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

—5 migrants/ 1,000 population (1990)

Organized labor

NA

Public Service Association (PSA)

Population

19 1,707 (July 1990), growth rate 2. 7% (1990)

186,031 (July 1990), growth rate 2.3% (1990)

Religion

Muslim

99.7% Christian (about half of population associated with the London Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Latter Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist)

Total fertility rate

7.3 children born/ woman (1990)

4.6 children born/ woman (1990)

Administrative divisions

none (under de facto control of Morocco)

Capital

none

Diplomatic representation

none

Leaders

none

Long-form name

none

Independent State of

Type

legal status of territory and question of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro); territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1 979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government in exile was seated as an OAU member in 1984; guerrilla activities continue to the present

Agriculture

olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables, beef, and dairy products

practically none; some barley is grown in nondrought years; fruit and vegetables are grown in the few oases; food imports are essential; camels, sheep, and goats are kept by the nomadic natives; cash economy exists largely for the garrison forces

Aid

none

NA

Budget

revenues $47.4 million; expenditures $45.7 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY86)

revenues SNA; expenditures SNA, including capital expenditures of SNA

Currency

new Israeli shekel (plural — shekels) and Jordanian dinar (plural — dinars); 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot and 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = l.OOOfils

Moroccan dirham (plural — dirhams); 1 Moroccan dirham (DH) = 100 centimes

Electricity

power supplied by Israel

60,000 kW capacity; 79 million kWh produced, 425 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates

new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1— 1.9450 (January 1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5992(1988), 1.5946(1987), 1.4878 (1986), 1.1788 (1985); Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1— 0.6557 (January 1990), 0.5704 (1989), 0.3715 (1988), 0.3387 (1987), 0.3499 (1986), 0.3940 (1985)

Moroccan dirhams (DH) per US$1— 8.093 (January 1990), 8.488 (1989), 8.209 (1988), 8.359 (1987), 9.104 (1986), 10.062 (1985)

Exports

$150 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities — N A ; partners — Jordan, Israel

$8 million (f.o.b., 1982 est.); commodities — phosphates 62%; partners — Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts

External debt

SNA

SNA

Fiscal year

1 April-31 March

NA

GDP

SNA, per capita SNA; real growth rate NA%

GNP

$1.0 billion, per capita $1,000; real growth rate -15% (1988 est.)

Imports

$410 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.); commodities — NA; partners — Jordan, Israel

$30 million (c.i.f., 1982 est.); commodities — fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs; partners — Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts

Industrial production

growth rate NA%

growth rate NA%

Industries

generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers

phosphate, fishing, handicrafts

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

NA%

NA%

Overview

Economic progress in the West Bank has been hampered by Israeli military occupation and the effects of the Palestinian uprising. Industries using advanced technology or requiring sizable financial resources have been discouraged by a lack of financial resources and Israeli policy. Capital investment has largely gone into residential housing, not into productive assets that could compete with Israeli industry. A major share of GNP is derived from remittances of workers employed in Israel and neighboring Gulf states. Israeli reprisals against Palestinian unrest in the West Bank since 1987 have pushed unemployment up and lowered living standards.

Western Sahara, a territory poor in natural resources and having little rainfall, has a per capita GDP of just a few hundred dollars. Fishing and phosphate mining are the principal industries and sources of income. Most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government.

Unemployment rate

NA%

NA%

Airports

2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1, 220-2,439 m

16 total, 14 usable; 3 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 6 with runways 1, 220-2,439 m

Branches

NA

NA

Defense expenditures

NA Spp rrtionil map VII

NA South Pacific Ocean South Pacific Ocean Set reel mitt I map X

Highways

small indigenous road network, Israelis developing east-west axial highways

6,100 km total; 1,350 km surfaced, 4,750 km improved and unimproved earth roads and tracks

Military manpower

NA

NA

Ports

El Aaiun, Ad Dakhla

Telecommunications

open-wire telephone system currently being upgraded; stations — no AM, no FM, no TV Defense Forces

sparse and limited system; tied into Morocco's system by radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations linked to Rabat, Morocco; 2,000 telephones; stations — 2 AM, no FM, 2 TV Defense Forces