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Background:
|
The site
of advanced Amerindian civilizations, Mexico came under
Spanish rule for three centuries before achieving
independence early in the 19th century. A devaluation of
the peso in late 1994 threw Mexico into economic
turmoil, triggering the worst recession in over half a
century. The nation continues to make an impressive
recovery. Ongoing economic and social concerns include
low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of
the population, inequitable income distribution, and few
advancement opportunities for the largely Amerindian
population in the impoverished southern states.
Elections held in July 2000 marked the first time since
the 1910 Mexican Revolution that the opposition defeated
the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary
Party (PRI). Vicente FOX of the National Action Party
(PAN) was sworn in on 1 December 2000 as the first chief
executive elected in free and fair elections. |
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Location:
|
Middle
America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of
Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the
North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the US |
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Geographic coordinates:
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23 00 N,
102 00 W |
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Map references:
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North
America |
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Area:
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total:
1,972,550 sq km
land: 1,923,040 sq km
water: 49,510 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
less than three times the size of Texas |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
4,353 km
border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962
km, US 3,141 km |
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Coastline:
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9,330 km
|
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the
continental margin |
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Climate:
|
varies
from tropical to desert |
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Terrain:
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high,
rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus;
desert |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Laguna Salada -10 m
highest point: Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m
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Natural resources:
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petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural
gas, timber |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 12.99%
permanent crops: 1.31%
other: 85.7% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
|
65,000 sq
km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
|
tsunamis
along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive
earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on
the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts |
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Environment - current issues:
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scarcity
of hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to urban
migration; natural fresh water resources scarce and
polluted in north, inaccessible and poor quality in
center and extreme southeast; raw sewage and industrial
effluents polluting rivers in urban areas;
deforestation; widespread erosion; desertification;
deteriorating agricultural lands; serious air and water
pollution in the national capital and urban centers
along US-Mexico border; land subsidence in Valley of
Mexico caused by groundwater depletion
note: the government considers the lack of clean
water and deforestation national security issues |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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strategic
location on southern border of US; corn (maize), one of
the world's major grain crops, is thought to have
originated in Mexico |
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Population:
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106,202,903 (July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 31.1% (male 16,844,400/female 16,159,511)
15-64 years: 63.3% (male 32,521,043/female
34,704,093)
65 years and over: 5.6% (male 2,715,010/female
3,258,846) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
24.93 years
male: 24.04 years
female: 25.85 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.17%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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21.01
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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4.73
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-4.57
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
20.91 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 22.85 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 18.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2005
est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 75.19 years
male: 72.42 years
female: 78.1 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.45
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.3%
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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160,000
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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5,000
(2003 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Mexican(s)
adjective: Mexican |
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Ethnic groups:
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mestizo
(Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly
Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1% |
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Religions:
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nominally
Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5% |
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Languages:
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Spanish,
various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous
languages |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.2%
male: 94%
female: 90.5% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: United Mexican States
conventional short form: Mexico
local long form: Estados Unidos Mexicanos
local short form: Mexico |
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Government type:
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federal
republic |
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Capital:
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Mexico
(Distrito Federal) |
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Administrative divisions:
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31 states
(estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district*
(distrito federal); Aguascalientes, Baja California,
Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua,
Coahuila de Zaragoza, Colima, Distrito Federal*,
Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico,
Michoacan de Ocampo, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon,
Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro de Arteaga, Quintana Roo, San
Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas,
Tlaxcala, Veracruz-Llave, Yucatan, Zacatecas |
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Independence:
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16
September 1810 (from Spain) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 16 September (1810) |
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Constitution:
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5
February 1917 |
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Legal system:
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mixture
of US constitutional theory and civil law system;
judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced) |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: President Vicente FOX Quesada (since 1
December 2000); note - the president is both the chief
of state and head of government
head of government: President Vicente FOX Quesada
(since 1 December 2000); note - the president is both
the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; note
- appointment of attorney general requires consent of
the Senate
elections: president elected by popular vote for
a six-year term; election last held 2 July 2000 (next to
be held 2 July 2006)
election results: Vicente FOX Quesada elected
president; percent of vote - Vicente FOX Quesada (PAN)
42.52%, Francisco LABASTIDA Ochoa (PRI) 36.1%,
Cuauhtemoc CARDENAS Solorzano (PRD) 16.64%, other 4.74%
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral
National Congress or Congreso de la Union consists of
the Senate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats; 96 are
elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms, and 32
are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote)
and the Federal Chamber of Deputies or Camara Federal de
Diputados (500 seats; 300 members are directly elected
by popular vote to serve three-year terms; remaining 200
members are allocated on the basis of each party's
popular vote, also for three-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 2 July 2000 for all
of the seats (next to be held 2 July 2006); Chamber of
Deputies - last held 6 July 2003 (next to be held 2 July
2006)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - PRI 60, PAN 46, PRD 16,
PVEM 5, unassigned 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of
vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRI 222, PAN 151,
PRD 95, PVEM 17, PT 6, CD 5, unassigned 4; note -
special elections were held in December 2003; the PRI
and the PRD each won one seat and were each assigned one
additional proportional representation seat |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme
Court of Justice or Suprema Corte de Justicia Nacional
(justices or ministros are appointed by the president
with consent of the Senate) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Convergence for Democracy or CD [Dante DELGADO Ranauro];
Institutional Revolutionary Party or PRI [Roberto
MADRAZO Pintado]; Mexican Green Ecological Party or PVEM
[Jorge Emilio GONZALEZ Martinez]; National Action Party
or PAN [Luis Felipe BRAVO Mena]; Party of the Democratic
Revolution or PRD [Leonel GODOY]; Workers Party or PT
[Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Confederation of Employers of the Mexican Republic or
COPARMEX; Confederation of Industrial Chambers or
CONCAMIN; Confederation of Mexican Workers or CTM;
Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce or
CONCANACO; Coordinator for Foreign Trade Business
Organizations or COECE; Federation of Unions Providing
Goods and Services or FESEBES; National Chamber of
Transformation Industries or CANACINTRA; National
Peasant Confederation or CNC; National Union of Workers
or UNT; Regional Confederation of Mexican Workers or
CROM; Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and
Peasants or CROC; Roman Catholic Church |
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International organization participation:
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APEC,
BCIE, BIS, CDB, CE (observer), EBRD, FAO, G-3, G-6,
G-15, G-19, G-24, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt
(signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA,
NAM (observer), NEA, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOVIC, UPU,
WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador-designate Carlos Alberto de
ICAZA Gonzalez
chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20006
telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600
FAX: [1] (202) 728-1698
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Austin, Boston,
Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, Houston, Laredo
(Texas), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York,
Nogales (Arizona), Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, San
Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
consulate(s): Albuquerque, Brownsville (Texas),
Calexico (California), Corpus Christi (Texas), Del Rio
(Texas), Detroit, Douglas (Arizona), Eagle Pass (Texas),
Fresno (California), Indianapolis (Indiana), Kansas City
(Missouri), Las Vegas, McAllen (Texas), Midland (Texas),
Omaha, Orlando, Oxnard (California), Philadelphia,
Portland (Oregon), Presidio (Texas), Raleigh, Salt Lake
City, San Bernardino, Santa Ana (California), Seattle,
Tucson, Yuma (Arizona) |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Antonio O. GARZA
embassy: Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia
Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico, Distrito Federal
mailing address: P. O. Box 9000, Brownsville, TX
78520-0900
telephone: [52] (55) 5080-2000
FAX: [52] (55) 5525-5040
consulate(s) general: Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara,
Monterrey, Tijuana
consulate(s): Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida,
Nogales, Nuevo, Laredo |
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Flag description:
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three
equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and
red; the coat of arms (an eagle perched on a cactus with
a snake in its beak) is centered in the white band |
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Economy - overview:
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Mexico
has a free market economy that recently entered the
trillion dollar class. It contains a mixture of modern
and outmoded industry and agriculture, increasingly
dominated by the private sector. Recent administrations
have expanded competition in seaports, railroads,
telecommunications, electricity generation, natural gas
distribution, and airports. Per capita income is
one-fourth that of the US; income distribution remains
highly unequal. Trade with the US and Canada has tripled
since the implementation of NAFTA in 1994. Mexico has 12
free trade agreements with over 40 countries including,
Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, the European Free
Trade Area, and Japan, putting more than 90% of trade
under free trade agreements. The government is cognizant
of the need to upgrade infrastructure, modernize the tax
system and labor laws, and provide incentives to invest
in the energy sector, but progress is slow. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$1.006
trillion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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4.1%
(2004 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $9,600 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 4%
industry: 27.2%
services: 68.9% (2004 est.) |
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Labor force:
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34.73
million (2004 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 18%, industry 24%, services 58% (2003) |
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Unemployment rate:
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3.2% plus
underemployment of perhaps 25% (2004 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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40% (2003
est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: 1.6%
highest 10%: 35.6% (2002) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
|
53.1
(1998) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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5.4%
(2004 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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19.4% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $160 billion
expenditures: $158 billion, including capital
expenditures of NA (2004 est.) |
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Public debt:
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23.5% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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corn,
wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruit,
tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products
|
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Industries:
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food and
beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel,
petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles,
consumer durables, tourism |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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3.8%
(2004 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
|
203.6
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 78.7%
hydro: 14.2%
nuclear: 4.2%
other: 2.9% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
|
189.7
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
|
98.65
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
|
367.7
million kWh (2002) |
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Oil - production:
|
3.46
million bbl/day (2004 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
|
1.752
million bbl/day (2004 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
|
1.863
million bbl/day (2004) |
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Oil - imports:
|
205,000
bbl/day (2004) |
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Oil - proved reserves:
|
18
billion bbl (2004 est.) |
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Natural gas - production:
|
47.3
billion cu m (2004 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
|
55.1
billion cu m (2004 est.) |
|
Natural gas - exports:
|
0 cu m
(2004 est.) |
|
Natural gas - imports:
|
7.85
billion cu m (2004 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
|
420
billion cu m (2004) |
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Current account balance:
|
$-4.113
billion (2004 est.) |
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Exports:
|
$182.4
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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manufactured goods, oil and oil products, silver,
fruits, vegetables, coffee, cotton |
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Exports - partners:
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US 87.6%,
Canada 1.8%, Spain 1.1% (2004) |
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Imports:
|
$190.8
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
|
metalworking machines, steel mill products, agricultural
machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly,
repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft
parts |
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Imports - partners:
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US 53.7%,
China 7%, Japan 5.1% (2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
|
$60.67
billion (2004 est.) |
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Debt - external:
|
$149.9
billion (2004 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
|
$1.166
billion (1995) |
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Currency (code):
|
Mexican
peso (MXN) |
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Currency code:
|
MXN |
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Exchange rates:
|
Mexican
pesos per US dollar - 11.286 (2004), 10.789 (2003),
9.656 (2002), 9.342 (2001), 9.456 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
|
calendar
year |
|
Telephones - main lines in use:
|
15,958,700 (2003) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
|
28.125
million (2003) |
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Telephone system:
|
general assessment: low telephone density with about
15.2 main lines per 100 persons; privatized in December
1990; the opening to competition in January 1997
improved prospects for development, but Telmex remains
dominant
domestic: adequate telephone service for business
and government, but the population is poorly served;
mobile subscribers far outnumber fixed-line subscribers;
domestic satellite system with 120 earth stations;
extensive microwave radio relay network; considerable
use of fiber-optic cable and coaxial cable
international: country code - 52; satellite earth
stations - 32 Intelsat, 2 Solidaridad (giving Mexico
improved access to South America, Central America, and
much of the US as well as enhancing domestic
communications), numerous Inmarsat mobile earth
stations; linked to Central American Microwave System of
trunk connections; high capacity Columbus-2 fiber-optic
submarine cable with access to the US, Virgin Islands,
Canary Islands, Morocco, Spain, and Italy (1997) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
|
AM 850,
FM 545, shortwave 15 (2003) |
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Radios:
|
31
million (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
|
236 (plus
repeaters) (1997) |
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Televisions:
|
25.6
million (1997) |
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Internet country code:
|
.mx |
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Internet hosts:
|
1,333,406
(2003) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
|
51 (2000)
|
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Internet users:
|
10.033
million (2002) |
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Railways:
|
total:
17,634 km
standard gauge: 17,634 km 1.435-m gauge (2004)
|
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Highways:
|
total:
329,532 km
paved: 108,087 km (including 6,429 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 221,445 km (1999 est.) |
|
Waterways:
|
2,900 km
note: navigable rivers and coastal canals (2004)
|
|
Pipelines:
|
crude oil
28,200 km; petroleum products 10,150 km; natural gas
13,254 km; petrochemical 1,400 km (2003) |
|
Ports and harbors:
|
Altamira,
Manzanillo, Morro Redondo, Salina Cruz, Tampico,
Topolobampo, Veracruz |
|
Merchant marine:
|
total:
57 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 649,389 GRT/942,766 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 6, chemical tanker
5, liquefied gas 5, passenger/cargo 9, petroleum tanker
26, roll on/roll off 4
foreign-owned: 4 (Denmark 1, Germany 1, UAE 1,
United States 1)
registered in other countries: 6 (2005) |
|
Airports:
|
1,833
(2004 est.) |
|
Airports - with paved runways:
|
total:
233
over 3,047 m: 12
2,438 to 3,047 m: 28
1,524 to 2,437 m: 84
914 to 1,523 m: 80
under 914 m: 29 (2004 est.) |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
total:
1,600
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 69
914 to 1,523 m: 454
under 914 m: 1,075 (2004 est.) |
|
Heliports:
|
2 (2004
est.) |
|
Military branches:
|
Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena): Army and
Air Force (FAM)
Secretariat of the Navy (Semar): Naval Air and
Marines (2004) |
|
Military service age and obligation:
|
18 years
of age for compulsory military service, conscript
service obligation - 12 months; 16 years of age with
consent for voluntary enlistment (2004) |
|
Manpower available for military service:
|
males
age 18-49: 24,488,008 (2005 est.) |
|
Manpower fit for military service:
|
males
age 18-49: 19,058,337 (2005 est.) |
|
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
|
males:
1,063,233 (2005 est.) |
|
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
$6.043
billion (2004) |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
0.9%
(2004) |
|
Disputes - international:
|
prolonged
drought, population growth, and outmoded practices and
infrastructure in the border region have strained
water-sharing arrangements with the US; the US has
stepped up efforts to stem nationals from Mexico,
Central America, and other parts of the world from
illegally crossing the border with Mexico |
|
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
|
IDPs:
12,000 (government's quashing of Zapatista uprising in
1994 in eastern Chiapas Region) (2004) |
|
Illicit drugs:
|
illicit
cultivation of opium poppy (cultivation in 2001 - 4,400
hectares; potential heroin production - 7 metric tons)
and of cannabis (in 2001 - 4,100 hectares); government
eradication efforts have been key in keeping illicit
crop levels low; major supplier of heroin and largest
foreign supplier of marijuana and methamphetamine to the
US market; continues as the primary transshipment
country for US-bound cocaine from South America,
accounting for about 70 percent of estimated annual
cocaine movement to the US; major drug syndicates
control majority of drug trafficking throughout the
country; producer and distributor of ecstasy;
significant money-laundering center |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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