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State of Northwest Africa. At the 2004 census the population of Morocco amounted to 29,476,000 residents (31,478,000 at a 2005 estimate). The trend in the annual growth rate indicates a progressive decrease (from 2.4 % in the 1980s to 1.5 % in the period 2000 – 2005); the structure by age groups shows a very high youth component (in 2005 the 31 % of the population had less than 15 years). Expatriates residing abroad, mostly in Spain and France, numbered around 1,700,000 in 2002. In the world ranking of countries based on the human development index of 2004 (UNDP, 2006), Morocco occupies the 123rd place out of 177 States. Since the beginning of the last decade of the twentieth century, Morocco has carried out a demanding program of restructuring the national economy, the main objectives of which have been to raise the standard of living of the population, contain unemployment and relaunch development.. In view of these goals, successive governments have tried to create the most favorable conditions to attract investments from within and from abroad, reducing bureaucracy and corruption, modernizing the financial system and privatizing the telecommunications sector, those of energy and water. Measures have also been taken to bring public spending under control, to reduce the state budget deficit and to reform the labor market,1998 by a center-left coalition.

In 1996 a cooperation agreement was concluded, which entered into force in 2000, with the European Union, whose countries are the major trading partners of Morocco (France alone supplies a quarter of imports and receives a third of exports of Morocco). Also noteworthy is the conclusion, in 2004, of a bilateral free trade agreement with the United States, which appeared as an important step forward in the US project of an extended Greater Middle East, according to President GW Bush ‘from Morocco to Pakistan’.. However, France is committed to defending its influence in the reign of Morocco, as confirmed by a state visit by President J. Chirac in 2003., which exalted the ‘unfailing friendship’ between France and its ancient protectorate. The agricultural sector, while contributing in 2004 to the formation of GDP to the extent of about 17 %, remains a key sector of the economy, employing over 45 % of the workforce. The unreliability of rainfall represents a chronic problem for the Moroccan agricultural economy which, towards the end of the nineties, suffered severe production crises as a result of a prolonged drought, with unfavorable repercussions on the overall development of the economy. For Morocco 2004, please check topb2bwebsites.com.

The energy resources of Morocco are still modest; hydroelectric sources are limited by the shortage of water, and coal deposits are almost exhausted.of hydrocarbon deposits in the interior highlands raised hope that there might be significant reserves, but subsequent research has yielded disappointing results. It is believed, however, that there may be significant offshore deposits. Morocco remains in the first places in the world for the production of phosphates, and this role has strengthened after the annexation of Western Sahara (1979), where most of the reserves are located (58 million t). Morocco is the world’s largest exporter of crude phosphates and derived products (chemicals and fertilizers). In 2004 the industrial sector concurred to form 32.7 % of GDP, employing 19.5%% of the workforce. Traditionally the sector is dominated by the textile, clothing and agri-food industries, but the government is working to promote greater diversification, attracting investments from abroad, including to increase employment opportunities. In 2001, the first of four designed technology parks was inaugurated in Casablanca, in which various foreign electronics companies are present. Although most of the country’s economic activities remain concentrated along the Casablanca-Rabat axis, there is a tendency to direct new initiatives to less developed areas: the problem of regional imbalances is particularly accentuated in Morocco, where per capita income in certain regions, such as Western Sahara, it falls below $ 200. The structural deficit in the trade balance appears to be partially offset by tourism (4.5 million tourists in 2003) as well as by remittances from emigrants.