Geography & environment — Morocco
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Geography & environment at a glance
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources. Key figure for Morocco: Africa
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Location & size
- Geographic Location
Africa
- Geographic Coordinates
32 00 N, 5 00 W
- Total Area
172,413 Square Miles 446,550 Square Kilometers
- Land Area
172,316 Square Miles 446,300 Square Kilometers
- Water Area
97 Square Miles 250 Square Kilometers
- Land Boundaries
1,254 Miles 2,018 Kilometers
- Border Countries
Algeria 1,559 km, Western Sahara 443 km, Spain (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Spain (Melilla) 9.6 km
- Coastline
1,140 Miles 1,835 Kilometers
Physical geography
- Terrain
northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas of bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains
- Highest Point
4,165 Meters
- Highest Point Location
Jbel Toubkal 4,165 m
- Lowest Point
-55 Meters
- Lowest Point Location
Sebkha Tah -55 m
- Natural Resources
phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt
- Irrigated Land
5,734 Square Miles 14,850 Square Kilometers
Climate & time
- Time Zone
UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Daylight saving time
+1 hr, begins last Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in September
Climate
- Climate
The High Atlas are snow-capped and collect moisture from the Atlantic Ocean which climate patterns distribute over the western part of Morocco. Because this region lies between the Atlantic and the mountains, it enjoys a temperate climate. The Atlas range cannot, however, shut out an occasional shergui, the hot easterly wind from the desert. The eastern slopes of the High Atlas have a semi-desert aspect and a rigorous pre-Saharan climate. In the north, and separate from the Atlas ranges, the Rif Mountains loom up sharply along the Mediterranean coast. Here, also, a mild climate prevails, which permits agriculture typical of the Mediterranean region.
- Terrain
northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas of bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains
- Location
Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara
- Total Area
172,413 Square Miles 446,550 Square Kilometers
- Border Countries
Algeria 1,559 km, Western Sahara 443 km, Spain (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Spain (Melilla) 9.6 km
Environment
- 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
- Environment - International Agreements
- party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed,
- but not ratified: Environmental Modification