Mexico Population: 116,220,947
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| Background | |
| The site of several advanced Amerindian civilizations - including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec - Mexico was conquered and colonized by Spain in the early 16th century. Administered as the Viceroyalty of New Spain for three centuries, it achieved its independence early in the 19th century. The global financial crisis beginning in late 2008 caused a massive economic downturn the following year, although growth returned quickly in 2010. 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 indigenous population in the impoverished southern states. The elections held in 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that an opposition candidate - Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) - defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He was succeeded in 2006 by another PAN candidate Felipe CALDERON, but the PRI regained the presidency in 2012. Since 2007, Mexico's powerful drug-trafficking organizations have engaged in bloody feuding, resulting in tens of thousands of drug-related homicides. |
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| Geography | |
| Strategic location on southern border of US; corn (maize), one of the world's major grain crops, is thought to have originated in Mexico | |
| Location: | North America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the United States and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the United States |
| Geographic coordinates: | 23 00 N, 102 00 W |
| Area: | total: 1,964,375 sq km land: 1,943,945 sq km water: 20,430 sq km Size comparison: slightly less than three times the size of Texas |
| Land Boundaries: | total: 4,353 km border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km |
| Coastline: | 9,330 km |
| Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
| 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: 12.66% permanent crops: 1.28% other: 86.06% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 63,000 sq km (2003) |
| Natural hazards: | tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts volcanism: volcanic activity in the central-southern part of the country; the volcanoes in Baja California are mostly dormant; Colima (elev. 3,850 m), which erupted in 2010, is Mexico's most active volcano and is responsible for causing periodic evacuations of nearby villagers; it has been deemed a "Decade Volcano" by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Popocatepetl (elev. 5,426 m) poses a threat to Mexico City; other historically active volcanoes include Barcena, Ceboruco, El Chichon, Michoacan-Guanajuato, Pico de Orizaba, San Martin, Socorro, and Tacana |
| Current Environment Issues: | scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to urban migration; natural freshwater 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; deteriorating agricultural lands; serious air and water pollution in the national capital and urban centers along US-Mexico border; land subsidence in Valley of Mexico caused by groundwater depletion note: the government considers the lack of clean water and deforestation national security issues |
| International Environment Agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto 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 |
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| People | |
| Population: | 116,220,947 (July 2013 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 27.4% (male 16,268,424/female 15,587,324) 15-24 years: 18.1% (male 10,566,890/female 10,421,798) 25-54 years: 40.7% (male 22,647,828/female 24,677,965) 55-64 years: 6.9% (male 3,703,316/female 4,337,956) 65 years and over: 6.9% (male 3,574,207/female 4,435,239) (2013 est.) population pyramid: |
| Median age: | total: 27.4 years male: 26.3 years female: 28.5 years (2012 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 1.086% (2012 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 18.87 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Death rate: | 4.9 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -3.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 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: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 16.77 deaths/1,000 live births male: 18.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 76.66 years male: 73.84 years female: 79.63 years (2012 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 2.25 children born/woman (2013 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.3% (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 220,000 (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | NA |
| Nationality: | noun: Mexican(s) adjective: Mexican |
| Ethnic groups: | mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 82.7%, Protestant 1.6%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.4%, other Evangelical Churches 5%, other 1.9%, none 4.7%, unspecified 2.7% (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) |
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| Government | |
| 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 de Ignacio de la Llave (Veracruz), 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: | civil law system with US constitutional law theory influence; judicial review of legislative acts |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced) |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Enrique PENA NIETO (since 1 December 2012); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Enrique PENA NIETO (since 1 December 2012) 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 1 July 2012 (next to be held July 2018) election results: Enrique PENA NIETO elected president; percent of vote - Enrique PENA NIETO (PRI) 38.21%, Andres Manuel LOPEZ OBRADOR (PRD) 31.59%, Josefina Eugenia VAZQUEZ Mota (PAN) 25.41%, other 4.79% |
| 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 1 July 2012 for all of the seats (next to be held on 1 July 2018); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 1 July 2012 (next to be held on 5 July 2015) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRI 52, PAN 38, PRD 22, PVEM 9, PT 4, Movimiento Ciudadano 2, PANAL 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRI 208, PAN 114, PRD 100, PVEM 33, PT 19, Movimiento Ciudadano 16, PANAL 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: | Citizen's Movement (Movimiento Ciudadano) [Luis WALTON Aburto]; Institutional Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Institucional) or PRI [Cesar CAMACHO Quiroz]; Labor Party (Partido del Trabajo) or PT [Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez]; Mexican Green Ecological Party (Partido Verde Ecologista de Mexico) or PVEM [vacant]; National Action Party (Partido Accion Nacional) or PAN [Gustavo MADERO Munoz]; New Alliance Party (Partido Nueva Alianza) or PNA/PANAL [Luis CASTRO Obregon]; Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolucion Democratica) or PRD [Jesus ZAMBRANO Grijalva] |
| 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; 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, CE (observer), CELAC, CSN (observer), EBRD, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-3, G-15, G-24, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, MIGA, NAFTA, NAM (observer), NEA, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW, Paris Club (associate), PCA, SICA (observer), UN, UNASUR (observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina (observer), UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Eduardo MEDINA MORA Icaza chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600 FAX: [1] (202) 728-1698 consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso (TX), Houston, Laredo (TX), Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Nogales (AZ), Phoenix, Sacramento (CA), San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), San Juan (Puerto Rico), Saint Paul (MN) consulate(s): Albuquerque, Anchorage (AK), Boise (ID), Brownsville (TX), Calexico (CA), Del Rio (TX), Detroit, Douglas (AZ), Eagle Pass (TX), Fresno (CA), Indianapolis (IN), Kansas City (MO), Las Vegas (NV), Little Rock (AR), McAllen (TX), Midland (TX), New Orleans, Omaha (NE), Orlando (FL), Oxnard (CA), Philadelphia, Portland (OR), Presidio (TX), Raleigh (NC), Salt Lake City, San Bernardino (CA), Santa Ana (CA), Seattle, Tucson (AZ), Yuma (AZ); 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 Earl Anthony WAYNE 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) 5080-2834 consulate(s) general: Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Monterrey, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo, Tijuana |
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| Economy | |
| 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 5.5%. 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 2012 Mexico formally joined the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations and in July it formed the Pacific Alliance with Peru, Colombia and Chile. 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 6.2% in 2009 as world demand for exports dropped, asset prices tumbled, and remittances and investment declined. GDP posted positive growth of 5.6% in 2010 with exports - particularly to the United States - leading the way. Growth slowed to 3.9% in 2011 and slightly recovered to 4% in 2012. In November 2012, Mexico's legislature passed a comprehensive labor reform which was signed into law by former President Felipe CALDERON. Mexico's new PRI government, led by President Enrique PENA NIETO, has said it will prioritize structural economic reforms and competitiveness. The new president signed the Pact for Mexico, an agreement that lists 95 priority commitments, along with the leaders of the country's three main political parties: the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), the National Action Party (PAN) and the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.761 trillion (2012 est.) $1.694 trillion (2011 est.) $1.629 trillion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $1.163 trillion (2012 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 4% (2012 est.) 3.9% (2011 est.) 5.6% (2010 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $15,300 (2012 est.) $14,900 (2011 est.) $14,500 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 3.7% industry: 34.2% services: 62.1% (2012 est.) |
| Labor force: | 50.7 million (2012 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 13.7% industry: 23.4% services: 62.9% (2005) |
| Unemployment rate: | 5% (2012 est.) 5.2% (2011 est.) note: underemployment may be as high as 25% |
| Population below poverty line: | 51.3% note: based on food-based definition of poverty; asset based poverty amounted to more than 47% (2010 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 1.5% highest 10%: 41.4% (2008) |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 48.3 (2008) 53.1 (1998) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.6% (2012 est.) 3.4% (2011 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | Investment (gross fixed): 21.5% of GDP (2012 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $276.2 billion expenditures: $308.2 billion (2012 est.) |
| Public debt: | 35.4% of GDP (2012 est.) 35.4% of GDP (2011 est.) |
| 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: | 3.6% (2012 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 254.4 billion kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 17 |
| Electricity - consumption: | 203.8 billion kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 1.32 billion kWh (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 624.5 million kWh (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 55.1 billion cu m (2011 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 59.15 billion cu m (2011 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 13 million cu m (2011 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 13.95 billion cu m (2011 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 490.3 billion cu m (1 January 2012 est.) |
| Current account balance: | -$11 billion (2012 est.) -$11.07 billion (2011 est.) |
| Exports: | $370.9 billion (2012 est.) $349.4 billion (2011 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | manufactured goods, oil and oil products, silver, fruits, vegetables, coffee, cotton |
| Exports - partners: | US 78% (2012) |
| Imports: | $379.4 billion (2012 est.) $350.8 billion (2011 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 49.7%, China 14.9%, Japan 4.7% (2011) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $163.6 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $149.3 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $125.7 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $210.9 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $301.9 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $288.9 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $129.7 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $112.1 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $408.7 billion (31 December 2011) $454.3 billion (31 December 2010) $340.6 billion (31 December 2009) |
| Exchange rates: | Mexican pesos (MXN) per US dollar - 13.25 (2012 est.) 12.423 (2011 est.) 12.636 (2010 est.) 13.514 (2009) 11.016 (2008) |
| Fiscal year: | calendar year |
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| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 19.684 million (2011) country comparison to the world: 15 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 94.565 million (2011) |
| 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 is about 80 per 100 persons 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 (2011) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .mx |
| Internet hosts: | 16.233 million (2012) |
| Internet users: | 31.02 million (2009) |
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| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 1,724 (2012) country comparison to the world: 3 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 249 over 3,047 m: 12 2,438 to 3,047 m: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 82 914 to 1,523 m: 88 under 914 m: 37 (2012) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 1,475 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 44 914 to 1,523 m: 288 under 914 m: 1,140 (2012) |
| Heliports: | 1 (2012) |
| Pipelines: | gas 16,594 km; liquid petroleum gas 2,152 km; oil 7,499 km; oil/gas/water 4 km; refined products 7,264 km; water 33 km (2010) |
| Railways: | total: 17,166 km standard gauge: 17,166 km 1.435-m gauge (22 km electrified) (2008) |
| Roadways: | total: 366,095 km 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) (2012) |
| Merchant marine: | total: 52 by type: bulk carrier 5, cargo 3, chemical tanker 11, liquefied gas 3, passenger/cargo 10, petroleum tanker 17, roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 5 (France 1, Greece 2, South Africa 1, UAE 1) registered in other countries: 12 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Marshall Islands 2, Panama 5, Portugal 1, Spain 1, Venezuela 1, unknown 1) (2010) |
| Ports and terminals: | Altamira, Coatzacoalcos, Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, Salina Cruz, Veracruz oil terminals: Cayo Arcas terminal, Dos Bocas terminal |
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| Military | |
| Military branches: | Secretariat of National Defense (Secretaria de Defensa Nacional, Sedena): Army (Ejercito), 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), Mexican Marine Corps (Cuerpo de Infanteria de Marina, Mexmar or CIM)) (2011) |
| 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: 28,815,506 females age 16-49: 30,363,558 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 23,239,866 females age 16-49: 25,642,549 (2010 est.) |
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