Arab Maghreb Union
Arab Maghreb Union
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| Seat of Secretariat | Rabat, Morocco |
| Largest city | Casablanca |
| Official language | Arabic |
| Demonym | Maghrebis |
| Member states | |
| Leaders | |
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• Secretary General
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Taïeb Baccouche |
| Area | |
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• Total
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6,041,261 km2 (2,332,544 sq mi) (7th) |
| Population | |
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• 2010 estimate
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92,517,056 (13th) |
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• Density
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14.71/km2 (38.1/sq mi) (207th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2010 estimate |
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• Total
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$607.631 billion (24th) |
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• Per capita
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$6,835.46 (100th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2010 estimate |
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• Total
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$375.932 billion (26th) |
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• Per capita
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$4,229.00 (97th) |
| Currency | |
The Arab Maghreb Union (AMU; French: Union du Maghreb arabe, UMA; Arabic: اتحاد المغرب العربي Ittiḥād al-Maghrib al-‘Arabī; ) is a trade agreement aiming for economic and future political unity among Arab countries of the Maghreb in North Africa. Its members are the nations of Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. The Union has been unable to achieve tangible progress on its goals due to deep economic and political disagreements between Morocco and Algeria regarding, among others, the issue of Western Sahara. No high level meetings have taken place since 3 July 2008 and commentators regard the Union as stagnant and largely moribund.
The idea for an economic union of the Maghreb began with the independence of Tunisia and Morocco in 1956. It was not until thirty years later, though, that five Maghreb states—Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia—met for the first Maghreb summit in 1988. The Union was established on 17 February 1989 when the treaty was signed by the member states in Marrakech. According to the Constitutive Act, its aim is to guarantee cooperation "with similar regional institutions... [to] take part in the enrichment of the international dialogue... [to] reinforce the independence of the member states and... [to] safeguard... their assets." Strategic relevance of the region is based on the fact that, collectively, it boasts large phosphate, oil, and gas reserves, and it is a transit centre to southern Europe. The success of the Union would, therefore be economically important.
There is a rotating chairmanship within the AMU which is held in turn by each nation. The current Secretary-General is the Tunisian Taïeb Baccouche.
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Wikipedia