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Terrain:
vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m
highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone,
gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc
Land use:
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 98% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land:
32,460 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards:
periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash floods, landslides, volcanic activity;
hot, driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in spring; dust storms, sandstorms
Environment - current issues:
agricultural land being lost to urbanization and windblown sands; increasing soil
salination below Aswan High Dam; desertification; oil pollution threatening coral
reefs, beaches, and marine habitats; other water pollution from agricultural
pesticides, raw sewage, and industrial effluents; very limited natural fresh water
resources away from the Nile which is the only perennial water source; rapid growth
in population overstraining natural resources
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note:
controls Sinai Peninsula, only land bridge between Africa and remainder of Eastern
Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal, shortest sea link between Indian Ocean and
Mediterranean Sea; size, and juxtaposition to Israel, establish its major role in
Middle Eastern geopolitics
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 Country Facts: Morocco
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