Since King Mohammed VI was enthroned in 1999, the country has instituted sweeping political and economic changes. Although poverty is still widespread and unemployment remains high, initiatives to attract foreign investment and tourism are bringing new opportunities to urban areas.
The human rights record is markedly improved from the previous regime, and today ranks among the cleanest across Africa and the Middle East. Women have benefitted from education initiatives and expanded rights, and new protections for Berber (Amazigh) culture include the introduction of Tamazight (written Berber) in schools.
Morocco's parliament has only nominal power, but the country's first municipal elections in 2002 were hailed as a step towards democratisation. Islamist and other political factions are closely monitored, as is the news media.
Two territorial disputes remain: the Western Sahara, claimed by the indigenous Sahrawi Polisario Front, and the Spanish-occupied enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, on Morocco's Mediterranean coast.
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