Labor force:
total : 479,500 (1993 est.)
by occupation: construction and industry 37%, services 24%,
agriculture and fishing 15%, trade, restaurants, hotels 14%,
transportation and communication 7%, finance 3%
Unemployment rate: 2.4% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $732 million
expenditures: $550 million, including capital expenditures of $123
million (FY94/95 est.)
Industries: food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, wearing
apparel; chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical
machinery; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 5.8% (1992)
Electricity - capacity: 235,000 kW (1991)
Electricity - production: 425 million kWh (1991)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 393 kWh (1991 est.)
Agriculture - products: sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas,
pulses; cattle, goats; fish
Exports:
total value: $1.57 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
commodities: clothing and textiles 67%, sugar 25%
partners: UK 34%, France 21%, US 15%, Germany 6%, Italy 4%
Imports:
total value: $1.98 billion (c.i.f., 1995)
commodities : manufactured goods 50%, capital equipment 17%,
foodstuffs 13%, petroleum products 8%, chemicals 7%
partners: France 20%, India 8%, Hong Kong 7%, UK 6%, Germany 5%
Debt - external: $996.8 million (1993 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 Mauritian rupee (MauR) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Mauritian rupees (MauRs) per US$1 - 18.528 (January
1997), 17.948 (1996), 17.386 (1995), 17.960 (1994), 17.648 (1993),
15.563 (1992)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
@Mauritius:Communications
Telephones: 65,000 (1985 est.)
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: 395,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 4 (1987 est.)
note: two new subscription channels began operation in 1995
Televisions: 151,096 (1991 est.)
@Mauritius:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 1,877 km
paved: 1,746 km (including 29 km of expressways)
unpaved : 131 km (1995 est.)
Ports and harbors: Port Louis
Merchant marine:
total: 17 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 221,147 GRT/309,513 DWT
ships by type : bulk 1, cargo 9, container 4, liquefied gas tanker 1,
oil tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1 (1996 est.)
Airports: 4 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m : 1
under 914 m: 2 (1996 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: 333,029 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males : 169,129 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $11.2 million (FY92/93)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.4% (FY92/93)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claims the island of Diego Garcia 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
(territorial collectivity of France)
@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
@Mayotte:People
Population: 104,715 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 50% (male 26,101; female 25,877)
15-64 years: 48% (male 25,684; female 24,661)
65 years and over: 2% (male 1,171; female 1,221) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.76% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 47.42 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 9.78 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth : 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female
total population : 1.02 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 73.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population : 59.14 years
male: 56.82 years
female: 61.53 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.56 children born/woman (1997 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
@Mayotte: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
National 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 of France Jacques CHIRAC (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: prefect appointed by the president of France 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 NA March 1994 (next to be held NA 1997)
election results : percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MPM
12, RPR 4, independents 3
note: Mayotte elects 1 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 1 member to the French National Assembly; elections last held
21 and 28 March 1993 (next to be held as a special election on 25 May
- 1 June 1997); results - percent of vote by party - UDF-CDS 54.3%,
RPR 44.3%; seats by party - DF-CDS 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Tribunal Superieur d'Appel)
Political parties and leaders: Mahoran Popular Movement or MPM
[Younoussa BAMANA]; Mahoran Rally for the Republic or RPR [Soibahadine
Ibrahim RAMADAM]; Democratic Front or Front Democrate [Youssouf
MOUSSA]; Association for French Mayotte or Association Pour Mayotte
Francaise [Didier BEOUTIS]
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.
Mayotte's remote location is an obstacle to the development of
tourism.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $54 million (1993 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $600 (1993 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Inflation rate - consumer price index: NA%
Labor force: NA
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues : $NA
expenditures: $37.3 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1985 est.)
Industries: newly created lobster and shrimp industry
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - capacity: NA kW
Electricity - production: NA kWh
Electricity - consumption per capita: NA kWh
Agriculture - products: vanilla, ylang-ylang, coffee, copra
Exports:
total value: $3.64 million (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities: ylang-ylang (perfume essence), vanilla, copra
partners : France 80%, Comoros 15%, Reunion
Imports:
total value: $131.5 million (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities: building materials, machinery and transportation
equipment, metals, chemicals, rice, clothing, flour
partners : France 66%, Africa 14%, Southeast Asia 20%
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
note : exhaustive French financial assistance
Currency: 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.4169 (January 1997),
5.1155 (1996), 4.9915 (1995), 5.5520 (1994), 5.6632 (1993), 5.2938
(1992)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Mayotte: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: 0
Televisions: 3,500 (1994 est.)
@Mayotte:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total : 93 km
paved: 72 km
unpaved: 21 km
Ports and harbors: Dzaoudzi
Merchant marine: none
Airports: 1 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1996 est.)
Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claimed by Comoros
______________________________________________________________________
MEXICO
@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,
and 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 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 : none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: strategic location on southern border of US
@Mexico:People
Population: 97,563,374 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years : 36% (male 17,849,251; female 17,236,639)
15-64 years: 60% (male 28,241,361; female 29,883,766)
65 years and over: 4% (male 1,982,329; female 2,370,028) (July 1997
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.84% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 25.8 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 4.52 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
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: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population : 0.97 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 23.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74 years
male: 70.39 years
female: 77.78 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.97 children born/woman (1997 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 dialects
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 89.6%
male : 91.8%
female: 87.4% (1995 est.)
@Mexico: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
National 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
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 21 August 1994 (next to be held NA 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 6.049%
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la
Union consists of the Senate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats,
expanded from 64 seats at the last election; members are elected by
popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or
Camara de Diputados (500 seats; members are directly elected by
popular vote to serve three-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 21 August 1994 (next to be held 6 July
1997 for one-quarter of the seats); Chamber of Deputies - last held 24
August 1994 (next to be held 6 July 1997)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party in expanded Senate - PRI 93, PRD 25, PAN 10; Chamber of Deputies
- percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRI 300, PAN 119,
PRD 71, PT 10
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia),
judges are appointed by the president with consent of the Senate
Political parties and leaders: (recognized parties) Institutional
Revolutionary Party (PRI), Humberto ROQUE Villanueva; National Action
Party (PAN), Felipe CALDERON Hinojosa; Popular Socialist Party (PPS),
Indalecio SAYAGO Herrera; Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), Andres
Manuel LOPEZ Obrador; Cardenist Front for the National Reconstruction
Party (PFCRN), Rafael AGUILAR Talamantes; Democratic Forum Party
(PFD), Pablo Emilio MADERO; Mexican Green Ecologist Party (PVEM),
Jorge GONZALEZ Torres; Workers Party (PT), Alberto ANYA Gutierrez
Political pressure groups and leaders: 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 Providing Goods and Services (FESEBES)
International organization participation: AG (observer), APEC, BCIE,
BIS (pending member), Caricom (observer), CCC, CDB, EBRD, ECLAC, FAO,
G- 6, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM (observer),
OAS, OECD, OPANAL, 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 SILVA Herzog Flores
chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006
telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso,
Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San
Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
consulate(s): Albuquerque, Austin, Boston, Brownsville (Texas),
Calexico (California), Corpus Christi, Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Eagle
Pass (Texas), Fresno (California), Laredo, McAllen (Texas), Midland
(Texas), Nogales (Arizona), Oxnard (California), Philadelphia,
Sacramento, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, San Jose, Santa
Ana, Seattle
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James R. JONES
embassy: Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico,
Distrito Federal
mailing address: P. O. Box 3087, Laredo, TX 78044-3087
telephone : [52] (5) 211-0042
FAX: [52] (5) 511-9980, 208-3373
consulate(s) general: Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana
consulate(s): Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, 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
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 Mexican economy enters 1997 in the midst of
an economic recovery that began to pick up steam in mid-1996. After
plummeting more than 6% in 1995 in the aftermath of the peso crisis,
economic activity in Mexico grew by an estimated 5.1% in 1996. Many
private forecasters who had scoffed at the ZEDILLO administration's 3%
growth target for 1996 are now projecting economic expansion of 4-5%
for 1997. Strong export growth continues to drive the economy; total
exports were up roughly 16% in 1996 compared to 1995. By the end of
1996, however, Mexican government statistics showed that increased
domestic consumption and investment spending were also beginning to
contribute to the recovery. Despite these positive economic trends,
structural problems and vulnerabilities remain. Low savings rates will
keep Mexico dependent on foreign capital; national savings as a share
of GDP plunged from a peak of 25% in 1983 to less than 14% in 1994.
Additionally, Mexico City is still struggling to bail out a banking
sector burdened with bad debts. Mexico's international trade continues
to be highly dependent on the US market. The US/Mexico trade balance
has shifted over the last two years because of the peso's rapid
devaluation in late 1994, which made Mexican exports much more
attractive. In 1995 and 1996, the US ran trade deficits with Mexico, a
large turnaround from 1994's trade surplus of about $1.3 billion.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $777.3 billion (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.1% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $8,100 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture : 8%
industry: 28%
services: 63% (1995 est.)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 28% (1996 est.)
Labor force:
total: 36.3 million (November 1996)
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%
Unemployment rate: 10% (1996 est.) plus considerable underemployment
Budget:
revenues: $73.8 billion
expenditures: $74 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1996
est.)
Industries: food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel,
petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer
durables, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 11% (1996 est.)
Electricity - capacity: 40.502 million kW (1995)
Electricity - production: 142.344 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 1,206 kWh (1995 est.)
Agriculture - products: corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton,
coffee, fruit, tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products
Exports:
total value: $95 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.), includes in-bond
industries
commodities: crude oil, oil products, coffee, silver, engines, motor
vehicles, cotton, consumer electronics
partners: US 80%, Canada 5.2%, Japan 1.8% (1996 est.)
Imports:
total value : $88.5 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.), includes in-bond
industries
commodities: metal-working machines, steel mill products, agricultural
machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly, repair parts
for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts
partners : US 74.8%, Japan 5.1%, Germany 3.65%, Canada 1.4%, France
1.1% (1996 est.)
Debt - external: $170 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $85 million (1993)
note : US commitments, (Emergency Stabilization Fund), $13.5 billion;
IMF, $13 billion (1995-96)
Currency: 1 New Mexican peso (Mex$) = 100 centavos