Part II: Phosphorus Plants

This part of the trip was not as aesthetically pleasing as everything else, but it definitely made an impression on me and reminded me of the ongoing political toils that this country has with Western Sahara. In 2001 Morocco and Western Sahara were the second largest producer of phosphate rock, after the United States. Phosphorus is a chemical used to make fertilizer. After passing what felt like miles of sardine factories along the coast in Safi (see map from post below), we entered the port of Jorf Lasfar. This port houses phosphorus and electricity facilities and generates more than half of Morocco's total electricity. This facility is considered the largest independent power plant in Africa.


Morocco holds 45% of the world market share in phosphate rock (Australia and China are the other large producers). Global phosphate consumption grew in 2003 and prices rose in 2005. The growing economies of India and China and their increase in agricultural productivity heavily influenced the prices of phosphate. The price rose from US$40 per ton in 2005, to over US$400 per ton in 2008, and then decreased to under US$200 per ton in late 2008.


I gather that a big reason why Morocco wants to hold onto the Western Sahara is because of the phosphorus industry and the possibility for offshore oil drilling. The Moroccan government controls all of Western Sahara's trade and economic activities, which are dependent on agriculture, fishing, and phosphate mining.


Phosphorus factory

Oil containers

References:

PPhilip A. Szczesnia, "The Mineral Industries of Morocco and Western Sahara," 

http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/country/2001/momyb01.pdf 

"Phosphate Market," Nupower Resources Ltd., 2010 http://www.nupowerresources.com.au/INVESTORINFORMATION/PHOSPHATEMARKET/tabid/106/language/en-AU/Default.aspx 

Travels in Morocco Part I

Road Trip Destination Part I: Oyster Farm

I have been really bad at posting these days. Maybe in part because I don't feel like I have anything extraordinary to share anymore. There are thousands of blogs on people's travels, many much more detailed, eloquent and informative than mine. But since this blog is mainly for my close friends, it is something more personal than just sharing information, or updating you on what I have been up to. It is just as much as a learning experience for me, to 'reflect' upon what I am experiencing, as a learning experience for the small amount of followers who read my sparse posts.

So here I am....
2 weeks left in Morocco
The past two weeks I have done a lot of traveling throughout the country. It makes me feel like there is so much more to see now! I wish I had a paid job and more time to see more isolated parts of this amazing country.
I have been to Tanger, Asilah, Oudalyia, Essaouria, Marrakech, passed through Agadir, and stayed in Immouzer.

My favorite things were seeing the vast untouched coastline as we headed down to Essaouria and staying in the isolated high atlas moutains in Immouzer. I really wanted to ride a camel in the Sahara desert, but we didn't have enough time to drive through the snowy mountains and reach the desert. So I'll  just have to come back to Morocco again for more exploration!

Tyler arrives and we book into a funny hotel in Casablanca for the night

We stop in Oualidia for oysters!

 Oyster farm on the coast

Very happy with my glass of pinot gris

Driving along the coast