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
People ::Mexico
Population:
112,468,855 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 11
Age structure:
0-14 years: 29.1% (male 16,544,223/female 15,861,141)
15-64 years: 64.6% (male 34,734,571/female 37,129,793)
65 years and over: 6.2% (male 3,130,518/female 3,811,543) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 26.7 years
male: 25.6 years
female: 27.7 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.118% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 112
Birth rate:
19.39 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103
Death rate:
4.83 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 192
Net migration rate:
-3.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 190
Urbanization:
urban population: 77% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 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: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 17.84 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 106
male: 19.71 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 15.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.26 years
country comparison to the world: 71
male: 73.45 years
female: 79.22 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.31 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 104
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.3% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
200,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 30
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
11,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 29
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: dengue fever
water contact disease: leptospirosis (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Mexican(s)
adjective: Mexican
Ethnic groups:
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 only 92.7%, Spanish and indigenous languages 5.7%,
indigenous only 0.8%, unspecified 0.8%; note - indigenous languages
include various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional languages (2005)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 86.1%
male: 86.9%
female: 85.3% (2005 Census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 14 years
male: 14 years
female: 14 years (2008)
Education expenditures:
4.8% of GDP (2007)
country comparison to the world: 82
Government ::Mexico
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 City (Distrito Federal)
geographic coordinates: 19 26 N, 99 08 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 three 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, the head of the Bank of Mexico, and senior
treasury officials require consent of the Senate
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
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 35.9%, Andres Manuel LOPEZ OBRADOR 35.3%, Roberto
MADRAZO 22.3%, other 6.5%
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Union consists of the
Senate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats; 96 members elected by
popular vote to serve six-year terms, and 32 seats allocated on the
basis of each party's popular vote) and the Chamber of Deputies or
Camara 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; members to serve three-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held on 2 July 2006 for all of the seats
(next to be held on 1 July 2012); Chamber of Deputies - last held on
5 July 2009 (next to be held on 1 July 2012)
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
- PRI 237, PAN 143, PRD 72, PVEM 21, PT 13, CD 6, other 8; note - as
of 1 January 2011, the current composition of the Senate is: PAN 50,
PRI 33, PRD 25, PVEM 6, CD 6, PT 5, independent 3; the current
composition of the Chamber of Deputies is: PRI 237, PAN 142, PRD 69,
PVEM 21, PT 13, CD 8, other 10
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 WALTON Aburto]; Institutional
Revolutionary Party or PRI [Beatriz PAREDES Rangel]; 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 [Gustavo MADERO Munoz]; New Alliance Party
(Partido Nueva Alianza) or PNA/PANAL [Jorge Antonio KAHWAGI Macari];
Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolucion
Democratica) or PRD [Jesus ORTEGA Martinez]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
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;
Dialogue for the Reconstruction of Mexico or DIA; 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
International organization participation:
APEC, BCIE, BIS, CAN (observer), Caricom (observer), CD, CDB, CSN
(observer), EBRD, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-3, G-15, G-24, IADB, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES,
LAIA, MIGA, NAFTA, NAM (observer), NEA, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW,
Paris Club (associate), PCA, RG, SICA (observer), UN, UNASUR
(observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Arturo SARUKHAN Casamitjana
chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006
telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600
FAX: [1] (202) 728-1698
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas,
Denver, El Paso, Houston, Laredo (Texas), Los Angeles, Miami, New
York, Nogales (Arizona), Phoenix, Raleigh (North Carolina),
Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San
Juan (Puerto Rico)
consulate(s): Albuquerque, Anchorage (Alaska), Boise (Idaho),
Brownsville (Texas), Calexico (California), Del Rio (Texas),
Detroit, Douglas (Arizona), Eagle Pass (Texas), Fresno (California),
Indianapolis (Indiana), Kansas City (Missouri), Laredo (Texas), Las
Vegas, Little Rock (Arkansas), McAllen (Texas), New Orleans, Omaha,
Orlando, Oxnard (California), Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon),
Presidio (Texas), Raleigh, Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, Santa Ana
(California), Seattle, Tucson, Washington DC, Yuma (Arizona); note -
Washington DC Consular Section located in a separate building from
the Mexican Embassy and has jurisdiction over DC, parts of Virginia,
Maryland, and West Virginia
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos PASCUAL
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, Hermosillo,
Matamoros, Monterrey, Nuevo Laredo, Tijuana
consulate(s): Merida, Nogales
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red;
Mexico's coat of arms (an eagle with a snake in its beak perched on
a cactus) is centered in the white band; green signifies hope, joy,
and love; white represents peace and honesty; red stands for
hardiness, bravery, strength, and valor; the coat of arms is derived
from a legend that the wandering Aztec people were to settle at a
location where they would see an eagle on a catus eating a snake;
the city they founded, Tenochtitlan, is now Mexico City
note: similar to the flag of Italy, which is shorter, uses lighter
shades of red and green, and does not have anything in its white band
National anthem:
name: "Himno Nacional Mexicano" (National Anthem of Mexico)
lyrics/music: Francisco Gonzalez BOCANEGRA/Jaime Nuno ROCA
note: adopted 1943, in use since 1854; the anthem is also known as
"Mexicanos, al grito de Guerra" (Mexicans, to the War Cry);
according to tradition, Francisco Gonzalez BOCANEGRA, an
accomplished poet, was uninterested in submitting lyrics to a
national anthem contest; his fiancee locked him in a room and
refused to release him until the lyrics were completed
Economy ::Mexico
Economy - overview:
Mexico has a free market economy in 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 roughly one-third
that of the US; income distribution remains highly unequal. Since
the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA) in 1994, Mexico's share of US imports has increased from 7%
to 12%, and its share of Canadian imports has doubled to 5%. Mexico
has free trade agreements with over 50 countries including,
Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, the European Free Trade Area, and
Japan, putting more than 90% of trade under free trade agreements.
In 2007, during its first year in office, the Felipe CALDERON
administration was able to garner support from the opposition to
successfully pass pension and fiscal reforms. The administration
passed an energy reform measure in 2008, and another fiscal reform
in 2009. Mexico's GDP plunged 6.5% in 2009 as world demand for
exports dropped and asset prices tumbled, but GDP posted positive
growth of 5% in 2010, with export growth leading the way. The
administration continues to face many economic challenges, including
improving the public education system, upgrading infrastructure,
modernizing labor laws, and fostering private investment in the
energy sector. CALDERON has stated that his top economic priorities
remain reducing poverty and creating jobs.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.56 trillion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
$1.485 trillion (2009 est.)
$1.589 trillion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.004 trillion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 59
-6.5% (2009 est.)
1.5% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$13,800 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 84
$13,400 (2009 est.)
$14,400 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 4.2%
industry: 33.3%
services: 62.5% (2010 est.)
Labor force:
46.99 million (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 13
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 13.7%
industry: 23.4%
services: 62.9% (2005)
Unemployment rate:
5.6% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55
5.5% (2009 est.)
note: underemployment may be as high as 25%
Population below poverty line:
18.2% using food-based definition of poverty; asset based poverty
amounted to more than 47% (2008)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.7%
highest 10%: 36.3% (2008)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
48.2 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 28
53.1 (1998)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.1% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73
Public debt:
41.5% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 65
39.1% of GDP (2009 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.1% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 119
3.6% (2009)
Central bank discount rate:
NA%
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
7.07% (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108
8.71% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$135.7 billion (31 December 2010 est)
country comparison to the world: 25
$119.5 billion (31 December 2009 est)
Stock of broad money:
$583.8 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 21
$493 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
$342.4 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 30
$288.5 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$340.6 billion (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 24
$232.6 billion (31 December 2008)
$397.7 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruit, tomatoes;
beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products
Industries:
food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum,
mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables,
tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
6% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 56
Electricity - production:
245 billion kWh (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 15
Electricity - consumption:
181.5 billion kWh (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 20
Electricity - exports:
1.288 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
584 million kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
3.001 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
Oil - consumption:
2.078 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
Oil - exports:
1.225 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 20
Oil - imports:
521,100 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
Oil - proved reserves:
12.42 billion bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 18
Natural gas - production:
60.35 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 15
Natural gas - consumption:
59.8 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
Natural gas - exports:
688 million cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40
Natural gas - imports:
11.84 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 19
Natural gas - proved reserves:
359.7 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 37
Current account balance:
-$7 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 173
-$6.23 billion (2009 est.)
Exports:
$303 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 15
$229.8 billion (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities:
manufactured goods, oil and oil products, silver, fruits,
vegetables, coffee, cotton
Exports - partners:
US 80.5%, Canada 3.6%, Germany 1.4% (2009)
Imports:
$306 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 16
$234.4 billion (2009 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 48%, China 13.5%, Japan 4.8% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$116.4 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
$99.86 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$212.5 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 29
$204.5 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$328.4 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 15
$308.4 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$62.93 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 29
$53.46 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Exchange rates:
Mexican pesos (MXN) per US dollar - 12.687 (2010), 13.514 (2009),
11.016 (2008), 10.8 (2007), 10.899 (2006)
Communications ::Mexico
Telephones - main lines in use:
19.425 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 14
Telephones - mobile cellular:
83.528 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 12
Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate telephone service for business and
government; improving quality and increasing mobile cellular
availability, with mobile subscribers far outnumbering fixed-line
subscribers; domestic satellite system with 120 earth stations;
extensive microwave radio relay network; considerable use of
fiber-optic cable and coaxial cable
domestic: despite the opening to competition in January 1997, Telmex
remains dominant; Fixed-line teledensity is less than 20 per 100
persons; mobile-cellular teledensity reached 75 per 100 persons in
2009
international: country code - 52; Columbus-2 fiber-optic submarine
cable with access to the US, Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Spain,
and Italy; the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and
the MAYA-1 submarine cable system together provide access to Central
America, parts of South America and the Caribbean, and the US;
satellite earth stations - 120 (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 (2009)
Broadcast media:
large number of television stations and more than 1,400 radio
stations, most are privately owned; the Televisa group once had a
virtual monopoly in TV broadcasting, but new broadcasting groups and
foreign satellite and cable operators are now available (2007)
Internet country code:
.mx
Internet hosts:
12.854 million (2010)
country comparison to the world: 9
Internet users:
31.02 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 12
Transportation ::Mexico
Airports:
1,819 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 3
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 250
over 3,047 m: 12
2,438 to 3,047 m: 30
1,524 to 2,437 m: 85
914 to 1,523 m: 83
under 914 m: 40 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1,569
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 66
914 to 1,523 m: 438
under 914 m: 1,063 (2010)
Heliports:
1 (2010)
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 (2009)
Railways:
total: 17,516 km
country comparison to the world: 16
standard gauge: 17,516 km 1.435-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 366,095 km
country comparison to the world: 17
paved: 132,289 km (includes 6,279 km of expressways)
unpaved: 233,806 km (2008)
Waterways:
2,900 km (navigable rivers and coastal canals mostly connected with
ports on the country's east coast) (2010)
country comparison to the world: 34
Merchant marine:
total: 60
country comparison to the world: 65
by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 3, chemical tanker 12, liquefied gas
4, passenger/cargo 11, petroleum tanker 22, roll on/roll off 4
foreign-owned: 5 (Denmark 2, Greece 1, South Africa 1, UAE 1)
registered in other countries: 18 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Honduras
1, Marshall Islands 4, Panama 6, Portugal 1, Spain 2, Venezuela 1,
unknown 1) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Altamira, Coatzacoalcos, Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, Salina Cruz,
Veracruz
Military ::Mexico
Military branches:
Secretariat of National Defense (Secretaria de Defensa Nacional,
Sedena): Army (Ejercito, includes 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), naval infantry) (2009)
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; women are eligible for voluntary military
service (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 28,475,126
females age 16-49: 30,048,077 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 22,893,649
females age 16-49: 25,401,642 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 1,108,032
female: 1,069,885 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.5% of GDP (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163
Transnational Issues ::Mexico
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: 5,500-10,000 (government's quashing of Zapatista uprising in
1994 in eastern Chiapas Region) (2007)
Illicit drugs: