All Season Tours

 Mexico Flag

HomeNorth America /  MexicoAbout  Mexico Mexico ToursContact UsCompany
 

Fast Facts About mexico

 

Geography

Location:

Central America, between Guatemala and the US

Map references:

North America, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area:
total area:

1,972,550 km2

land area:

1,923,040 km2

comparative area:

slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Land boundaries:

total 4,538 km, Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,326 km

Coastline:

9,330 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:

24 nm

continental shelf:

200 nm or the natural prolongation of continental margin

Fast Facts About mexico

exclusive economic zone:

200 nm

territorial sea:

12 nm

International disputes:

claims Clipperton Island (French possession)

Climate:

varies from tropical to desert

Terrain:

high, rugged mountains, low coastal plains, high plateaus, and desert

Natural resources:

petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber

Land use:
arable land:

12%

permanent crops:

1%

meadows and pastures:

39%

forest and woodland:

24%

other:

24%

Irrigated land:

51,500 km2 (1989 est.)

Environment:

subject to tsunamis along the Pacific coast and destructive earthquakes in the center and south; natural water resources scarce and polluted in north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme southeast; deforestation; erosion widespread; desertification; serious air pollution in Mexico City and urban centers along US-México border

Note:

strategic location on southern border of US

People

Population:

90,419,606 (July 1993 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.97% (1993 est.)

Birth rate:

27.67 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate:

4.82 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Net migration rate:

-3.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

28.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population:

72.55 years

male:

68.99 years

female:

76.3 years (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.25 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Nationality:
noun:

Mexican(s)

adjective:

Mexican

Ethnic divisions:

mestizo (Indian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, Caucasian or predominantly Caucasian 9%, other 1%

Religions:

nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%

Languages:

Spanish, various Mayan dialects

[Unmoderators' Addendum: There are at least 40 distinct aboriginal languages spoken in present day Mexico, counting the various Mayan languages as only one language family. The habit of referring to aboriginal languages as dialects negates the identity and legitimacy of each of these languages. A dialect properly refers to a variant of a language, and in this sense there are various Mayan dialects, Nahuatl dialects, Zapotec dialects, etc. spoken today in Mexico].

Literacy:

age 15 and over [who] can read and write (1990)

total population:

87%

male:

90%

female:

85%

Labor force:

26.2 million (1990)

by occupation:

services 31.7%, agriculture, forestry, hunting, and fishing 28%, commerce 14.6%, manufacturing 11.1%, construction 8.4%, transportation 4.7%, mining and quarrying 1.5%

Government

Names:
conventional long form:

United Mexican States

conventional short form:

México

local long form:

Estados Unidos Mexicanos

local short form:

México

Digraph:

MX

Type:

federal republic operating under a centralized government

Capital:

México

Administrative divisions:

31 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima, Distrito Federal*, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, México, Michoacan, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatan, Zacatecas

Independence:

16 September 1810 (from Spain)

Constitution:

5 February 1917

Legal system:

mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

National holiday:

Independence Day, 16 September (1810)

Political parties and leaders:

(recognized parties) Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Fernando Ortíz Arana; National Action Party (PAN), Carlos CASTILLO; Popular Socialist Party (PPS), Indalecio SAYAGO Herrera; Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), Roberto ROBLES Garnica; Cardenist Front for the National Reconstruction Party (PFCRN), Rafael AGUILAR Talamantes; Authentic Party of the Mexican Revolution (PARM), Carlos Enrique CANTU Rosas; Democratic Forum Party (PFD), Pablo Emilio MADERO; Mexican Ecologist Party (PEM), Jorge GONZALEZ Torres

Other political or pressure groups:

Roman Catholic Church; Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM); Confederation of Industrial Chambers (CONCAMIN); Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce (CONCANACO); National Peasant Confederation (CNC); Revolutionary Workers Party (PRT); Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and Peasants (CROC); Regional Confederation of Mexican Workers (CROM); Confederation of Employers of the Mexican Republic (COPARMEX); National Chamber of Transformation Industries (CANACINTRA); Coordinator for Foreign Trade Business Organizations (COECE); Federation of Unions Provding Goods and Services (FESEBES)

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced)

Elections:
President:

last held on 6 July 1988 (next to be held August 1994); results - Carlos SALINAS de Gortari (PRI) 50.74%, Cuauhtemoc CARDENAS Solorzano (FDN) 31.06%, Manuel CLOUTHIER (PAN) 16.81%; other 1.39%; note - several of the smaller parties ran a common candidate under a coalition called the National Democratic Front (FDN)

[Unmoderators' Update: New elections were held in July 1994. The PRI candidate, Ernesto Zedillo, garnered approximately a 2/3 majority of the popular vote and was inaugurated in December of that same year].

Senate:

last held on 18 August 1991 (next to be held midyear 1994); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats in full Senate - (64 total) PRI 62, PRD 1, PAN 1

Chamber of Deputies:

last held on 18 August 1991 (next to be held midyear 1994); results - PRI 53%, PAN 20%, PFCRN 10%, PPS 6%, PARM 7%, PMS (now part of PRD) 4%; seats - (500 total) PRI 320, PAN 89, PRD 41, PFCRN 23, PARM 15, PPS 12

Executive branch:

president, Cabinet

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Congress (Congreso de la Union) consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Camara de Senadores) and a lower chamber or Chamber o Deputies (Camara de Diputados)

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia)

Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government:

President Carlos SALINAS de Gortari (since 1 December 1988)
[Unmoderator's update: since December 1994: Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León].

Member of:

AG (observer), CARICOM (observer), CCC, CDB, CG, EBRD, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-6, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:

Ambassador Jorge MONTANO Martinez

chancery:

1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006

telephone:

(202) 728-1600

consulates general:

Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico)

consulates:

Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico (California), Corpus Christi, Detroit, Fresno (California), Miami, Nogales (Arizona), Philadelphia, Phoenix, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, Seattle

US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:

Ambassador John D. NEGROPONTE, Jr.

embassy:

Paseo de la Reforma 305, 06500 Mexico, D.F.

mailing address:

P. O. Box 3087, Laredo, TX 78044-3087

telephone:

[52] (5) 211-0042

FAX:

[52] (5) 511-9980, 208-3373

consulates general:

Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana

consulates:

Hermosillo, Matamoros, Mazatlan, Merida, Nuevo Laredo

Flag:

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.

Economy

Overview:

Mexico's economy is a mixture of state-owned industrial facilities (notably oil), private manufacturing and services, and both large-scale and traditional agriculture. In the 1980s, Mexico experienced severe economic difficulties: the nation accumulated large external debts as world petroleum prices fell; rapid population growth outstripped the domestic food supply; and inflation, unemployment, and pressures to emigrate became more acute. Growth in national output, however, has recovered, rising from 1.4% in 1988 to 4% in 1990 and 3.6% in 1991 and coming in at 2.6% in 1992. The US is Mexico's major trading partner, accounting for almost three-quarters of its exports and imports. After petroleum, border assembly plants and tourism are the largest earners of foreign exchange. The government, in consultation with international economic agencies, has been implementing programs to stabilize the economy and foster growth. For example, it has privatized more than two-thirds of its state-owned companies (parastatals), including banks. In 1991-92 the government conducted negotiations with the US and Canada on a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which was still being discussed by the three countries in early 1993. [Unmoderators' update: NAFTA was approved by the legislatures of all three signatory nations in 1993 and went into effect on January 1, 1994.] In January 1993, Mexico replaced its old peso with a new peso, at the rate of 1,000 old to 1 new peso. Notwithstanding the palpable improvements in economic performance in the early 1990s, Mexico faces substantial problems for the remainder of the decade - e.g., rapid population growth, unemployment, and serious pollution, particularly in Mexico City.

National product:

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $328 billion (1992 est.)

National product real growth rate:

2.6% (1992)

National product per capita:

$3,600 (1992 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

11.9% (1992)

Unemployment rate:

14%-17% (1991 est.)

Budget:

revenues $58.9 billion; expenditures $48.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $6.5 billion (1991); figures do not include state-owned companies

Exports:

$27.5 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)

commodities:

crude oil, oil products, coffee, shrimp, engines, motor vehicles, cotton, consumer electronics

partners:

US 74%, Japan 8%, EC 4% (1992 est.)

Imports:

$48.1 billion (c.i.f., 1992 est.)

commodities:

metal-working machines, steel mill products, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly, repair parts for moto vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts

partners:

US 74%, Japan, 11%, EC 6% (1992)

External debt:

$104 billion (1992 est.)

Industrial production:

growth rate 5.5% (1991 est.); accounts for 28% of GDP

Electricity:

27,000,000 kW capacity; 120,725 million kWh produced, 1,300 kWh per capita (1992)

Industries:

food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, tourism

Agriculture:

accounts for 9% of GDP and over 25% of work force; large number of small farms at subsistence level; major food crops - corn, wheat, rice, beans; cash crops - cotton, coffee, fruit, tomatoes; fish catch of 1.4 million metric tons among top 20 nations (1987)

Illicit drugs:

illicit cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis continues in spite of active government eradication program; major supplier to the US market; continues as the primary transshipment country for US-bound cocaine from South America

Economic aid:

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $3.1 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $7.7 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $110 million

Currency:

1 New Mexican peso (Mex$) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates:

market rate of Mexican pesos (Mex$) per US$1 - 3.100 (January 1993), 3,198 (November 1992), 3,018.4 (1991), 2,812.6 (1990), 2,461.3 (1989), 2,273.1 (1988); note - the new pesos replaced the old pesos on 1 January 1993; 1 new pesos = 1,000 old pesos. [Unmoderators' update: One of the first actions of the administration of president Ernesto Zedillo was to devalue Mexican currency against the dollar in December 1994. At this time the peso has been allowed to float and its exchange rate has not stabilized, though it is tending to trade for approximately N $5 - 8 pesos to the dollar. ].

 

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Communications

Railroads:

24,500 km total

Highways:

212,000 km total; 65,000 km paved, 30,000 km semipaved or cobblestone, 62,000 km rural roads (improved earth) or roads under construction, 55,000 km unimproved earth roads

Inland waterways:

2,900 km navigable rivers and coastal canals

Pipelines:

crude oil 28,200 km; petroleum products 10,150 km; natural gas 13,254 km; petrochemical 1,400 km

Ports:

Acapulco, Altamira, Coatzacoalcos, Ensenada, Guaymas, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Progreso, Puerto Vallarta, Salina Cruz, Tampico, Tuxpan, Veracruz

Merchant marine:

58 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 858,162 GRT/1,278,488 DWT; includes 4 short-sea passenger, 2 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off, 31 oil tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 7 liquefied gas, 1 bulk, 5 container

Airports:
total:

1,841

usable:

1,478

with permanent-surface runways:

200

with runways over 3,659 m:

3

with runways 2,440-3,659 m:

35

with runways 1,220-2,439 m:

273

Telecommunications:

highly developed system with extensive microwave radio relay links; privatized in December 1990; connected into Central America Microwave System; 6,410,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 679 AM, no FM, 238 TV, 22 shortwave; 120 domestic satellite terminals; earth stations - 4 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT

Defense Forces

Branches:

National Defense (including Army and Air Force), Navy (including Marines)

Manpower availability:

males age 15-49 22,201,567; fit for military service 16,205,926; reach military age (18) annually 1,049,729 (1993 est.)

Defense expenditures:

exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP [Unmoderators' comment: under previous exchange rate total defense expenditures were 0.5% of total budget, according to 1994 Encyclopaedia Britannica Book of the Year ].

[onlytours.com/includes/footer.htm]