total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (1999 est.)
@Mauritius: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: 338,856 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 171,183 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $11 million (FY97/98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.3% (FY97/98)
@Mauritius:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claims the Chagos Archipelago in
UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory; claims
French-administered Tromelin Island
Illicit drugs: minor consumer and transshipment point for heroin from
South Asia; small amounts of cannabis produced and consumed locally
______________________________________________________________________
MAYOTTE
@Mayotte:Introduction
Background: Mayotte was ceded to France along with the other Comoros
in 1843. It was the only island in the archipelago that voted in 1974
to retain its link with France and forgo independence.
@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: 374 sq km
land: 374 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
Geography - note: part of Comoro Archipelago; 18 islands
@Mayotte:People
Population: 155,911 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 47% (male 36,420; female 36,183)
15-64 years: 52% (male 44,058; female 36,613)
65 years and over: 1% (male 1,302; female 1,335) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 4.76% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 45.26 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 9.11 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 11.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.2 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female
total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 71.31 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 59.45 years
male: 57.41 years
female: 61.55 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.33 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Mahorais (singular and plural)
adjective: Mahoran
Ethnic groups: NA
Religions: Muslim 97%, Christian (mostly Roman Catholic)
Languages: Mahorian (a Swahili dialect), French (official language)
spoken by 35% of the population
Literacy:
definition: NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: 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
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, PS 1,
independents 5
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 or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel
Political parties and leaders: Association for French Mayotte or
Association Pour Mayotte Francaise ; Democratic Front
or FD ; Mahoran Popular Movement or MPM [Younoussa
BAMANA]; Mahoran Rally for the Republic or RPR [Soibahadine Ibrahim
RAMADAN]; Socialist Party or PS (local branch of French Parti
Socialiste) ; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Henri
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
@Mayotte: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: 45% (1997)
Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $73 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991
est.)
Industries: newly created lobster and shrimp industry, construction
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: $3.44 million (f.o.b., 1997)
Exports - commodities: ylang-ylang (perfume essence), vanilla, copra,
coconuts, coffee, cinnamon
Exports - partners: France 80%, Comoros 15%, Reunion
Imports: $141.3 million (f.o.b., 1997)
Imports - commodities: food, machinery and equipment, transportation
equipment, metals, chemicals
Imports - partners: France 66%, Africa 14%, Southeast Asia 11% (1997)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: $107.7 million (1995); note - extensive
French financial assistance
Currency: 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: euros per US$1 - 0.9867 (January 2000), 0.9386 (1999);
French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.65 (January 1999), 5.8995 (1998),
5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996), 4.9915 (1995)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Mayotte:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 450 (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1999)
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 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 3 (1997)
Televisions: 3,500 (1994)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
@Mayotte:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 93 km
paved: 72 km
unpaved: 21 km
Ports and harbors: Dzaoudzi
Merchant marine: none (1999 est.)
Airports: 1 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1999 est.)
@Mayotte:Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France; small
contingent of French forces stationed on the island
@Mayotte:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claimed by Comoros
______________________________________________________________________
MEXICO
@Mexico:Introduction
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.
@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
@Mexico:People
Population: 100,349,766 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 34% (male 17,306,548; female 16,632,827)
15-64 years: 62% (male 30,223,317; female 31,868,213)
65 years and over: 4% (male 1,927,850; female 2,391,011) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.53% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 23.15 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 5.05 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 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 (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 26.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.49 years
male: 68.47 years
female: 74.66 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.67 children born/woman (2000 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
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
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 2 July 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 Federal
Chamber of Deputies or Camara Federal 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 2
July 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 October 1999 is as follows - PRI 75, PAN 31, PRD 16, PT
1, independents 5; 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 October 1999 is
as follows - PRI 237, PRD 125, PAN 120, PT 7, PVEM 6, independents 5
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: Convergence for Democracy or CD [Dante
DELGADO Ranauro]; Institutional Revolutionary Party or PRI [Dulce
Maria SAURI Riancho]; Mexican Green Ecological Party or PVEM [Jorge
GONZALEZ Torres]; National Action Party or PAN [Luis Felipe BRAVO
Mena]; Party of the Democratic Center or PCD ;
Party of the Democratic Revolution or PRD ;
Party of the Mexican Revolution or PARM ; Party of the
Nationalist Society or PSN ; Social Alliance
Party or PAS ; Social Democratic Party
or PDS ; Workers Party or PT [Alberto ANAYA
Gutierrez]
Political pressure groups and leaders: 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 Union of Workers or UNT; Regional Confederation of Mexican
Workers or CROM; Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and Peasants
or CROC; Revolutionary Workers Party or PRT; Roman Catholic Church
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
telephone: (202) 728-1600
FAX: (202) 728-1698
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
telephone: (5) 209-9100
FAX: (5) 208-3373, 511-9980
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
@Mexico: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 1999. 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 1996-99. Private
consumption became the leading driver of growth, accompanied by
increased employment and higher wages. 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 has signed a free trade deal with the EU to lessen
its dependence on the US. The government is pursuing conservative
economic policies in 2000 to avoid another end-of-term economic
crisis, but it still projects an economic growth rate of 4.5% because
of the strong US economy and high oil prices.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $865.5 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.7% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $8,500 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5%
industry: 29%
services: 66% (1999)
Population below poverty line: 27% (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.8%
highest 10%: 36.6% (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 38.6 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 24%, industry 21%, services
55% (1997)
Unemployment rate: 2.5% urban (1998); plus considerable
underemployment
Budget:
revenues: $117 billion
expenditures: $123 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998 est.)
Industries: food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel,
petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer
durables, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 4% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 176.055 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 78.12%
hydro: 13.82%
nuclear: 5%
other: 3.06% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 164.767 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 11 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 1.047 billion kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton,
coffee, fruit, tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products
Exports: $136.8 billion (f.o.b., 1999), includes in-bond industries
(assembly plant operations with links to US companies)
Exports - commodities: manufactured goods, oil and oil products,
silver, coffee, cotton
Exports - partners: US 89.3%, Canada 1.7%, Spain 0.6%, Japan 0.5%,
Venezuela 0.3%, Chile 0.3%, Brazil 0.3% (1999 est.)
Imports: $142.1 billion (f.o.b., 1999), includes in-bond industries
(assembly plant operations with links to US companies)
Imports - commodities: metal-working machines, steel mill products,
agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly,
repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts
Imports - partners: US 74.8%, Germany 3.8%, Japan 3.5%, Canada 1.9%,
South Korea 2%, Italy 1.3%, France 1% (1999 est.)
Debt - external: $155.8 billion (1999)
Economic aid - recipient: $1.166 billion (1995)
Currency: 1 New Mexican peso (Mex$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: Mexican pesos (Mex$) per US$1 - 9.4793 (January 2000),
9.5604 (1999), 9.1360 (1998), 7.9185 (1997), 7.5994(1996), 6.4194
(1995)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Mexico:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 9.6 million (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.02 million (1998)