Morocco

Morocco had been controlled by France since 1912. In 1943 a group of nationalists formed a party called Istiqlal, which called for total independence of Morocco. After the Moroccan Sultan Muhammad 5 is exiled by the French in 1953, rebellion is beginning to spread throughout the country. Even though they allowed his return in 1955, this did not put an end to the unrest in the country. In 1956, when France was fully engaged in war against Algeria and was too busy to deal with the Moroccan chaos, Morocco was granted full independence in March of 1956.

STATS:
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.52 years
male: 69.16 years
female: 74 years (2008 est.)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 52.3%
male: 65.7%
female: 39.6% (2004 census)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$3,800 (2007 est.)

Unemployment rate:
15% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:
15% (2007 est.)

Continued European Influence
1) Language- French is still spoken in many business settings
2) Legal System- based on Islamic law and French and Spanish civil law systems

http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/places/countries/country_morocco.html