Morocco Information: Practical Information

Capital City- Rabat

Area- 446,550 km², 172,413 m²

Population- 33.2

Time Zone- GMT/UTC 0

Telephone Code- +212

Languages- Arabic (official cultural and colloquial language), Berber, French (official business language), Spanish, and English

International airports- Agadir, Al Hoceima, Casablanca, Dakhla, Essaouira, Errachidia, Fez, Laâyoune, Marrakech, Nador, Ouarzazate, Oujda, Rabat-Salé, Tangier, and Tétouan

Morocco is the nearest exotic beach location to the UK, with a three hour flight

Traffic drives on the right

Foreign driver’s licenses and driving permits are accepted.

Automobile insurance is required.

A passport is required to travel in Morocco, but a visa is not required for British or European citizens visiting for less than 3 months.

Currency is the dirham (dH) divided into 100 centimes.

1 GBP = 16 dH

1 EUR = 11 dH

You can only obtain dirhams in morocco. You can exchange at banks or exchange offices. No commission is charged and you will be given a slip required at the end of your stay to change any remaining dirhams back into the original currency. You can withdraw money in banks and cash machines.

Credit cards are generally accepted in major hotels, shops and restaurants.

Electricity is 220 volts with French-style plug-ins

GDP Growth rate 1.8% (2005 est.)

Labor Occupations- Agriculture 40%, industry 15%, services 45% (2003 est.)

Unemployment Rate- 10.5% (2005 est.)

Inflation Rate- 2.1% (2005 est.)

Agriculture- barley, wheat, citrus, wine, vegetables, olives Industries- Tourism, phosphate rock mining and processing, food processing, leather goods, textiles, construction

Exports- $9.472 Billion F.O.B. (2005 est.) clothing, fish, inorganic chemicals, transistors, crude minerals, fertilizers (including phosphates), petroleum products, fruits, vegetables Export Partners- France 33.6%, Spain 17.4%, UK 7.7%, Italy 4.7%, US 4.1% (2004) Major Trading Partners- France, Spain, UK, Germany, Italy, U.S., Saudi Arabia

Traditional dress for men is the djellaba, a long hooded garment with long sleeves. A djellaba without a hood is called a Kaftan. On special occasions, the men wear a cap called tarbouche, and referred to as Fez. Nearly all men wear baboosh, soft slippers with no heel, whereas women sometimes have heeled shoes. Women are very strongly attached to their traditional garments, although they are expensive, and mostly made by hand.