Mexico

Airports

1,815 total, 1,505 usable; 200 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways over 3,659 m; 33 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 284 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

186 major transport aircraft

Highways

212,000 km total; 65,000 km paved, 30,000 km semipaved or cobblestone, 62,000 km rural roads (improved earth) or roads under construction, 55,000 km unimproved earth roads

Inland waterways

2,900 km navigable rivers and coastal canals

Merchant marine

58 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 875,239 GRT/1,301,355 DWT; includes 4 short-sea passenger, 3 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off, 30 petroleum tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 7 liquefied gas, 1 bulk, 1 combination bulk, 4 container

Pipelines

crude oil 28,200 km; petroleum products 10,150 km; natural gas 13,254 km; petrochemical 1,400 km

Ports

Acapulco, Coatzacoalcos, Ensenada, Guaymas, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Progreso, Puerto Vallarta, Salina Cruz, Tampico, Veracruz

Railroads

24,500 km total; breakdown NA

Telecommunications

highly developed system with extensive radio relay links; privatized in December 1990; connected into Central America Microwave System; 6,410,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 679 AM, no FM, 238 TV, 22 shortwave; 120 domestic satellite terminals; earth stations - 4 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT

Branches

National Defense (including Army and Air Force), Navy (including Marines)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $1.6 billion, less than 1% of GDP (1982 budget)

Manpower availability

males 15-49, 23,023,871; 16,852,513 fit for military service; 1,138,455 reach military age (18) annually

Agriculture

accounts for 9% of GDP and over 25% of work force; large number of small farms at subsistence level; major food crops - corn, wheat, rice, beans; cash crops - cotton, coffee, fruit, tomatoes; fish catch of 1.4 million metric tons among top 20 nations (1987)

Budget

revenues $41.0 billion; expenditures $47.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $6.3 billion (1990)

Currency

Mexican peso (plural - pesos); 1 Mexican peso (Mex$) = 100 centavos

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $3.1 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $7.7 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $110 million

Electricity

26,150,000 kW capacity; 114,277 million kWh produced, 1,270 kWh per capita (1991)

Exchange rates

market rate of Mexican pesos (Mex$) per US$1 - 3,068.5 (January 1992), 3,018.4 (1991) 2,940.9 (January 1991), 2,812.6 (1990), 2,461.3 (1989), 2,273.1 (1988), 1,378.2 (1987)

Exports

$27.4 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.) commodities: crude oil, oil products, coffee, shrimp, engines, motor vehicles, cotton, consumer electronics partners: US 68%, EC 14%, Japan 6% (1990 est.)

External debt

$98.4 billion (1991)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $289 billion, per capita $3,200; real growth rate 4% (1991 est.)

Illicit drugs

illicit cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis continues in spite of active government eradication program; major supplier to the US market; continues as the primary transshipment country for US-bound cocaine from South America

Imports

$36.7 billion (c.i.f., 1991) commodities: grain, metal manufactures, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment partners: US 69%, EC 13%, Japan 6% (1990)

Industrial production

growth rate 5.5% (1991 est.); accounts for 28% of GDP

Industries

food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, transportation equipment, tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

18.8% (1991 est.)

Overview

Mexico's economy is a mixture of state-owned industrial plants (notably oil), private manufacturing and services, and both large-scale and traditional agriculture. In the 1980s, Mexico experienced severe economic difficulties: the nation accumulated large external debts as world petroleum prices fell; rapid population growth outstripped the domestic food supply; and inflation, unemployment, and pressures to emigrate became more acute. Growth in national output, however, is recovering, rising from 1.4% in 1988 to 4% in 1990 and again in 1991. The US is Mexico's major trading partner, accounting for two-thirds of its exports and imports. After petroleum, border assembly plants and tourism are the largest earners of foreign exchange. The government, in consultation with international economic agencies, is implementing programs to stabilize the economy and foster growth. In 1991 the government began negotiations with the US and Canada on a free trade agreement.

Unemployment rate

14-17% (1991 est.)

Climate

varies from tropical to desert

Coastline

9,330 km

Comparative area

slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Disputes

claims Clipperton Island (French possession)

Environment

subject to tsunamis along the Pacific coast and destructive earthquakes in the center and south; natural water resources scarce and polluted in north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme southeast; deforestation; erosion widespread; desertification; serious air pollution in Mexico City and urban centers along US-Mexico border

Land area

1,923,040 km2

Land boundaries

4,538 km; Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,326 km

Land use

arable land 12%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 39%; forest and woodland 24%; other 24%; includes irrigated 3%

Maritime claims

Contiguous zone: 24 nm Continental shelf: natural prolongation of continental margin or 200 nm Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

crude oil, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber

Note

strategic location on southern border of US

Terrain

high, rugged mountains, low coastal plains, high plateaus, and desert

Total area

1,972,550 km2

Administrative divisions

31 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima, Distrito Federal*, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacan, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatan, Zacatecas

Capital

Mexico

Constitution

5 February 1917

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Gustavo PETRICIOLI Iturbide; Chancery at 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006; telephone (202) 728-1600; there are Mexican Consulates General in Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Antonio, San Diego, and Consulates in Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico (California), Corpus Christi, Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Douglas (Arizona), Eagle Pass (Texas), Fresno (California), Kansas City (Missouri), Laredo, McAllen (Texas), Miami, Nogales (Arizona), Oxnard (California), Philadelphia, Phoenix, Presidio (Texas), Sacramento, St. Louis, St. Paul (Minneapolis), Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, San Jose, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Seattle US: Ambassador John D. NEGROPONTE, Jr.; Embassy at Paseo de la Reforma 305, 06500 Mexico, D.F. (mailing address is P. O. Box 3087, Laredo, TX 78044-3087); telephone [52] (5) 211-0042; FAX [52] (5) 511-9980, 208-3373; there are US Consulates General in Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Tijuana, and Consulates in Hermosillo, Matamoros, Mazatlan, Merida, and Nuevo Laredo

Elections

President: last held on 6 July 1988 (next to be held September 1994); results - Carlos SALINAS de Gortari (PRI) 50.74%, Cuauhtemoc CARDENAS Solorzano (FDN) 31.06%, Manuel CLOUTHIER (PAN) 16.81%; other 1.39%; note - several of the smaller parties ran a common candidate under a coalition called the National Democratic Front (FDN) Senate: last held on 18 August 1988 (next to be held midyear 1994); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats in full Senate - (64 total) number of seats by party; PRI 61, PRD 2, PAN 1 Chamber of Deputies: last held on 18 August 1991 (next to be held midyear 1994); results - PRI 53%, PAN 20%, PFCRN 10%, PPS 6%, PARM 7%, PMS (now part of PRD) 4%; seats - (500 total) PRI 320, PAN 89, PRD 41, PFCRN 23, PARM 15, PPS 12

Executive branch

president, Cabinet

Flag

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

Independence

16 September 1810 (from Spain)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia)

Leaders

Chief of State and Head of Government: President Carlos SALINAS de Gortari (since 1 December 1988)

Legal system

mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch

bicameral National Congress (Congreso de la Union) consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Camara de Senadores) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)

Long-form name

United Mexican States

Member of

AG (observer), CARICOM (observer) CCC, CDB, CG, EBRD, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-6, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

National holiday

Independence Day, 16 September (1810)

Other political or pressure groups

Roman Catholic Church, Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM), Confederation of Industrial Chambers (CONCAMIN), Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce (CONCANACO), National Peasant Confederation (CNC), UNE (no expansion), Revolutionary Workers Party (PRT), Mexican Democratic Party (PDM), 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)

Political parties and leaders

(recognized parties) Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Genaro BORREGO Estrada; National Action Party (PAN), Luis ALVAREZ; Popular Socialist Party (PPS), Indalecio SAYAGO Herrera; Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), Cuauhtemoc CARDENAS Solorzano; Cardenist Front for the National Reconstruction Party (PFCRN), Rafael AGUILAR Talamantes; Authentic Party of the Mexican Revolution (PARM), Carlos Enrique CANTU Rosas

Suffrage

universal and compulsory (but not enforced) at age 18

Type

federal republic operating under a centralized government

Birth rate

29 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate

5 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Ethnic divisions

mestizo (Indian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, Caucasian or predominantly Caucasian 9%, other 1%

Infant mortality rate

30 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Labor force

26,100,000 (1988); services 31.4%, agriculture, forestry, hunting, and fishing 26%, commerce 13.9%, manufacturing 12.8%, construction 9.5%, transportation 4.8%, mining and quarrying 1.3%, electricity 0.3% (1986)

Languages

Spanish; various Mayan dialects

Life expectancy at birth

69 years male, 76 years female (1992)

Literacy

87% (male 90%, female 85%) age 15 and over can read and write (1985 est.)

Nationality

noun - Mexican(s); adjective - Mexican

Net migration rate

-1 migrant/1,000 population (1992)

Organized labor

35% of labor force

Population

92,380,721 (July 1992), growth rate 2.3% (1992)

Religions

nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%

Total fertility rate

3.3 children born/woman (1992)