Mexico

federal republic operating under a centralized governmentIndependence 16 September 1810 (from Spain)

Mexico as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 126 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

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CapitalMexico
LocationMiddle America, between Guatemala and the US
1994

Every edition of Mexico

Populationas each edition published it
92.2 million July 1994 est. · 87.87m in 1990
Population growth% a year
1.94% 1994 est. · 1.97% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 23.8 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 72.55 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
3.17 children per woman 1994 est. · 3.4 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
27.4 deaths per 1,000 live births 1994 est. · 33 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$8,200 1993 est. · $3,600 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
0.4% 1993 · 2.6% in 1993

Geography

Middle America, between Guatemala and the US

25 fields
Coastline
9,330km
Land boundaries
4,538km
total · Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,326 km
Irrigated land
51,500sq km
(1989 est.)

Location

Middle America, between Guatemala and the US

Map references

North America, Standard Time Zones of the World

total area

1,972,550 sq km

land area

1,923,040 sq km

comparative area

slightly less than three times the size of Texas

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200 nm or the natural prolongation of continental margin

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

International disputes

claims Clipperton Island (French possession)

Climate

varies from tropical to desert

Terrain

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

Natural resources

petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber

arable land

12%

permanent crops

1%

meadows and pastures

39%

forest and woodland

24%

other

24%

current issues

  • natural water resources scarce and polluted in north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme southeast;
  • untreated 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

natural hazards

subject to tsunamis along the Pacific coast, destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Gulf and Caribbean coasts

international agreements

party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

Note

strategic location on southern border of US

People

21 fields
Population
92,202,199
(July 1994 est.)growth rate: 1.94% (1994 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1994 est.)

Birth
27.17Death
4.73Net migration
-3.09

Ethnic divisions

mestizo (Indian-Spanish) 60%Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%Caucasian or predominantly Caucasian 9%other 1%
Labor force
26.2million
(1990)
Literacy
15and over can read and write
age · (1990)

Infant mortality rate

27.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

total population

72.94 years

male

69.36 years

female

76.7 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.17 children born/woman (1994 est.)

noun

Mexican(s)

adjective

Mexican

Religions

nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%

Languages

Spanish, various Mayan dialects

total population

87%

male

90%

female

85%

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%

Government

Federal republic operating under a centralized government

35 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

53%
PRI 53%PAN 20%PFCRN 10%PPS 6%PARM 7%PMS (now part of PRD) 4%

Legislature, 500 seatsseats by party

PRI 320PAN 89PRD 41PFCRN 23PARM 15PPS 12

conventional long form

United Mexican States

conventional short form

Mexico

local long form

Estados Unidos Mexicanos

local short form

Mexico

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, 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

Independence

16 September 1810 (from Spain)

National holiday

Independence Day, 16 September (1810)

Constitution

5 February 1917

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced)

chief of state and head of government

  • President Carlos SALINAS de Gortari (since 1 December 1988);
  • election last held on 6 July 1988 (next to be held 21 August 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)

cabinet

Cabinet; appointed by the president

Legislative branch

bicameral National Congress (Congreso de la Union)

Senate (Camara de Senadores)

  • elections last held on 18 August 1991 (next to be held 21 August 1994);
  • results - percent of vote by party NA;
  • seats in full Senate - (64 total; Senate will expand to 128 seats following next election) PRI 62, PRD 1, PAN 1

Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)

  • elections last held on 18 August 1991 (next to be held 21 August 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

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia)

Political parties and leaders

  • (recognized parties) Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Ignacio Pichardo PAGAZA;
  • National Action Party (PAN), Carlos CASTILLO;
  • Popular Socialist Party (PPS), Indalecio SAYAGO Herrera;
  • Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), Porfirio MUNOZ Ledo;
  • Cardenist Front for the National Reconstruction Party (PFCRN), Rafael AGUILAR Talamantes;
  • Authentic Party of the Mexican Revolution (PARM), Rosa Maria MARTINEZ Denagri;
  • Democratic Forum Party (PFD), Pablo Emilio MADERO;
  • Mexican Green Ecologist Party (PVEM), Jorge GONZALEZ Torres

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);
  • 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)

Member of

AG (observer), BCIE, CARICOM (observer), CCC, CDB, CG, EBRD, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-6, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, 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, OECD, ONUSAL, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTI, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission

Ambassador Jorge MONTANO Martinez

chancery

1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006

telephone

(202) 728-1600

consulate(s) general

Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, 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), Loredo, Mc Allen (Texas), Midland (Texas), Nogales (Arizona), Oxnard (California), Philadelphia

chief of mission

Ambassador James JONES

embassy

Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico, D.F.

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

  • 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

27 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$8,200
(1993 est.)
Real growth rate
0.4%
(1993)industrial production growth: growth rate 2.8% (1992 est.); accounts for 28% of GDP
Unemployment rate
10.7%
(1992 est.)

Overview

Mexico's economy, made up predominantly of private manufacturing and services and both large-scale and traditional agriculture, is beginning to rebound from the economic difficulties of the 1980s but still faces key challenges. During the 1980s, the accumulation of large external debts, falling world petroleum prices, rapid population growth, and mounting inflation and unemployment plagued the economy. In recent years, the government has responded by implementing sweeping economic reforms. Strict fiscal and monetary discipline have brought inflation under control, reduced the internal debt, and produced budgetary surpluses in 1992 and 1993. The tight money policies,; however, have restricted growth: barely 0.4% in 1993 after a rise of 2.6% in 1992 and 3.6% in 1991. Another aspect of the reform has been the privatization of more than 80% of Mexico's businesses, including all of the commercial banks. Seeking out increased trade and investment opportunities, the government negotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the United States and Canada, which entered into force on 1 January 1994. Within Latin America, Mexico has completed bilateral free trade agreements with Chile and Costa Rica, and is continuing negotiations with Colombia and Venezuela for a trilateral deal in addition to holding trade discussions with various other nations. In January of 1993, Mexico replaced its old peso at the rate of 1,000 old to 1 new peso. Despite its hard-won economic progress and the prospects of long-term gains under NAFTA, Mexico still faces difficult problems, including sluggish growth, unemployment, continuing social inequalities, serious pollution, and the prospect of increased competition with the opening of trade.

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $740 billion (1993 est.)

revenues

$58.1 billion

expenditures

$53 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.4 billion (1992 est.)

Exports

$50.5 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.), includes in-bond industries

commodities

crude oil, oil products, coffee, silver, engines, motor vehicles, cotton, consumer electronics

partners

US 74%, Japan 8%, EC 4% (1992 est.)

Imports

$65.5 billion (f.o.b., 1993 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%, Japan, 11%, EC 6% (1992)

External debt

$125 billion (1993 est.)

capacity

27,000,000 kW

production

120.725 billion kWh

consumption per capita

1,300 kWh (1992)

Industries

food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, tourism

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

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 and marijuana from South America

recipient

  • 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

Currency

1 New Mexican peso (Mex$) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates

market rate of Mexican pesos (Mex$) per US$1 - 3.3556 (March 1994), 3,094.9 (1992), 3,018.4 (1991), 2,812.6 (1990), 2,461.3 (1989)

note

the new peso replaced the old peso on 1 January 1993; 1 new peso = 1,000 old pesos

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

15 fields

Railroads

24,500 km total

total

242,300 km

paved

84,800 km (including 3,166 km of expressways)

unpaved

gravel and earth 157,500 km

Inland waterways

2,900 km navigable rivers and coastal canals

Pipelines

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

Ports

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

Merchant marine

58 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 853,161 GRT/1,269,018 DWT, cargo 3, chemical tanker 4, container 4, liquefied gas 7, oil tanker 32, refrigerated cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2, short-sea passenger 4

total

1,993

usable

1,585

with permanent-surface runways

202

with runways over 3,659 m

3

with runways 2,440-3,659 m

35

with runways 1,220-2,439 m

286

Telecommunications

  • highly developed system with extensive microwave 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;
  • launched Solidarity I satellite in November 1993

Defense Forces

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

3 fields

Branches

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

Manpower availability

  • males age 15-49 22,779,635;
  • fit for military service 16,619,809;
  • reach military age (18) annually 1,053,025 (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures

$NA, NA% of GDP

Central Intelligence Agency. “Mexico.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/mexico/1994.

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