chief of mission: Ambassador Harold Walter GEISEL
embassy: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Street, Port Louis
mailing address: international mail: P.O. Box 544, Port Louis; US
mail: American Embassy, Port Louis, Department of State, Washington,
DC 20521-2450
Flag description: four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue,
yellow, and green
Economy
Economy--overview: Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has
developed from a low income, agriculturally based economy to a
middle income diversified economy with growing industrial, financial
services, and tourist sectors. For most of the period, annual growth
has been of the order of 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has
been reflected in increased life expectancy, lowered infant
mortality, and a much improved infrastructure. Sugarcane is grown on
about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 25% of export
earnings. The government's development strategy centers on
industrialization (with a view to modernization and to exports),
agricultural diversification, and tourism. Economic performance in
1991-98 continued strong with solid growth and low unemployment.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$11.7 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 5% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$10,000 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 8%
industry: 29%
services: 63% (1996)
Population below poverty line: 10.6% (1992 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.8% (1997)
Labor force: 514,000 (1995)
Labor force--by occupation: construction and industry 36%,
services 24%, agriculture and fishing 14%, trade, restaurants,
hotels 16%, transportation and communication 7%, finance 3% (1995)
Unemployment rate: 2% (1996 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $824 million (FY94/95)
expenditures: $1 billion, including capital expenditures of $198
million (FY95/96 est.)
Industries: food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles,
clothing; chemicals, metal products, transport equipment,
nonelectrical machinery; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 5.8% (1992)
Electricity--production: 1.125 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 86.67%
hydro: 13.33%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 1.125 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas,
pulses; cattle, goats; fish
Exports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1997)
Exports--commodities: clothing and textiles 55%, sugar 24% (1995)
Exports--partners: UK 34.4%, France 19.5%, US 13.0%, Germany 5.6%,
Italy 4.0% (1996)
Imports: $2.3 billion (c.i.f., 1997)
Imports--commodities: manufactured goods 37%, capital equipment
19%, foodstuffs 13%, petroleum products 8%, chemicals 7% (1995)
Imports--partners: South Africa 12.0%, France 11.1%, India 8.9%,
UK 6.5%, Germany 4.7%, (1996)
Debt--external: $1.2 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid--recipient: $5.2 million (1995)
Currency: 1 Mauritian rupee (MauR) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Mauritian rupees (MauRs) per US$1--24.099 (January
1999), 22.803 (1998), 20.561 (1997), 17.948 (1996), 17.386 (1995),
17.960 (1994)
Fiscal year: 1 July--30 June
Communications
Telephones: 107,000 (1993)
Telephone system: small system with good service
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth station--1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean);
new microwave link to Reunion; HF radiotelephone links to several
countries
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: 399,000 (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (in addition, there are 11
repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 242,000 (1993 est.)
Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 1,860 km
paved: 1,732 km (including 30 km of expressways)
unpaved: 128 km (1996 est.)
Ports and harbors: Port Louis
Merchant marine:
total: 17 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 178,846 GRT/236,308 DWT
ships by type: cargo 6, combination bulk 2, container 6, liquefied
gas tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 2
note: a flag of convenience registry; India owns 1 ship (1998 est.)
Airports: 5 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: National Police Force (includes the
paramilitary Special Mobile Force or SMF, Special Support Units or
SSU, and National Coast Guard)
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 339,218 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 171,705 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $11.2 million (FY97/98)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 0.4% (FY97/98)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: claims the Chagos Archipelago in
UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory; claims
French-administered Tromelin Island
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the international
drug trade; heroin consumption and transshipment are growing problems
======================================================================
@Mayotte
-------
Geography
Location: Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel,
about one-half of the way from northern Madagascar to northern
Mozambique
Geographic coordinates: 12 50 S, 45 10 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 375 sq km
land: 375 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area--comparative: slightly more than twice the size of
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 185.2 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during
northeastern monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to
November)
Terrain: generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient
volcanic peaks
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Benara 660 m
Natural resources: NEGL
Land use:
arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA%
permanent pastures: NA%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: NA%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: cyclones during rainy season
Environment--current issues: NA
Environment--international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA
Geography--note: part of Comoro Archipelago
People
Population: 149,336 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 47% (male 34,838; female 34,798)
15-64 years: 52% (male 42,073; female 35,068)
65 years and over: 1% (male 1,257; female 1,302) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 5% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 46.12 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 8.9 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 12.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.2 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female
total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 69.06 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 60.02 years
male: 57.61 years
female: 62.51 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.41 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Mahorais (singular and plural)
adjective: Mahoran
Ethnic groups: NA
Religions: Muslim 99%, Christian (mostly Roman Catholic)
Languages: Mahorian (a Swahili dialect), French
Literacy: NA
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Mayotte
conventional short form: Mayotte
Data code: MF
Dependency status: territorial collectivity of France
Government type: NA
Capital: Mamoutzou
Administrative divisions: none (territorial collectivity of
France)
Independence: none (territorial collectivity of France)
National holiday: National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July
(1789)
Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system: French law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May
1995), represented by Prefect Philippe BOISADAM (since NA)
head of government: President of the General Council Younoussa
BAMANA (since NA 1977)
cabinet: NA
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a seven-year
term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the
French Ministry of the Interior; president of the General Council
elected by the members of the General Council for a six-year term
Legislative branch: unicameral General Council or Conseil General
(19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve three-year
terms)
elections: last held 23 March 1997 (next to be held NA March 2000)
election results: percent of vote by party--NA; note--only nine of the
19 seats were subjected to voting in March 1997; after the election,
seats by party were as follows: MPM 8, RPR 5, independents 5, PS 1
note: Mayotte elects one member of the French Senate; elections last
held 24 September 1995 (next to be held 24 September 2001);
results--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--MPM 1; Mayotte
also elects one member to the French National Assembly; elections
last held 25 May and 1 June 1997 (next to be held as a special
election on NA May 2002); results--percent of vote by party--UDF/FD
51.7%, RPR 48.3%; seats by party--UDF/FD 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Tribunal Superieur d'Appel)
Political parties and leaders: Mahoran Popular Movement or MPM
BEOUTIS]; Socialist Party or PS (local branch of French Parti
JEAN-BAPTISTE]
International organization participation: FZ
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territorial
collectivity of France)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territorial
collectivity of France)
Flag description: the flag of France is used
Economy
Economy--overview: Economic activity is based primarily on the
agricultural sector, including fishing and livestock raising.
Mayotte is not self-sufficient and must import a large portion of
its food requirements, mainly from France. The economy and future
development of the island are heavily dependent on French financial
assistance, an important supplement to GDP. Mayotte's remote
location is an obstacle to the development of tourism.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$85 million (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: NA%
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$600 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Labor force: NA
Unemployment rate: 38% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $73 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1991 est.)
Industries: newly created lobster and shrimp industry
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity--production: NA kWh
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA%
Electricity--consumption: NA kWh
Electricity--exports: NA kWh
Electricity--imports: NA kWh
Agriculture--products: vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence),
coffee, copra
Exports: $3.64 million (f.o.b., 1996)
Exports--commodities: ylang-ylang (perfume essence), vanilla, copra
Exports--partners: France 80%, Comoros 15%, Reunion
Imports: $131.5 million (f.o.b., 1996)
Imports--commodities: building materials, machinery and
transportation equipment, metals, chemicals, rice, clothing, flour
Imports--partners: France 66%, Africa 14%, Southeast Asia 20%
Debt--external: $NA
Economic aid--recipient: $107.7 million (1995); note?extensive
French financial assistance
Currency: 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1--5.65 (January 1999),
5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996), 4.9915 (1995), 5.5520
(1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 450
Telephone system: small system administered by French Department
of Posts and Telecommunications
domestic: NA
international: microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone
communications to Comoros and other international connections
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: 30,000 (1994 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 3 (1997)
Televisions: 3,500 (1994 est.)
Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 93 km
paved: 72 km
unpaved: 21 km
Ports and harbors: Dzaoudzi
Merchant marine: none
Airports: 1 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Military
Military--note: defense is the responsibility of France; small
contingent of French forces stationed on the island
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: claimed by Comoros
======================================================================
@Mexico
------
Geography
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
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: 4,538 km
border countries: 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 to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
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 resources: petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc,
natural gas, timber
Land use:
arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 39%
forests and woodland: 26%
other: 22% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 61,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and
destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on
the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean coasts
Environment--current issues: 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; serious air pollution in the national capital and
urban centers along US-Mexico border
Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine
Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography--note: strategic location on southern border of US
People
Population: 100,294,036 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 35% (male 17,987,500; female 17,289,875)
15-64 years: 61% (male 29,610,813; female 31,216,342)
65 years and over: 4% (male 1,873,986; female 2,315,520) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.73% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 24.99 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 4.83 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
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: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 24.62 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72 years
male: 68.98 years
female: 75.17 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.85 children born/woman (1999 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%
Languages: Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional
indigenous languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 89.6%
male: 91.8%
female: 87.4% (1995 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: United Mexican States
conventional short form: Mexico
local long form: Estados Unidos Mexicanos
local short form: Mexico
Data code: MX
Government type: federal republic operating under a centralized
government
Capital: Mexico
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 (from 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 Ernesto ZEDILLO Ponce de Leon (since 1
December 1994); note--the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
head of government: President Ernesto ZEDILLO Ponce de Leon (since 1
December 1994); note--the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with consent of the
Senate
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 21 August 1994 (next to be held in July or August
2000)
election results: Ernesto ZEDILLO Ponce de Leon elected president;
percent of vote--Ernesto ZEDILLO Ponce de Leon (PRI) 50.18%,
Cuauhtemoc CARDENAS Solorzano (PRD) 17.08%, Diego FERNANDEZ DE
CEVALLOS (PAN) 26.69%, other 6.05%
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la
Union consists of the Senate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats; half
are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms, and half are
allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote) and the Chamber
of Deputies or Camara 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 6 July 1997 for one-quarter of the
seats; Chamber of Deputies--last held 6 July 1997 (the next
legislative elections will coincide with the presidential election
in July or August 2000)
election results: Senate--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by
party--PRI 77, PAN 33, PRD 16, PVEM 1, PT 1; note--the distribution of
seats as of May 1998 is as follows--PRI 77, PAN 31, PRD 15, PT 1,
independents 4; Chamber of Deputies--percent of vote by party--PRI
39%, PAN 27%, PRD 26%; seats by party--PRI 239, PRD 125, PAN 121,
PVEM 8, PT 7; note--the distribution of seats as of May 1998 is as
follows--PRI 237, PRD 127, PAN 120, PT 7, PVEM 6, independents 3
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de
Justicia (judges are appointed by the president with consent of the
Senate)
Political parties and leaders: recognized parties--Institutional
Political pressure groups and leaders: Roman Catholic Church;
Confederation of Mexican Workers or CTM; Confederation of Industrial
Chambers or CONCAMIN; Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce
or CONCANACO; National Peasant Confederation or CNC; Revolutionary
Workers Party or PRT; Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and
Peasants or CROC; Regional Confederation of Mexican Workers or CROM;
Confederation of Employers of the Mexican Republic or COPARMEX;
National Chamber of Transformation Industries or CANACINTRA;
Coordinator for Foreign Trade Business Organizations or COECE;
Federation of Unions Providing Goods and Services or FESEBES;
National Union of Workers or UNT
International organization participation: APEC, BCIE, BIS,
Caricom (observer), CCC, CDB, EBRD, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-6, G-11,
G-15, G-19, G-24, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA
(observer), IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM (observer),
NEA, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jesus REYES HEROLES Gonzalez Garza
chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006
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 Juan (Puerto Rico)
consulate(s): Albuquerque, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico
(California), Corpus Christi, Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Douglas
(Arizona), Eagle Pass (Texas), Fresno (California), McAllen (Texas),
Midland (Texas), Orlando, Oxnard (California), Philadelphia,
Portland (Oregon), St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, San
Jose, Santa Ana (California), Seattle, Tucson
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jeffery DAVIDOW
embassy: Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico,
Distrito Federal
mailing address: P. O. Box 3087, Laredo, TX 78044-3087
consulate(s) general: Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana
consulate(s): Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Nuevo Laredo, Nogales
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
Economy--overview: Mexico has a free market economy with a mixture
of modern and outmoded industry and agriculture, increasingly
dominated by the private sector. The number of state-owned
enterprises in Mexico has fallen from more than 1,000 in 1982 to
fewer than 200 in 1998. The ZEDILLO administration is privatizing
and expanding competition in sea ports, railroads,
telecommunications, electricity, natural gas distribution, and
airports. A strong export sector helped to cushion the economy's
decline in 1995 and led the recovery in 1996 and 1997. In 1998,
private consumption became the leading driver of growth, which was
accompanied by increased employment and higher wages. The government
expects the economy to slow in 1999 because of low commodity prices,
tighter international liquidity, and slacker demand for exports.
Mexico still needs to overcome many structural problems as it
strives to modernize its economy and raise living standards. Income
distribution is very unequal, with the top 20% of income earners
accounting for 55% of income. Trade with the US and Canada has
nearly doubled since NAFTA was implemented in 1994. Mexico is
pursuing additional trade agreements with most countries in Latin
America and with the EU to lessen its dependence on the US.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$815.3 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 4.8% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$8,300 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 6%
industry: 26%
services: 68% (1997)
Population below poverty line: 27% (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.8%
highest 10%: 36.6% 1996)