Northern Africa |
Northern Africa |
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Morocco
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Population: 31.605.616 inhabitants
Area: 446.550 Km2 Coin: Dirham PIB: 4.555 $ per capita Language: Arabic Name official: Al Mamlaka al-Maghrebiya. Capital: Rabat 1.759.000 inhabitants (2003). Other cities: Casablanca (Dar-el-Beida) 3.292.100 inhabitants; Fez 900.900; Marrakech 736.500 (2000). Government: Monarchy Religion: the majority of Moroccan are Muslims, mostly Sumnis (98,7%); Christians (1,1%); Jews (0,2%). Geography. Morocco is opened to oceanic influences due to its wide coast of 800 km. Berbers nomads lived in East Morocco, a mountainous (mountain ranges of Atlas and Rif) poor steppe. At the foot of the mountains there are plains where citrics, pulse and grain grow. In the West areas, at the rugged regions of Atlas Upper-Atlas and Anti-Atlas mountains, are extensive livestock farming and is rich in phosphates, zinc and lead mines. In the coastal plains vineyard and citrics are cultivated. Fish stocks are very important, and they are frequently exploited by foreign fleets. Soil erosion is due to certain factors, including farming expansion over poor areas, exploitation of fields by overgrazing, destruction of woody vegetation for firewood and conversion of forested areas in plantations. Some efforts have been taken to revert these problems, mainly by reforestation. |
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Algeria
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Population: 34.373.272 inhabitants
Area: 2.381.740 Km2 Coin: Dinar PIB: 7.062 $ per capita Language: Arabic Name official: Al-Jumjuriyah al-Jazairiyah ad-Dimuqratiyah ash-Shaabiyah (People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria) Capital: Alger 3.060.000 inhabitants (2003). Otras cities: Oran 712.300 inhabitants; Constantine 501.900; Annaba 350.000. Government: Presidential Religión: Islam (98%), Christianism (1%), Judaism (0,1%). Geography: Algeria has fertile lands in the Mediterranean coast, which bordered in the South with the mountain ranges of the Tell and Saharan Atlas, with an area of arid lands between both. In the South we can find the Sahara desert, with a soil rich in petroleum, natural gas and mining resources of iron. Variety on altitudes and climates in the North allows a great variety of crops, like the Mediterranean ones (vine, citrics, olive, etc.) |
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Egypt
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Population: 76.840.047 inhabitants
Area: 1.001.450 Km2 Coin: Egyptian pound PIB: 4.337 $ per capita Language: Arabic Official name: Jumhuriyah Misr al-'Arabiyah Capital: Cairo (Al-Qahirah) 10.834.000 inhabitants (2003). Otras cities: Alexandria (Al-Iskandariyah) 3.723.000 inhabitants; El Giza (Al-Jizah) 2.485.400; Subra al-Haymah 974.000 (2000). Government: Presidential Republic Religión: Islamic, mostly Sunni. Coptic Orthodox (10%) and other Christian churches. Geography. The 99% of the population concentrates in the Nile valley (Nahr-an-Nil), which represents 30% of its total area. The rest of the country is desertic, with isolated oasis. The rises of the Nile give shape to the country’s economy since centuries. Although controversial and cause of large scale population desplacements, the building of dams (the most popular is Assuan, at the South of the country) has benefited agriculture, specially wheat, rice and corn. In addition to traditional crops, there are also crops of cotton and sugar cane. The use of hydroelectric energy, together with the Northeast oil (from the Sinai peninsula), favoured the industrial development. |
1. Answer with the right country: Morocco, Algeria or Egypt.
