Morocco (2001) | Samoa (2007) | |
Administrative divisions | 37 provinces and 2 wilayas*; Agadir, Al Hoceima, Azilal, Beni Mellal, Ben Slimane, Boulemane, Casablanca*, Chaouen, El Jadida, El Kelaa des Srarhna, Er Rachidia, Essaouira, Fes, Figuig, Guelmim, Ifrane, Kenitra, Khemisset, Khenifra, Khouribga, Laayoune, Larache, Marrakech, Meknes, Nador, Ouarzazate, Oujda, Rabat-Sale*, Safi, Settat, Sidi Kacem, Tanger, Tan-Tan, Taounate, Taroudannt, Tata, Taza, Tetouan, Tiznit
note: three additional provinces of Ad Dakhla (Oued Eddahab), Boujdour, and Es Smara as well as parts of Tan-Tan and Laayoune fall within Moroccan-claimed Western Sahara; decentralization/regionalization law passed by the legislature in March 1997 creating many new provinces/regions; specific details and scope of the reorganization not yet available |
11 districts; A'ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Fa'asaleleaga, Gaga'emauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupa'itea, Tuamasaga, Va'a-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
34.39% (male 5,368,784; female 5,170,891) 15-64 years: 60.93% (male 9,270,095; female 9,402,561) 65 years and over: 4.68% (male 646,567; female 786,407) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 38.1% (male 41,551/female 40,085)
15-64 years: 56.3% (male 63,320/female 57,277) 65 years and over: 5.6% (male 5,416/female 6,616) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | barley, wheat, citrus, wine, vegetables, olives; livestock | coconuts, bananas, taro, yams, coffee, cocoa |
Airports | 69 (2000 est.) | 4 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
26 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2007) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
43 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 20 under 914 m: 11 (2000 est.) |
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2007) |
Area | total:
446,550 sq km land: 446,300 sq km water: 250 sq km |
total: 2,944 sq km
land: 2,934 sq km water: 10 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than California | slightly smaller than Rhode Island |
Background | Morocco's long struggle for independence from France ended in 1956. The internationalized city of Tangier was turned over to the new country that same year. Morocco virtually annexed Western Sahara during the late 1970s, but final resolution on the status of the territory remains unresolved. Gradual political reforms in the 1990s resulted in the establishment of a bicameral legislature in 1997. | New Zealand occupied the German protectorate of Western Samoa at the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It continued to administer the islands as a mandate and then as a trust territory until 1962, when the islands became the first Polynesian nation to reestablish independence in the 20th century. The country dropped the "Western" from its name in 1997. |
Birth rate | 24.16 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 28.28 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$9.6 billion expenditures: $8.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.1 billion (2001 est.) |
revenues: $171.3 million
expenditures: $78.1 million (FY04/05 est.) |
Capital | Rabat | name: Apia
geographic coordinates: 13 50 S, 171 44 W time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior | tropical; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October) |
Coastline | 1,835 km | 403 km |
Constitution | 10 March 1972, revised 4 September 1992, amended (to create bicameral legislature) September 1996 | 1 January 1962 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Kingdom of Morocco conventional short form: Morocco local long form: Al Mamlakah al Maghribiyah local short form: Al Maghrib |
conventional long form: Independent State of Samoa
conventional short form: Samoa local long form: Malo Sa'oloto Tuto'atasi o Samoa local short form: Samoa former: Western Samoa |
Currency | Moroccan dirham (MAD) | - |
Death rate | 5.94 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 5.88 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | $18.4 billion (2000 est.) | $177 million (2004) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Edward M. GABRIEL embassy: 2 Avenue de Mohamed El Fassi, Rabat mailing address: PSC 74, Box 3, APO AE 90718 telephone: [212] (37) 76 22 65 FAX: [212] (37) 76 56 61 consulate(s) general: Casablanca |
chief of mission: none; US Ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to Samoa
embassy: Accident Compensation Board (ACB) Building, 5th Floor, Beach Road, Apia mailing address: P. O. Box 3430, Apia, 0815 telephone: [685] 21436/21452/21631/22696 FAX: [685] 22030 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Abdullah MAAROUFI chancery: 1601 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 462-7979 through 7982 FAX: [1] (202) 265-0161 consulate(s) general: New York |
chief of mission: Ambassador Aliioaiga Feturi ELISAIA
chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6196, 6197 FAX: [1] (212) 599-0797 |
Disputes - international | claims and administers Western Sahara, but sovereignty is unresolved and the UN is attempting to hold a referendum on the issue; the UN-administered cease-fire has been in effect since September 1991; Spain controls five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco - the coastal enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla which Morocco contests, as well as the islands of Penon de Alhucemas, Penon de Velez de la Gomera, and Islas Chafarinas | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $565.6 million (1995) | $43.95 million (2005) |
Economy - overview | Morocco faces the problems typical of developing countries - restraining government spending, reducing constraints on private activity and foreign trade, and achieving sustainable economic growth. Following structural adjustment programs supported by the IMF, World Bank, and the Paris Club, the dirham is now fully convertible for current account transactions, and reforms of the financial sector have been implemented. Drought conditions depressed activity in the key agricultural sector and contributed to a stagnant economy in 1999 and 2000. During that time, however, Morocco reported large foreign exchange inflows from the sale of a mobile telephone license and partial privatization of the state-owned telecommunications company. Favorable rainfalls have led Morocco to predict a growth of 1% for 2001. Formidable long-term challenges include: servicing the external debt; preparing the economy for freer trade with the EU; and improving education and attracting foreign investment to boost living standards and job prospects for Morocco's youthful population. | The economy of Samoa has traditionally been dependent on development aid, family remittances from overseas, agriculture, and fishing. The country is vulnerable to devastating storms. Agriculture employs two-thirds of the labor force and furnishes 90% of exports, featuring coconut cream, coconut oil, and copra. The fish catch declined during the El Nino of 2002-03 but returned to normal by mid-2005. The manufacturing sector mainly processes agricultural products. One factory in the Foreign Trade Zone employs 3,000 people to make automobile electrical harnesses for an assembly plant in Australia. Tourism is an expanding sector, accounting for 25% of GDP; about 100,000 tourists visited the islands in 2005. The Samoan Government has called for deregulation of the financial sector, encouragement of investment, and continued fiscal discipline, while at the same time protecting the environment. Observers point to the flexibility of the labor market as a basic strength for future economic advances. Foreign reserves are in a relatively healthy state, the external debt is stable, and inflation is low. |
Electricity - consumption | 13.441 billion kWh (1999) | 97.65 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - imports | 705 million kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production | 13.695 billion kWh (1999) | 105 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
89.19% hydro: 10.81% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Sebkha Tah -55 m highest point: Jbel Toubkal 4,165 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mauga Silisili (Savaii) 1,857 m |
Environment - current issues | land degradation/desertification (soil erosion resulting from farming of marginal areas, overgrazing, destruction of vegetation); water supplies contaminated by raw sewage; siltation of reservoirs; oil pollution of coastal waters | soil erosion, deforestation, invasive species, overfishing |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | Arab-Berber 99.1%, other 0.7%, Jewish 0.2% | Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians 7% (persons of European and Polynesian blood), Europeans 0.4% |
Exchange rates | Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 10.590 (January 2001), 10.626 (2000), 9.804 (1999), 9.604 (1998), 9.527 (1997), 8.716 (1996) | tala per US dollar - 2.7594 (2006), 2.7103 (2005), 2.7807 (2004), 2.9732 (2003), 3.3763 (2002) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
King MOHAMED VI (since 23 July 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Abderrahmane YOUSSOUFI (since 14 March 1998) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch following legislative elections |
chief of state: TUIATUA Tupua Tamasese Efi (since 20 June 2007)
head of government: Prime Minister Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA (since 1996); Deputy Prime Minister MISA Telefoni (since 2001) cabinet: Cabinet consists of 12 members appointed by the chief of state on the prime minister's advice elections: chief of state is elected by the Legislative Assembly to serve a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 15 June 2007 (next to be held in 2012); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the chief of state with the approval of the Legislative Assembly election results: TUIATUA Tupua Tamasese Efi unanimously elected by the Legislative Assembly |
Exports | $7.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | NA bbl/day |
Exports - commodities | phosphates and fertilizers, food and beverages, minerals | fish, coconut oil and cream, copra, taro, automotive parts, garments, beer |
Exports - partners | France 35%, Spain 9%, UK 8%, Germany 7%, US 5% (1999) | Australia 44%, American Samoa 29.9%, Taiwan 11.2% (2006) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | June 1 - May 31 |
Flag description | red with a green pentacle (five-pointed, linear star) known as Solomon's seal in the center of the flag; green is the traditional color of Islam | red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $105 billion (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
15% industry: 33% services: 52% (1999 est.) |
agriculture: 11.4%
industry: 58.4% services: 30.2% (2004 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $3,500 (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 0.8% (2000 est.) | 5.5% (2005 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 32 00 N, 5 00 W | 13 35 S, 172 20 W |
Geography - note | strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar | occupies an almost central position within Polynesia |
Heliports | 1 (2000 est.) | - |
Highways | total:
57,847 km paved: 30,254 km (including 327 km of expressways) unpaved: 27,593 km (1998) |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
2.6% highest 10%: 30.9% (1998-99) |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | illicit producer of hashish; trafficking on the increase for both domestic and international drug markets; shipments of hashish mostly directed to Western Europe; transit point for cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe | - |
Imports | $12.2 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.) | NA bbl/day |
Imports - commodities | semiprocessed goods, machinery and equipment, food and beverages, consumer goods, fuel | machinery and equipment, industrial supplies, foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | France 32%, Spain 12%, Italy 7%, Germany 6%, UK 6% (1999) | NZ 21.5%, Fiji 14.8%, Singapore 13.2%, Australia 8.6%, Japan 8.6%, US 6.2%, Indonesia 5%, China 4.4% (2006) |
Independence | 2 March 1956 (from France) | 1 January 1962 (from New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship) |
Industrial production growth rate | 0.5% (1999 est.) | 2.8% (2000) |
Industries | phosphate rock mining and processing, food processing, leather goods, textiles, construction, tourism | food processing, building materials, auto parts |
Infant mortality rate | 48.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 25.89 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 30.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2% (2000 est.) | 3.3% (2005) |
International organization participation | ABEDA, ACCT (associate), AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CCC, EBRD, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, IPU, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 8 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 12,580 sq km (1993 est.) | NA |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court (judges are appointed on the recommendation of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, presided over by the monarch) | Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; District Court; Land and Titles Court |
Labor force | 11 million (1997 est.) | 90,000 (2000 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 50%, services 35%, industry 15% (1999 est.) | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
Land boundaries | total:
2,017.9 km border countries: Algeria 1,559 km, Western Sahara 443 km, Spain (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Spain (Melilla) 9.6 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land:
21% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 47% forests and woodland: 20% other: 11% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 21.13%
permanent crops: 24.3% other: 54.57% (2005) |
Languages | Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often the language of business, government, and diplomacy | Samoan (Polynesian), English |
Legal system | based on Islamic law and French and Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of Supreme Court | based on English common law and local customs; judicial review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Chamber of Counselors (270 seats; members elected indirectly by local councils, professional organizations, and labor syndicates for nine-year terms; one-third of the members are renewed every three years) and a lower house or Chamber of Representatives (325 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms)
elections: Chamber of Counselors - last held 15 September 2000 (next to be held NA 2002); Chamber of Representatives - last held 14 November 1997 (next to be held NA November 2002) election results: Chamber of Counselors - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - USFP 57, UC 50, RNI 46, MP 40, MDS 32, IP 32, MNP 19, PND 10, MPCD 9, PPS 9, FFD 9, PSD 5, OADP 4, PA 2, PDI 1 note: CDT, UTM, UGTM, UNMT are all labor unions listed under Political pressure groups and leaders; see explanation in the description of Parliament |
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fono (49 seats, 47 elected by voters affiliated with traditional village-based electoral districts, 2 elected by independent, mostly non-Samoan or part-Samoan, voters who cannot, (or choose not to) establish a village affiliation; only chiefs (matai) may stand for election to the Fono from the 47 village-based electorates; members serve five-year terms)
elections: election last held 31 March 2006 (next election to be held not later than March 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - HRPP 35, SDUP 10, independents 4 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
69.43 years male: 67.2 years female: 71.76 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 71.3 years
male: 68.49 years female: 74.26 years (2007 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 43.7% male: 56.6% female: 31% (1995 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.7% male: 99.6% female: 99.7% (2003 est.) |
Location | Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara | Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand |
Map references | Africa | Oceania |
Maritime claims | contiguous zone:
24 NM continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | total:
41 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 223,052 GRT/272,786 DWT ships by type: cargo 9, chemical tanker 6, container 5, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 8, short-sea passenger 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 7,091 GRT/8,127 DWT
by type: cargo 1 foreign-owned: 1 (Cyprus 1) (2007) |
Military - note | - | Samoa has no formal defense structure or regular armed forces; informal defense ties exist with NZ, which is required to consider any Samoan request for assistance under the 1962 Treaty of Friendship |
Military branches | Royal Armed Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force), Gendarmerie, Auxiliary Forces | no regular military forces; Samoa Police Force (2005) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $1.4 billion (FY99/00) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 4% (FY99/00) | NA |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
8,182,073 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
5,160,374 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
348,380 (2001 est.) |
- |
National holiday | Throne Day (accession of King MOHAMED VI to the throne), 30 July (1999) | Independence Day Celebration, 1 June (1962); note - 1 January 1962 is the date of independence from the New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship; it is observed in June |
Nationality | noun:
Moroccan(s) adjective: Moroccan |
noun: Samoan(s)
adjective: Samoan |
Natural hazards | northern mountains geologically unstable and subject to earthquakes; periodic droughts | occasional typhoons; active volcanism |
Natural resources | phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt | hardwood forests, fish, hydropower |
Net migration rate | -1.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -9.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Pipelines | crude oil 362 km; petroleum products 491 km (abandoned); natural gas 241 km | - |
Political parties and leaders | Action Party or PA [Muhammad IDRISS]; Constitutional Union or UC [leader NA]; Democratic Forces Front or FFD [Thami KHIARI]; Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [Issa OUARDIGHI]; Democratic Party for Independence or PDI [Thami EL-OUAZZANI, Said BOUACHRINE]; Istiqlal Party or IP [Abbas El-FASSI]; Labor Party or UT [leader NA]; National Democratic Party or PND [Mohamed Arsalane EL-JADIDI]; National Popular Movement or MNP [Mahjoubi AHERDANE]; National Rally of Independents or RNI [Ahmed OSMAN]; Organization of Democratic and Popular Action or OADP [Mohamed BEN SAID ait Idder]; Party of Progress and Socialism or PPS [Moulay Ismail ALAOUI]; Popular Constitutional and Democratic Movement or MPCD (has become Party of Justice and Development or PJD) [Dr. Abdelkarim KHATIB]; Popular Movement or MP [Mohamed LAENSER]; Social Democratic Movement or MDS [Mahmoud ARCHANE]; Socialist Union of Popular Forces or USFP [Abd ar-Rahman EL-YOUSSOUFI] | Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP [Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA]; Samoa Christian Party or TCP [Tuala Tiresa MALIETOA]; Samoa Democratic United Party or SDUP [LE MAMEA Ropati]; Samoa Party or SP [Su'a Rimoni Ah CHONG]; Samoa Progressive Political Party or SPPP [Toeolesulusulu SIUEVA] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Association of Popular Trade Unions or ADP [leader NA]; Democratic Confederation of Labor or CDT [Noubir AMAOUI]; Democratic National Trade Union or USND [leader NA]; Democratic Trade Union or SD [leader NA]; General Union of Moroccan Workers or UGTM [Abderrazzak AFILAL]; Labor Union Commissions or CS [leader NA]; Moroccan National Workers Union or UNMT [leader NA]; Moroccan Union of Workers or UTM [Mahjoub BENSEDIQ]; Party of Shura and Istiqla [Abdelwaheb MAASH] | NA |
Population | 30,645,305 (July 2001 est.) | 214,265
note: prior estimates used official net migration data by sex, but a highly unusual pattern for 1993 lead to a significant imbalance in the sex ratios (more men and fewer women) and a seeming reduction in the female population; the revised total was calculated using a 1993 number that was an average of the 1992 and 1994 migration figures (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 19% (1999 est.) | NA% |
Population growth rate | 1.71% (2001 est.) | 1.291% (2007 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Agadir, El Jadida, Casablanca, El Jorf Lasfar, Kenitra, Mohammedia, Nador, Rabat, Safi, Tangier; also Spanish-controlled Ceuta and Melilla | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 27, FM 25, shortwave 6 (1998) | AM 2, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004) |
Radios | 6.64 million (1997) | - |
Railways | total:
1,907 km standard gauge: 1,907 km 1.435-m gauge (1,003 km electrified; 540 km double track) |
- |
Religions | Muslim 98.7%, Christian 1.1%, Jewish 0.2% | Congregationalist 34.8%, Roman Catholic 19.6%, Methodist 15%, Latter-Day Saints 12.7%, Assembly of God 6.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.5%, Worship Centre 1.3%, other Christian 4.5%, other 1.9%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census) |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.037 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.106 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.819 male(s)/female total population: 1.061 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
Suffrage | 21 years of age; universal | 21 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
modern system with all important capabilities; however density is low with only 4.6 main lines available for each 100 persons domestic: good system composed of open-wire lines, cables, and microwave radio relay links; Internet available but expensive; principal switching centers are Casablanca and Rabat; national network nearly 100% digital using fiber-optic links; improved rural service employs microwave radio relay international: 7 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; microwave radio relay to Gibraltar, Spain, and Western Sahara; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria; participant in Medarabtel; fiber-optic cable link from Agadir to Algeria and Tunisia (1998) |
general assessment: adequate
domestic: NA international: country code - 685; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 1.391 million (1998) | 19,500 (2005) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 116,645 (1998) | 24,000 (2005) |
Television broadcast stations | 35 (plus 66 repeaters) (1995) | 2 (2002) |
Terrain | northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas of bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains | two main islands (Savaii, Upolu) and several smaller islands and uninhabited islets; narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior |
Total fertility rate | 3.05 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 4.21 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 23% (1999 est.) | NA% |
Waterways | none | - |