Country name conventional long form: United Mexican States
conventional short form: Mexico
local short form: Mexico
local long form: Estados Unidos Mexicanos 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.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 Area total: 1,972,550 sq km
land: 1,923,040 sq km
water: 49,510 sq km Area - comparative slightly less than three times the size of Texas Coastline 9,330 km Climate varies from tropical to desert Terrain high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert Elevation extremes lowest point: Laguna Salada -10 m
highest point: Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m 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 Environment - current issues 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 Geography - note strategic location on southern border of US; corn (maize), one of the world"s major grain crops, is thought to have originated in Mexico Population 104,907,991 (July 2003 est.) Age structure 0-14 years: 32.3% (male 17,298,964; female 16,617,728)
15-64 years: 63.1% (male 32,217,513; female 33,932,603)
65 years and over: 4.6% (male 2,145,252; female 2,695,931) (2003 est.) Median age total: 23.8 years
male: 22.9 years
female: 24.6 years (2002) Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2003 est.) Nationality noun: Mexican(s)
adjective: Mexican Ethnic groups mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1% Religions nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5% Languages Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous languages Internet country code .mx Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.2%
male: 94%
female: 90.5% (2003 est.) Government type federal republic National holiday Independence Day, 16 September (1810) Legal system mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations International organization participation APEC, BCIE, BIS, Caricom (observer), CDB, CE (observer), EBRD, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-6, G-15, G-19, G-24, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA (observer), IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM (observer), NEA, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOVIC, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO Economy - overview Mexico has a free market economy with 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, natural gas distribution, and airports. Income distribution remains highly unequal. Trade with the US and Canada has tripled since the implementation of NAFTA in 1994. Following 6.9% growth in 2000, real GDP fell 0.3% in 2001, recovering to only a plus 1% in 2002, with the US slowdown the principal cause. Mexico implemented free trade agreements with Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and the European Free Trade Area in 2001, putting more than 90% of trade under free trade agreements. Foreign direct investment reached $25 billion in 2001, of which $12.5 billion came from the purchase of Mexico"s second-largest bank, Banamex, by Citigroup. Exports - partners US 82.7%, Canada 5.4%, Japan 1.1% (2002) Currency Mexican peso (MXN) Currency code MXN Exchange rates Mexican pesos per US dollar - 9.66 (2002), 9.34 (2001), 9.46 (2000), 9.56 (1999), 9.14 (1998) Airports 1,823 (2002) Airports - with paved runways total: 231
over 3,047 m: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 28
914 to 1,523 m: 82
under 914 m: 27 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 83 Airports - with unpaved runways total: 1,592
under 914 m: 1,067 (2002)
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 454
1,524 to 2,437 m: 69 Disputes - international prolonged regional drought in the border region with the US has strained water-sharing arrangements |
