Geography

Morocco is a country in North Africa, bordered to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the north by the Mediterranean Sea, to the east by Algeria, and to the south by Mauritania. The country covers a total area of approximately 710,850 square kilometers.

In addition to its extensive maritime frontage, Morocco&&39;s geography is distinguished by several mountain ranges, which cover about 26% of the national territory. The highest peaks in the Maghreb are found in Morocco, particularly within the Rif and Atlas Mountains. These ranges, composed of three main chains, serve as vital water reservoirs for the country.

Morocco also features vast plains that extend from the Rif to the Middle Atlas. One prominent example is the Sebou River basin, which spans 36,000 km² and includes mountain plateaus, streams, hills, and fertile lowlands—providing ideal conditions for the cultivation of a wide variety of crops.

Moreover, Morocco has a maritime coastline that stretches for approximately 3,500 kilometers, enhancing its economic and strategic importance in the region.

Population and land use

According to the general population census, Morocco’s population reached , with approximately and . The majority of the population is concentrated in the , particularly along the in major cities such as . These regions attract inhabitants due to their , , and . In contrast, the remain sparsely populated.

This population distribution closely reflects Morocco’s geographical and socio-economic characteristics, which also influence land use patterns. Densely populated areas—like the plains of Gharb and Saïs, as well as the urban centers of Casablanca, Rabat, and Fès—are hubs of intensive agriculture, industrial activity, and urban development. Conversely, the mountainous regions of the Rif and High Atlas, along with the expansive desert areas in the south, have lower population densities and are mainly dedicated to more extensive uses, such as traditional grazing and the preservation of natural landscapes.

Furthermore, Morocco’s forests, covering approximately 9 million hectares, play a vital role in biodiversity conservation, climate regulation, and soil protection. The country has nearly a dozen national parks, totaling around 800,237 hectares, with an additional park planned in Dakhla spanning 14,160 hectares. These protected areas are crucial for maintaining environmental balance amid growing demographic and agricultural pressures and also contribute to the development of sustainable tourism.

Food and agriculture

Agriculture in Morocco is an important economic sector of the country, with 40% of the population depending on this sector for their livelihood. The utilized agriculture land is estimated at about 9.5 Mha. About 43% of arable land is devoted to cereals, 7% to plantation crops (olives, almonds, citrus, grapes, dates), 3% to pulses, 2% to forage, 2% to vegetables, 2% to industrial crops (sugar beets, sugar cane, cotton) and oilseeds, and 42% is fallow. The bulk of the indigenous population carries out traditional subsistence farming on plots of less than five hectares. A temperate climate and sufficient precipitation are especially conducive to agricultural development in the northwest.

Irrigation and drainage

Irrigation is a strategic sector in Morocco. The water managed areas, about 1.5 Mha, represent only 16% of the cultivated area. Spate irrigation covers 165 000 ha, the remaining 1.09 Mha being full or partial control irrigation schemes, of which about two-thirds are irrigated by surface water. In 1995, about 7 000 ha were estimated to be irrigated by untreated wastewater, using about 60 Mm³/year. Surface irrigation is the principal irrigation technique, sprinkler irrigation being practiced only on a few large schemes. Cereals are the major irrigated crops. Two types of irrigation systems are frequently distinguished: Large-scale irrigation (referred to as ‘grande hydraulique’) and small and medium scale irrigation systems (referred to as ‘petite et moyenne hydraulique’). The small and medium scale irrigated systems may be traditional or modern systems. However, the large ones are modern. In all schemes, the water distribution is based on rotating turns. The measurement unit most frequently used in surface irrigation is the ‘farm stream’, which corresponds to a discharge of 30 liters/sec. This unit also forms the basis for the dimensions of the canals in the large schemes.

Climate and rainfall

Morocco exhibits a wide range of climatic diversity, from a Mediterranean climate in the north to a desert climate in the southeast. This variability strongly influences the distribution and amount of precipitation across the country. According to recent data, average annual rainfall ranges from over 1,000 mm in the mountainous areas of the Rif and Atlas to less than 100 mm in the desert regions of the Moroccan Sahara. This uneven distribution poses major challenges for water resource management, especially in arid zones where droughts are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change.

Regarding temperatures, 2024 was the hottest year ever recorded in Morocco, with a national average temperature anomaly of +1.49°C compared to the 1991–2020 reference period. Record high daily temperatures were broken in several cities, notably 47.7°C in Béni Mellal and 47.6°C in Marrakech on July 23, 2024. This warming trend is particularly pronounced during the autumn and winter seasons.

• Geo Area: 0.710 850 M Sq.km
• Arable Area: 8.700 Mha (2020)
• Irrigated Area: 1.603 Mha (2024)
• Drained Area: 0.200 Mha (2020)
• Micro Irrigation: 0.850 Mha (2024), or approximately 53% of the irrigated area
• Srinkler irrigation: 0,120 Mha (2018)
• Population: 37 M (2024)

Water resources management

The natural water resources in Morocco are among the lowest in the world. Indeed, the potential is estimated at 22 Bm³ per year. Per capita availablility of water resources is some 700 m³ per year. Annual per capita water availability is expected to drop to less than 400 m³ by 2020. Agricultural irrigation is allocated 83% of withdrawn water leaving 17% for municipal, tourism and industrial uses. The surface water resources throughout the country are evaluated on average year to 18 Bm³, varying according to the year of 5 Bm³ to 50 Bm³. More than half of these resources are concentrated in the north over an area covering 7% of the national territory. Groundwater represents about 20% of water resources in the country. The groundwater resources account for about 4.2 Bm³ per year. Morocco has the most extensive river system in North Africa. The principal rivers flowing south or westward into the Atlantic Ocean are the Rebia, Sebou, Bouregreg, Tensift, and Drâa. Morocco relies very heavily on its system of river dams and reservoirs for drinking water, irrigation, and electricity. Morocco has an important water infrastructure consisting of 104 large dams with a storage capacity of about 16.9 Bm³.

Water governance

In Morocco, agriculture is a strategic sector, economically and socially. The provisions of preparedness and response to weather risks, taken by the Moroccan government are aimed at reducing vulnerability to drought and buffer crop productivity. These provisions are structural (dams, irrigation systems, land use planning, etc.), and non-structural (adaptation measures, drought insurance, solidarity funds). They can be summarized as: Development of water storage infrastructure and distribution of irrigation water; Upstream protection of water resources; Expansion of irrigated areas; Improvement of the efficiency of irrigation water use; Improvement of agricultural yields, through improvement of agricultural inputs (certified seeds and fertilizers); Optimization of land resources ; Mobilization of non-conventional water; Adaptation to climate change through the use of water economy technologies; and Agricultural insurance against climatic hazards.

ICID and National Committee

Morocco became the member of ICID in 1959 and established Morocco National Committee (Association Nationale des Ameliorations Foncieres de l’Irrigation, ANAFIDE) of ICID. ANAFIDE and ENCID agreed (2018-19) to collaborate with the Italian National Committee of ICID (ITAL-ICID) for the establishment of a Regional Node for the Mediterranean and North African Region. ANAFIDE established the Moroccan Young Professional Forum (2018-19) which will undertake activities within the AFRWG of ICID to be coordinated by Ms. Sara Boularbah. The 13^th International Congress on Irrigation and Drainage was held during 21-26 September 1987 at Casablanca, Morocco. The 12^th Inter Regional Conference on Environ Water was held during 9-11 November 2009 at Marrakech, Morocco. The Virtual Conference on the Topic of ‘Saving in Water in Irrigation’ was held on 11 February - 14 March 2008 at Rabat, Morocco.

The ANAFIDE scheduled 5^th African Regional Conference on Irrigation and Drainage and 71st IEC Meeting in 2020 which was re-scheduled due to COVID-19 pandemic. Now ANAFIDE will organize the 72^nd IEC Meeting and 5^th African Regional Conference on Irrigation and Drainage, Marrakesh, Morocco, in September 2021. In addtion, 10th International Micro Irrigation Conference is also sheduled in Agadir, Morocco in 2023. Mr. Ahmed EL BOUARI is currently the Vice President of ICID (2018-2021). Mr. Aziz FERTAHI is currently the President and Pr BARTALI EL Houssine is the Vice President of ANAFID. ANAFIDE can be contacted at < anafide.ma@gmail.com>