Morocco, 14 km from Europe
What crosses the strait: ships, electrons, goods, people
Between Tangier and Tarifa, fourteen kilometres of water. This story follows, data in hand, everything that crosses the Strait of Gibraltar and ties Morocco to Europe: shipping, the submarine power cable, Tanger Med's containers, exports year by year and Moroccans in Europe since 1998.
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GeoInsights
Morocco, 14 km from Europe
Between Tangier and Tarifa, fourteen kilometres of water. This story follows, data in hand, everything that crosses the Strait of Gibraltar: ships, electrons, containers, goods, people.
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One strait, two continents
At its narrowest, between Tarifa Point and Point Cires, the strait is just over fourteen kilometres wide. On either side two mountains face each other — Jebel Musa to the south, the Rock of Gibraltar to the north: the Pillars of Hercules of the ancients. Relief is exaggerated by a third here so it can be read; elevations come from an open global model.
0km
between Tarifa Point and Point Cires, at the narrowest
Source : Wikipédia, « Strait of Gibraltar » — largeur au point le plus étroit : 7,7 milles marins (14,2 km)
0
vessels crossed the strait's traffic separation scheme in 2024, monitored by the Tarifa centre
Source : Salvamento Marítimo, centre de coordination de Tarifa — bilan 2024 (Ceuta Actualidad, 7 février 2025)
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Europe's busiest passage
Everything entering or leaving the Mediterranean passes here, in two one-way lanes: westbound to the north, eastbound to the south. Across them, the ferries. In summer, Operation Marhaba brings Moroccans home from Europe: in 2024, more than three million passengers crossed between June and September.
0
passengers crossed during Operation Marhaba 2024, a thirty-year record (+6.9% year on year)
Source : Fondation Mohammed V pour la Solidarité — bilan de l'opération Marhaba 2024 (13 juin – 15 septembre)
0
vehicles, aboard 12,012 ferry crossings
Source : Fondation Mohammed V pour la Solidarité — bilan de l'opération Marhaba 2024 (13 juin – 15 septembre)
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Power crosses under the sea
Seen at night, the border vanishes: the lights of Andalusia and those of northern Morocco answer each other. Between them, laid on the floor of the strait, two submarine circuits have linked Tarifa to Fardioua since 1997 and 2006. Since 2019 power mostly flows north to south: Spain exports, and the balance grows every year.
0GWh
exported by Spain to Morocco in 2024, against 356 GWh imported
Source : Red Eléctrica de España — Informes del sistema eléctrico 2023, 2024 et 2025, chapitre « Intercambios internacionales : Marruecos »
Source : Red Eléctrica de España, Informes del sistema eléctrico 2023, 2024 et 2025 — intercambios con Marruecos (2022–2025)
▸ See the data
| 2022 | 1 438 |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 853 |
| 2024 | 2 540 |
| 2025 | 3 743 |
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Tanger Med, the container gateway
Opened in 2007 on the southern shore of the strait, forty kilometres from Tangier, the complex passed ten million containers in 2024 — the leading port in the Mediterranean. The column grows year after year: it has more than tripled since 2015.
Source : Tanger Med Port Authority — bilans annuels 2015–2024 (communiqués de presse) (2015–2024)
▸ See the data
| 2015 | 2,96 |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2,96 |
| 2017 | 3,31 |
| 2018 | 3,47 |
| 2019 | 4,8 |
| 2020 | 5,77 |
| 2021 | 7,17 |
| 2022 | 7,6 |
| 2023 | 8,61 |
| 2024 | 10,24 |
0TEU
containers handled in 2024, up 18.8% year on year
Source : Tanger Med Port Authority — communiqué « Bilan de l'activité portuaire en 2024 », 22 janvier 2025
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Where the exports go
In 2024, Morocco exported 456 billion dirhams' worth of goods. Spain and France alone take more than 41% of it; Europe as a whole, 71%. Each arc links Morocco to one of its ten largest markets; its thickness follows the value exported.
0.0bn MAD
of goods exports in 2024, up 6.1% year on year
Source : Office des changes — Rapport annuel du commerce extérieur du Maroc 2024 (chiffres repris par Le360, 16 juillet 2025, et LeBrief, 24 juillet 2025)
0.0%
of Moroccan exports go to Europe
Source : Office des changes — Rapport annuel du commerce extérieur du Maroc 2024 (chiffres repris par Le360, 16 juillet 2025, et LeBrief, 24 juillet 2025)
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Nine years, year by year
The columns rise to the rhythm of customs returns. Spain and France remain far ahead, but Germany has tripled its purchases since 2015, so has the United Kingdom, and India — phosphate fertilisers — peaked in 2022. Amounts are in dollars, from mirror data compiled by the World Bank.
Source : Banque mondiale, WITS — exportations de biens du Maroc par partenaire (Trade Stats, XPRT-TRD-VL) (2015–2023)
▸ See the data
| 2015 | 5,03 | 4,59 | 0,98 | 0,57 | 0,62 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5,34 | 4,83 | 1,06 | 0,63 | 0,67 |
| 2017 | 6,07 | 5,87 | 1,18 | 0,72 | 0,61 |
| 2018 | 6,93 | 6,39 | 1,25 | 0,93 | 0,83 |
| 2019 | 7,13 | 6,47 | 1,37 | 0,94 | 0,73 |
| 2020 | 6,62 | 6,08 | 1,22 | 0,9 | 0,57 |
| 2021 | 7,87 | 7,52 | 1,56 | 1,08 | 1,2 |
| 2022 | 8,28 | 8,06 | 1,88 | 1,33 | 1,6 |
| 2023 | 9,57 | 8,7 | 2,2 | 1,82 | 1,89 |
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And beyond Europe
The rest of the ranking spans the globe: India, the United States and Brazil, three markets above 13 billion dirhams each, then Türkiye and Portugal. But the scale is not comparable: Spain alone weighs more than those five countries combined.
Source : Office des changes, rapport annuel du commerce extérieur 2024 (repris par Le360, 16 juillet 2025) (2024)
▸ See the data
| Spain | 100,65 |
|---|---|
| France | 87,2 |
| Italy | 23,7 |
| Germany | 23,45 |
| United Kingdom | 20,62 |
| India | 14,6 |
| United States of America | 13,78 |
| Brazil | 13,17 |
| Turkey | 11,64 |
| Portugal | 7,35 |
Source : Banque mondiale, WITS — exportations et importations de biens du Maroc par partenaire, 2023 (2023)
▸ See the data
| Morocco's exports | Morocco's imports | |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | 9,571 | 11,07 |
| France | 8,698 | 7,47 |
| Italy | 2,202 | 3,4 |
| Germany | 1,816 | 3,49 |
| United States of America | 1,253 | 5,97 |
| Turkey | 1,168 | 3,61 |
| United Kingdom | 1,892 | 0,84 |
| India | 1,217 | 1,48 |
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Ten years on, the same markets, twice as much
Between 2015 and 2024, exports to Spain doubled and those to France nearly so. Germany and Italy grew faster still, driven by automotive and aerospace. The podium has not changed; the volumes have changed scale.
Source : Office des changes, rapports annuels 2015 et 2024 (repris par Le360, 16 juillet 2025) (2015 et 2024)
▸ See the data
| 2015 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | 49,086 | 100,65 |
| France | 44,69 | 87,2 |
| Italy | 9,52 | 23,7 |
| Germany | 5,57 | 23,45 |
| United Kingdom | 6,01 | 20,62 |
| India | 8,55 | 14,6 |
| United States of America | 7,69 | 13,78 |
| Brazil | 6,49 | 13,17 |
| Turkey | 6,65 | 11,64 |
| Portugal | 2,8 | 7,35 |
0bn €
of goods trade between Morocco and the European Union in 2024, in both directions — a record
Source : Délégation de l'Union européenne au Maroc — échanges de biens UE–Maroc 2024 (Morocco World News, 23 avril 2025)
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Moroccans in Europe, year after year
The bubbles count Moroccan nationals recorded on 1 January, from 1998 to 2025. Spain rises from 267,000 to nearly a million; Italy triples; the Netherlands, by contrast, falls from 136,000 to 31,000 — not because people leave, but because they become Dutch.
Source : Eurostat, migr_pop1ctz — citoyens marocains au 1er janvier, par pays de résidence (1998–2025)
▸ See the data
| 1998 | 0 | 132 653 | 135 725 | 83 904 | 132 831 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 0 | 147 783 | 128 580 | 82 748 | 125 082 |
| 2000 | 0 | 170 905 | 119 726 | 81 450 | 121 984 |
| 2001 | 0 | 0 | 111 396 | 80 266 | 106 840 |
| 2002 | 267 082 | 178 946 | 104 262 | 79 444 | 90 657 |
| 2003 | 334 725 | 188 123 | 97 843 | 79 838 | 83 641 |
| 2004 | 393 830 | 223 555 | 94 380 | 79 794 | 0 |
| 2005 | 462 344 | 254 288 | 91 558 | 73 027 | 0 |
| 2006 | 532 887 | 274 077 | 86 229 | 71 639 | 0 |
| 2007 | 590 642 | 292 637 | 80 518 | 74 706 | 0 |
| 2008 | 660 144 | 330 958 | 74 869 | 72 662 | 79 867 |
| 2009 | 727 180 | 365 094 | 70 801 | 70 210 | 79 426 |
| 2010 | 761 159 | 391 460 | 66 568 | 69 034 | 81 943 |
| 2011 | 774 241 | 415 560 | 61 896 | 0 | 84 844 |
| 2012 | 771 637 | 434 388 | 56 595 | 55 255 | 86 174 |
| 2013 | 768 076 | 456 890 | 51 008 | 55 355 | 83 448 |
| 2014 | 735 786 | 469 465 | 48 143 | 56 709 | 80 902 |
| 2015 | 715 629 | 468 555 | 44 873 | 59 309 | 82 272 |
| 2016 | 716 779 | 424 093 | 42 322 | 64 807 | 82 982 |
| 2017 | 711 335 | 404 891 | 39 923 | 64 800 | 82 642 |
| 2018 | 737 622 | 398 652 | 38 020 | 65 655 | 81 310 |
| 2019 | 778 868 | 406 112 | 36 495 | 67 243 | 80 337 |
| 2020 | 835 431 | 414 249 | 35 763 | 70 090 | 80 500 |
| 2021 | 860 221 | 428 940 | 33 833 | 72 220 | 80 857 |
| 2022 | 866 732 | 420 172 | 33 161 | 77 117 | 81 717 |
| 2023 | 893 953 | 415 088 | 33 245 | 79 423 | 82 088 |
| 2024 | 920 693 | 412 346 | 31 992 | 86 960 | 82 211 |
| 2025 | 968 999 | 412 457 | 30 879 | 92 814 | 81 646 |
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Arrivals, year after year
The same bubbles, but for the year's arrivals. Spain received over 80,000 Moroccans a year at the peak (2005–2007), under 20,000 at the bottom of the crisis (2013–2014), then picked up again: 133,000 arrivals in 2024, a record. Italy follows the same dip, later and lower. Remittances, meanwhile, keep growing.
Source : Eurostat, migr_imm1ctz — immigrants de citoyenneté marocaine, par pays d'arrivée (1998–2024)
▸ See the data
| 1998 | 10 557 | 0 | 4 532 | 0 | 5 310 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 14 904 | 0 | 5 003 | 0 | 4 427 |
| 2000 | 38 344 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 160 |
| 2001 | 39 517 | 0 | 5 961 | 0 | 4 900 |
| 2002 | 40 172 | 0 | 6 490 | 0 | 4 919 |
| 2003 | 0 | 0 | 6 272 | 0 | 4 497 |
| 2004 | 73 380 | 0 | 4 868 | 0 | 3 301 |
| 2005 | 82 519 | 0 | 4 390 | 0 | 2 077 |
| 2006 | 78 512 | 0 | 4 011 | 0 | 1 713 |
| 2007 | 84 978 | 0 | 3 538 | 7 831 | 1 233 |
| 2008 | 71 768 | 37 275 | 3 374 | 0 | 1 465 |
| 2009 | 43 183 | 33 128 | 0 | 0 | 1 594 |
| 2010 | 30 175 | 29 960 | 0 | 9 419 | 1 532 |
| 2011 | 27 981 | 23 885 | 0 | 8 565 | 1 650 |
| 2012 | 22 446 | 19 590 | 0 | 5 822 | 1 291 |
| 2013 | 20 517 | 19 568 | 0 | 4 493 | 1 380 |
| 2014 | 19 995 | 17 637 | 5 713 | 4 709 | 1 331 |
| 2015 | 23 830 | 15 009 | 8 656 | 4 816 | 1 021 |
| 2016 | 29 713 | 14 651 | 6 777 | 4 653 | 1 268 |
| 2017 | 39 841 | 15 690 | 5 323 | 4 545 | 1 387 |
| 2018 | 60 935 | 16 941 | 5 374 | 4 954 | 1 873 |
| 2019 | 72 866 | 20 281 | 5 975 | 5 938 | 2 108 |
| 2020 | 44 940 | 12 480 | 5 052 | 0 | 1 433 |
| 2021 | 99 460 | 15 372 | 7 745 | 0 | 1 863 |
| 2022 | 113 725 | 19 364 | 11 672 | 0 | 2 633 |
| 2023 | 123 468 | 20 928 | 10 715 | 6 155 | 2 104 |
| 2024 | 133 130 | 24 488 | 10 105 | 6 091 | 2 054 |
0.0bn USD
in remittances received by Morocco in 2024, six times the 1998 level
Source : Banque mondiale, Indicateurs du développement dans le monde — envois de fonds reçus par le Maroc (BX.TRF.PWKR.CD.DT), 1998–2024
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Europe in relief
The same data, seen differently: each country rises in proportion to the Moroccan citizens it counted on 1 January 2024. Spain and Italy dominate; Belgium and Germany follow far behind; the Netherlands, where naturalisation is long-standing, lie almost flat.
Source : Eurostat, migr_pop1ctz — citoyens marocains au 1er janvier 2024 (1er janvier 2024)
▸ See the data
| Spain | 920 693 |
|---|---|
| Italy | 412 346 |
| Germany | 86 960 |
| Belgium | 82 211 |
| Netherlands | 31 992 |
| Turkey | 16 699 |
| Portugal | 4 422 |
| Sweden | 3 556 |
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What geography tells us
Fourteen kilometres explain a great deal: a power cable rather than another power plant, a transshipment port rather than a port of call, exports that leave by truck for Algeciras in the morning and reach the shelves by evening. Morocco is not "close" to Europe: through the strait, it is one of its crossroads.
What the data does not say is what each crossing costs or earns. It says where, how much and since when — which is already enough to understand.
Source : Banque mondiale, WDI — envois de fonds des travailleurs reçus par le Maroc (BX.TRF.PWKR.CD.DT) (1998–2024)
▸ See the data
| 1998 | 2,01 |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 1,94 |
| 2000 | 2,16 |
| 2001 | 3,26 |
| 2002 | 2,88 |
| 2003 | 3,61 |
| 2004 | 4,22 |
| 2005 | 4,59 |
| 2006 | 5,45 |
| 2007 | 6,73 |
| 2008 | 6,89 |
| 2009 | 6,27 |
| 2010 | 6,42 |
| 2011 | 7,26 |
| 2012 | 6,51 |
| 2013 | 6,88 |
| 2014 | 7,79 |
| 2015 | 6,9 |
| 2016 | 6,38 |
| 2017 | 6,82 |
| 2018 | 6,92 |
| 2019 | 6,96 |
| 2020 | 7,41 |
| 2021 | 10,91 |
| 2022 | 11,17 |
| 2023 | 11,75 |
| 2024 | 12,51 |
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The map is yours
Pan the map, click a country to read its values, open the story's layers. Ports and power lines come from the Kharita catalogue: every feature opens on click.
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Sources and method
Everything this story states comes from here: the data tables, the references cited and the catalogue datasets, with their licence and date.
Data
Eurostat, migr_pop1ctz — citoyens marocains au 1er janvier, par pays de résidence
Period : 1998–2025Licence : CC BY 4.0Updated : 2026-09-25
Moroccan nationals. Gaps are years a country did not report. France is not shown: Eurostat only publishes it for 2015–2018; Insee counts differently.
Lignes de ferry du détroit — tracés schématiques entre les ports (OpenStreetMap)
Period : 2026Licence : ODbL
The three regular links, drawn as straight lines between the ports: not the vessels' exact routes. The moving dots show direction and relative intensity, not a count.
Banque mondiale, WITS — exportations et importations de biens du Maroc par partenaire, 2023
Period : 2023Licence : CC BY 4.0Updated : 2026-10-05
Billions of current US dollars. With each of these partners Morocco imports more than it exports, except with the United Kingdom and India in some years.
Office des changes, rapport annuel du commerce extérieur 2024 (repris par Le360, 16 juillet 2025)
Period : 2024Updated : 2025-07-16
Morocco's ten largest export markets in 2024, goods exports in billions of current dirhams.
Banque mondiale, WITS — exportations de biens du Maroc par partenaire (Trade Stats, XPRT-TRD-VL)
Period : 2015–2023Licence : CC BY 4.0Updated : 2026-10-05
Billions of current US dollars, from mirror data compiled by the World Bank (UN Comtrade). The ten 2024 partners according to the Office des changes.
Wikipédia, « Strait of Gibraltar » (pointe de Tarifa – pointe Cires)
Period : 2026Licence : CC BY-SA 4.0
Period : 2026Licence : CC BY-SA 4.0
Two one-way lanes separate transit traffic: westbound to the north, eastbound to the south. The drawing is schematic.
Tanger Med Port Authority — bilans annuels 2015–2024 (communiqués de presse)
Period : 2015–2024Updated : 2025-01-22
Containers handled across the whole complex (Tanger Med 1 and 2), in millions of twenty-foot equivalent units, rounded to two decimals.
Banque mondiale, WDI — envois de fonds des travailleurs reçus par le Maroc (BX.TRF.PWKR.CD.DT)
Period : 1998–2024Licence : CC BY 4.0Updated : 2026-10-05
Current US dollars. All origin countries combined: Europe is the first source, though the series does not single it out.
Eurostat, migr_imm1ctz — immigrants de citoyenneté marocaine, par pays d'arrivée
Period : 1998–2024Licence : CC BY 4.0Updated : 2026-05-29
Arrivals recorded during the year, stays of one year or more. Gaps are years not reported; France does not report this breakdown.
Office des changes, rapports annuels 2015 et 2024 (repris par Le360, 16 juillet 2025)
Period : 2015 et 2024Updated : 2025-07-16
Eurostat, migr_pop1ctz — citoyens marocains au 1er janvier 2024
Period : 1er janvier 2024Licence : CC BY 4.0Updated : 2026-09-25
Moroccan nationals, not naturalised people of Moroccan origin. France is absent from this table for 2024.
Period : 2022–2025Updated : 2026-03-01
Annual net balance, GWh, Spain → Morocco: 2022, 2023 and 2025 as scheduled exchanges; 2024 as physical exchanges (imports 356 GWh, exports 2,896 GWh). Spain has been a net exporter since 2019.
Red Eléctrica de España / ONEE — tracé indicatif Tarifa–Fardioua
Period : 1997–2006Licence : CC BY-SA 4.0
The route is schematic: the two submarine circuits link Tarifa to Fardioua over 59 km; the drawn line does not reproduce their exact path.
References
- Wikipédia, « Strait of Gibraltar » — largeur au point le plus étroit : 7,7 milles marins (14,2 km) · 2026-10-05 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Salvamento Marítimo, centre de coordination de Tarifa — bilan 2024 (Ceuta Actualidad, 7 février 2025) · 2025-02-07
- Red Eléctrica de España et ONEE — interconnexion électrique Espagne–Maroc (Wikipédia, « Spain-Morocco interconnection ») · 2026-10-05 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tanger Med Port Authority — communiqué « Bilan de l'activité portuaire en 2024 », 22 janvier 2025 · 2025-01-22
- Office des changes — Rapport annuel du commerce extérieur du Maroc 2024 (chiffres repris par Le360, 16 juillet 2025, et LeBrief, 24 juillet 2025) · 2025-07
- Délégation de l'Union européenne au Maroc — échanges de biens UE–Maroc 2024 (Morocco World News, 23 avril 2025) · 2025-04-23
- Eurostat — Population au 1er janvier par groupe d'âge, sexe et citoyenneté (migr_pop1ctz), citoyens marocains, 2024 · 2026-09-25 · CC BY 4.0
- Natural Earth 1:50m — Admin 0 Countries · 2026-10-05 · Domaine public
- Fondation Mohammed V pour la Solidarité — bilan de l'opération Marhaba 2024 (13 juin – 15 septembre) · 2024-09
- Red Eléctrica de España — Informes del sistema eléctrico 2023, 2024 et 2025, chapitre « Intercambios internacionales : Marruecos » · 2026-03
- Tanger Med Port Authority — bilans annuels de l'activité portuaire 2015 à 2024 (communiqués, repris par la presse économique) · 2025-01-22
- Banque mondiale, WITS (World Integrated Trade Solution) — exportations de biens du Maroc par partenaire, 2015–2023, USD courants · 2026-10-05 · CC BY 4.0
- Eurostat — migr_pop1ctz, citoyens marocains au 1er janvier, 1998–2025 (séries par pays de résidence) · 2026-09-25 · CC BY 4.0
- Wikipédia, « Strait of Gibraltar » et OMI — dispositif de séparation du trafic (tracé schématique) ; lignes de ferry d'après les ports d'OpenStreetMap · 2026-10-05 · CC BY-SA 4.0 / ODbL
- Banque mondiale, WITS — importations de biens du Maroc par partenaire, 2015–2023, USD courants · 2026-10-05 · CC BY 4.0
- Banque mondiale, Indicateurs du développement dans le monde — envois de fonds reçus par le Maroc (BX.TRF.PWKR.CD.DT), 1998–2024 · 2026-10-05 · CC BY 4.0
- Eurostat — migr_imm1ctz, immigrants de citoyenneté marocaine par pays d'arrivée, 1998–2024 · 2026-05-29 · CC BY 4.0
- Relief : Mapzen Terrain Tiles (AWS Open Data, encodage Terrarium). Lumières nocturnes : NASA Earth Observatory, Black Marble 2016, servies par GIBS · 2026-10-05 · Domaine public (NASA) ; sources du relief sous licences ouvertes
Catalogue datasets
Morocco Ports
Ministère de l'Équipement et de l'Eau · Licence : Licence Ouverte (data.gov.ma) · Updated : July 30, 2026
Morocco Power Lines — OpenStreetMap 2026
Contributeurs OpenStreetMap / Geofabrik · Licence : Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0 · Updated : August 13, 2026
Methodology
Foreign trade figures come from the Office des changes 2024 annual report, in billions of current dirhams, as reported by the Moroccan business press. Counts of Moroccans living in the European Union come from the Eurostat table migr_pop1ctz (population on 1 January 2024 by citizenship): they count Moroccan nationals, not naturalised people of Moroccan origin; France is absent from that table for 2024. Boundaries are Natural Earth 1:50m, with Morocco as a single polygon; the satellite basemap is Esri's world imagery. Arcs join country label points, not specific cities. Yearly series come from WITS (World Bank, current dollars, 2015–2023), Tanger Med Port Authority reports (2015–2024), Red Eléctrica (2022–2025) and Eurostat (1998–2025). Ferry lines and the strait's traffic lanes are schematic drawings; the dots moving along them show direction and relative intensity, never a count. Relief comes from Terrarium tiles (Mapzen, AWS Open Data), exaggerated to be readable; night lights are NASA's Black Marble 2016 image.
Boundaries: Natural Earth 1:50m (public domain), Morocco as a single polygon. Satellite basemap: Esri World Imagery.