Mexico

United Mexican StatesEstados Unidos Mexicanos

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

Mexico as the 1995 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 83 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalMexico

Area1,972,550 sq km

LocationMiddle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of

Populationas each edition published it

93.99 million July 1995 est. · 87.87m in 1990

Population growth% a year

1.9% 1995 est. · 1.97% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 23.8 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

73.34 years 1995 est. · 72.55 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

3.09 children per woman 1995 est. · 3.4 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

26 deaths per 1,000 live births 1995 est. · 33 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$7,900 1994 est. · $3,600 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

3.5% 1994 est. · 2.6% in 1993

Geography

Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of | Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific | Ocean, between Guatamala and the US

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Area

1,972,550sq km

land area: 1,923,040 sq kmcomparative area: slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Coastline

9,330km

contiguous zone: 24 nmcontinental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental marginexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

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, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatamala and the US

International disputes

claims Clipperton Island (French possession)

Terrain

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

Natural resources

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

Land use

arable land:: 12%
permanent crops:: 1%
meadows and pastures:: 39%
forest and woodland:: 24%
other:: 24%

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
natural hazards:: 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;
signed, but not ratified - Desertification

Note

strategic location on southern border of US

People

15 fields

Population

93,985,848

(July 1995 est.)growth rate: 1.9% (1995 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1995 est.)

Birth

26.64Death

4.64Net migration

-3.03

Male · female(1995 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years73.34

69.74 · 77.11

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy88%

90% · 85%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1990)

Ethnic divisions

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

Labor force

26.2million

(1990)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%

Age structure

0-14 years:: 37% (female 17,028,091; male 17,631,110)
15-64 years:: 59% (female 28,429,663; male 26,866,886)
65 years and over:: 4% (female 2,184,998; male 1,845,100) (July 1995 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Mexican(s)
adjective:: Mexican

Religions

nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%

Government

Federal republic operating under a centralized government

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Presidential electionpercent of vote

50.18%

Ernesto ZEDILLO Ponce de Leon (PRI) 50.18%Cuauhtemoc CARDENAS Solorzano (PRD) 17.08%Diego FERNANDEZ de Cevallos (PAN) 26.69%other 6.049%

Legislature, 500 seatsseats by party

PRI 300PAN 119PRD 71PFCRN 10

Names

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

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

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 and head of government:: President Ernesto ZEDILLO Ponce de Leon (since 1 December 1994);
election last held on 21 August 1994 (next to be held NA);
results - Ernesto ZEDILLO Ponce de Leon (PRI) 50.18%, Cuauhtemoc CARDENAS Solorzano (PRD) 17.08%, Diego FERNANDEZ de Cevallos (PAN) 26.69%;
other 6.049%
cabinet:: Cabinet; appointed by the president

Legislative branch

bicameral National Congress (Congreso de la Union)

Senate (Camara de Senadores)

elections last held on 21 August 1994 (next to be held NA);
results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats in full Senate - (128 total; Senate expanded from 64 seats at the last election) PRI 93, PRD 25, PAN 10

Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)

elections last held on 24 August 1994 (next to be held NA);
results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (500 total) PRI 300, PAN 119, PRD 71, PFCRN 10

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia)

Political parties and leaders

(recognized parties) Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Maria de los Angeles MORENO;
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)

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

Diplomatic representation in 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, 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, McAllen (Texas), Midland (Texas), Nogales (Arizona), Oxnard (California), Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, San Jose, Santa Ana, Seattle

US diplomatic representation

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

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

Mexico, under the guidance of new President Ernesto ZEDILLO, | entered 1995 in the midst of a severe financial crisis.

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GDP per capita, PPP

$7,900

(1994 est.)

Real growth rate

3.5%

(1994 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 4.5% (1994 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

7.1%

(1994 est.)

Unemployment rate

9.8%

(1994 est.)

Budget(1994 est.)

Revenues

$96.99 billionExpenditures

$96.51 billion

expenditures (1994 est.), including capital expenditures of $NA

Installed generating capacity, 28,780,000 kW

Electricity production

122 billionElectricity consumption per capita

1,239 (1993)

Overview

Mexico, under the guidance of new President Ernesto ZEDILLO, entered 1995 in the midst of a severe financial crisis. Mexico's membership in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the United States and Canada, its solid record of economic reforms, and its strong growth in the second and third quarters of 1994 - at an annual rate of 3.8% and 4.5% respectively - seemed to augur bright prospects for 1995.

However, an overvalued exchange rate and widening current account deficits created an imbalance that ultimately proved unsustainable. To finance the trade gap, Mexico City had become increasingly reliant on volatile portfolio investment. A series of political shocks in 1994 - an uprising in the southern state of Chiapas, the assassination of a presidential candidate, several high profile kidnappings, the killing of a second high-level political figure, and renewed threats from the Chiapas rebels - combined with rising international interest rates and concerns of a devaluation to undermine investor confidence and prompt massive outflows of capital.

The dwindling of foreign exchange reserves, which the central bank had been using to defend the currency, forced the new administration to change the exchange rate policy and allow the currency to float freely in the last days of 1994. The adjustment roiled Mexican financial markets, leading to a 30% to 40% weakening of the peso relative to the dollar.

ZEDILLO announced an emergency economic program that included federal budget cuts and plans for more privatizations, but it failed to restore investor confidence quickly. While the devaluation is likely to help Mexican exporters, whose products are now cheaper, it also raises the specter of an inflationary spiral if domestic producers increase their prices and workers demand wage hikes.

Although strong economic fundamentals bode well for Mexico's longer-term outlook, prospects for solid growth and low inflation have deteriorated considerably, at least through 1995.

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $728.7 billion (1994 est.)

Exports

$60.8 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.), includes in-bond industries

commodities:: crude oil, oil products, coffee, silver, engines, motor vehicles, cotton, consumer electronics
partners:: US 82%, Japan 1.4%, EC 5% (1993 est.)

Imports

$79.4 billion (f.o.b., 1994 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 4.7%, EC 11% (1993 est.)

External debt

$128 billion (1994 est.)

Industries

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

Agriculture

accounts for 7% of GDP;
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 government eradication program;
major supplier of heroin and marijuana to the US market;
continues as the primary transshipment country for US-bound cocaine and marijuana from South America;
increasingly involved in the production and distribution of methamphetamine

Economic aid

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 - 6.736 (average in March 1995), 5.5133 (January 1995), 3.3751 (1994), 3.1156 (1993), 3,094.9 (1992), 3,018.4 (1991), 2,812.6 (1990) note: the new peso replaced the old peso on 1 January 1993; 1 new peso = 1,000 old pesos

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

7 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 2,055 in all

over 3,047 m

2,438 to 3,047 m

1,524 to 2,437 m

914 to 1,523 m

539

1,262

under 914 m

1,524 to 2,438 m

PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways

242,300Railroads

24,500

Highways: paved: 84,800 km (including 3,166 km of expressways) · unpaved: gravel and earth 157,500 km · Railroads: standard gauge: 24,410 km 1.435-m gauge · narrow gauge: 93 km 0.914-m gauge

Railroads

total:: 24,500 km
standard gauge:: 24,410 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge:: 93 km 0.914-m gauge

Highways

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, La Paz, Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Progreso, Salina Cruz, Tampico, Topolobampo, Tuxpan, Veracruz

Merchant marine

total:: 59 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 949,271 GRT/1,340,595 DWT
ships by type:: bulk 1, cargo 2, chemical tanker 4, container 7, liquefied gas tanker 7, oil tanker 30, refrigerated cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2, short-sea passenger 4

Communications

3 fields

Telephone system

6,410,000 telephones;
highly developed system with extensive microwave radio relay links;
privatized in December 1990

local:: adequate phone service for business and government, but, at a density of less than 7 telephones/100 persons, the population is poorly served
intercity:: includes 120 domestic satellite terminals and an extensive network of microwave radio relay links
international:: 5 INTELSAT (4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) earth stations;
connected into Central America Microwave System;
launched Solidarity I satellite in November 1993