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
Geographic coordinates
23 00 N, 102 00 W
Map references
North America
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
Land boundaries
total
4,353 km
border countries
Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km
Coastline
9,330 km
Maritime claims
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
Climate
varies from tropical to desert
Terrain
high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert
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
Environment - international agreements
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
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
mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1%
Religions
Roman Catholic 76.5%, Protestant 6.3% (Pentecostal 1.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, other 3.8%), other 0.3%, unspecified 13.8%, none 3.1% (2000 census)
Languages
Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous languages
Literacy
definition
age 15 and over can read and write
total population
91%
male
92.4%
female
89.6% (2004 est.)
Country name
conventional long form
United Mexican States
conventional short form
Mexico
local long form
Estados Unidos Mexicanos
local short form
Mexico
Government type
federal republic
Capital
name
Mexico (Distrito Federal)
geographic coordinates
19 24 N, 99 09 W
time difference
UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time
+1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October
note
Mexico is divided into four time zones
Administrative divisions
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
Independence
16 September 1810 (declared); 27 September 1821 (recognized by Spain)
National holiday
Independence Day, 16 September (1810)
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
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced)
Executive branch
chief of state
President Felipe de Jesus CALDERON Hinojosa (since 1 December 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government
President Felipe de Jesus CALDERON Hinojosa (since 1 December 2006)
cabinet
Cabinet appointed by the president; note - appointment of attorney general requires consent of the Senate
elections
president elected by popular vote for a single six-year term; election last held on 2 July 2006 (next to be held 1 July 2012)
election results
Felipe CALDERON elected president; percent of vote - Felipe CALDERON 35.89%, Andres Manuel Lopez OBRADOR 35.31%, Roberto MADRAZO 22.26%, other 6.54%
Legislative branch
bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Union consists of the Senate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats; 96 members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms, and 32 seats 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 elected by popular vote; remaining 200 members are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote; to serve three-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 2 July 2006 for all of the seats (next to be held 1 July 2012); Chamber of Deputies - last held 2 July 2006 (next to be held 5 July 2009)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PAN 52, PRI 33, PRD 26, PVEM 6, CD 5, PT 5, independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PAN 206, PRD 127, PRI 106, PVEM 17, CD 17, PT 12, other 18
Judicial branch
Supreme Court of Justice or Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nacion (justices or ministros are appointed by the president with consent of the Senate)
Political parties and leaders
Convergence for Democracy or CD [Luis MALDONADO Venegas]; Institutional Revolutionary Party or PRI [Beatriz PAREDES]; Labor Party or PT [Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez]; Mexican Green Ecological Party or PVEM [Jorge Emilio GONZALEZ Martinez]; National Action Party (Partido Accion Nacional) or PAN [Manuel ESPINO Barrientos]; New Alliance Party (Partido Nueva Alianza) or PNA [Miguel Angel JIMENEZ Godinez]; Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolucion Democratica) or PRD [Leonel COTA Montano]; Social Democratic and Peasant Alternative Party (Partido Alternativa Socialdemocrata y Campesina) or Alternativa [Alberto BEGNE Guerra]
Political pressure groups and leaders
Broad Progressive Front or FAP; Businessmen's Coordinating Council or CCE; 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 Small Business Chamber or CANACOPE; National Syndicate of Education Workers or SNTE; National Union of Workers or UNT; Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca or APPO; Roman Catholic Church
Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Nogales (Arizona), Omaha, Orlando, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
consulate(s)
Albuquerque, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico (California), Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Douglas (Arizona), Eagle Pass (Texas), Fresno (California), Indianapolis (Indiana), Kansas City (Missouri), Laredo (Texas), Las Vegas, McAllen (Texas), Midland (Texas), Oxnard (California), Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), Presidio (Texas), Raleigh, Saint Paul (Minnesota), Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, Santa Ana (California), Seattle, Tucson, Yuma (Arizona)
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission
Ambassador Antonio O. GARZA, Jr.
embassy
Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico, Distrito Federal
mailing address
P. O. Box 9000, Brownsville, TX 78520-9000
telephone
[52] (55) 5080-2000
FAX
[52] (55) 5511-9980
consulate(s) general
Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana
consulate(s)
Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo
Flag description
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 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 new Felipe CALDERON administration that took office in December 2006 faces many of the same challenges that former President FOX tried to tackle, including the need to upgrade infrastructure, modernize the tax system and labor laws, and allow private investment in the energy sector. CALDERON has stated that his top priorities include reducing poverty and creating jobs. The success of his economic agenda will depend on his ability to garner support from the opposition.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$1.149 trillion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$743.5 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
4.8% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$10,700 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
3.9%
industry
25.7%
services
70.5% (2006 est.)
Labor force
38.09 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
18%
industry
24%
services
58% (2003)
Unemployment rate
3.2% plus underemployment of perhaps 25% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line
40% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
1.6%
highest 10%
35.6% (2002)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
54.6 (2000)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3.4% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
20% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget
revenues
$196.5 billion
expenditures
$196.2 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)
food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, tourism
Industrial production growth rate
3.6% (2006 est.)
Electricity - production
242.4 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
78.7%
hydro
14.2%
nuclear
4.2%
other
2.9% (2001)
Electricity - consumption
224.6 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports
1.203 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports
416 million kWh (2004)
Oil - production
3.42 million bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption
1.97 million bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports
1.863 million bbl/day (2004)
Oil - imports
205,000 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - proved reserves
12.49 billion bbl (2006 est.)
Natural gas - production
41.47 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
50.45 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports
9.831 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves
420.5 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance
-$400.1 million (2006 est.)
Exports
$248.8 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities
Exports - partners
US 78.7%, Canada 6%, Spain 1.4% (2006)
Imports
$253.1 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities
metalworking machines, steel mill products, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly, repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts
Imports - partners
US 60%, Japan 4.2%, China 3.9% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$85.01 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external
$178.3 billion (30 June 2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient
$1.166 billion (1995)
Currency (code)
Mexican peso (MXN)
Currency code
MXN
Exchange rates
Mexican pesos per US dollar - 10.899 (2006), 10.898 (2005), 11.286 (2004), 10.789 (2003), 9.656 (2002)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use
19.512 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular
47.462 million (2005)
Telephone system
general assessment
low telephone density with about 18 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), 1 Panamsat, 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 (2005)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 850, FM 545, shortwave 15 (2003)
Radios
31 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations
236 (plus repeaters) (1997)
Televisions
25.6 million (1997)
Internet country code
.mx
Internet hosts
3.427 million (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
51 (2000)
Internet users
18.622 million (2005)
Airports
1,839 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways
total
228
over 3,047 m
12
2,438 to 3,047 m
28
1,524 to 2,437 m
82
914 to 1,523 m
77
under 914 m
29 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
1,611
over 3,047 m
1
2,438 to 3,047 m
1
1,524 to 2,437 m
68
914 to 1,523 m
460
under 914 m
1,081 (2006)
Heliports
1 (2006)
Pipelines
gas 22,705 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,875 km; oil 8,688 km; oil/gas/water 228 km; refined products 6,520 km (2006)
Railways
total
17,562 km
standard gauge
17,562 km 1.435-m gauge (2005)
Roadways
total
235,670 km
paved
116,751 km (includes 6,144 km of expressways)
unpaved
118,919 km (2004)
Waterways
2,900 km (navigable rivers and coastal canals) (2007)
Merchant marine
total
56 ships (1000 GRT or over) 751,607 GRT/1,129,234 DWT
by type
bulk carrier 2, cargo 6, chemical tanker 6, liquefied gas 4, passenger/cargo 9, petroleum tanker 25, roll on/roll off 4
foreign-owned
5 (Denmark 2, France 1, Norway 1, UAE 1)
registered in other countries
15 (Belize 1, Honduras 1, Liberia 1, Panama 5, Portugal 1, Spain 3, Venezuela 3) (2006)
Secretariat of National Defense (Secretaria de Defensa Nacional, Sedena): Army (Ejercito), Mexican Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Mexicana, FAM); Secretariat of the Navy (Secretaria de Marina, Semar): Mexican Navy (Armada de Mexico, ARM, includes Naval Air Force (FAN) and Marines) (2007)
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; conscripts serve only in the Army; Navy and Air Force service is all voluntary (2007)
Manpower available for military service
males age 18-49
24,488,008
females age 18-49
26,128,046 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 18-49
19,058,337
females age 18-49
21,966,796 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
males age 18-49
1,063,233
females age 18-49
1,043,816 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
0.5% (2006 est.)
Disputes - international
abundant rainfall in recent years along much of the Mexico-US border region has ameliorated periodically strained water-sharing arrangements; the US has intensified security measures to monitor and control legal and illegal personnel, transport, and commodities across its border with Mexico; Mexico must deal with thousands of impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans who cross the porous border looking for work in Mexico and the United States
Refugees and internally displaced persons
IDPs: 10,000-12,000 (government's quashing of Zapatista uprising in 1994 in eastern Chiapas Region) (2006)
Trafficking in persons
current situation
Mexico is a source, transit, and destination country for persons trafficked for sexual exploitation and labor; while the vast majority of victims are Central Americans trafficked along Mexico's southern border, other source regions include South America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia; women and children are trafficked from rural regions to urban centers and tourist areas for sexual exploitation, often through fraudulent offers of employment or through threats of physical violence; the Mexican trafficking problem is often conflated with alien smuggling, and frequently the same criminal networks are involved; pervasive corruption among state and local law enforcement often impedes investigations
tier rating
Tier 2 Watch List - Mexico remains on the Tier 2 Watch List for the third consecutive year based on future commitments to undertake additional efforts in prosecution, protection, and prevention of trafficking in persons, and the failure of the government to provide critical law enforcement data
Illicit drugs
major drug-producing nation; cultivation of opium poppy in 2005 amounted to 3,300 hectares yielding a potential production of 8 metric tons of pure heroin, or 17 metric tons of "black tar" heroin, the dominant form of Mexican heroin in the western United States; marijuana cultivation decreased 3% to 5,600 hectares in 2005 - just two years after a decade-high cultivation peak in 2003 - and yielded a potential production of 10,100 metric tons; government conducts the largest independent illicit-crop eradication program in the world; continues as the primary transshipment country for US-bound cocaine from South America, with an estimated 90% of annual cocaine movements towards the US stopping in Mexico; major drug syndicates control majority of drug trafficking throughout the country; producer and distributor of ecstasy; significant money-laundering center; major supplier of heroin and largest foreign supplier of marijuana and methamphetamine to the US market
