Morocco occupies an unrivalled position in North Africa. It faces both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and thus dominates the Strait of Gibraltar, the gate into the Mediterranean, end, thus, ultimately, into the Red Sen. and the Indian Ocean.. The area of Morocco.is about 172,104 sq. miles, or about 20,000 sq. miles larger than California. The basic population is Berber, or pre-Arab, but has been Arabized to varying degrees. All population figures for North Africa are estimates because no accurate census of the Moslem population has been made. However, the approximate figure is bine million. According to the Etude demographics et social, "It would be fruitless to give for the Moslem population a picture similar to that for the non-Moslem population. The registration for birth and death has been very incomplete."