1996 Edition

Description

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

Location

23 00 N, 102 00 W -- Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the US Flag ----

Area

comparative area

slightly less than three times the size of Texas

land area

1,923,040 sq km

total area

1,972,550 sq km

Climate

varies from tropical to desert

Coastline

9,330 km

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

international agreements

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

natural hazards

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

Geographic coordinates

23 00 N, 102 00 W

Geographic note

strategic location on southern border of US

International disputes

claims Clipperton Island (French possession)

Irrigated land

51,500 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,326 km

total

4,538 km

Land use

arable land

12%

forest and woodland

24%

meadows and pastures

39%

other

24%

permanent crops

1%

Location

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

Map references

North America

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural resources

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

Terrain

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

highest point

Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m

lowest point

Laguna Salada -10 m

Age structure

0-14 years: 36% (male 17,732,725; female 17,125,562) 15-64 years: 59% (male 27,562,285; female 29,165,138) 65 years and over: 5% (male 1,911,968; female 2,274,784) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

26.24 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

4.58 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic divisions

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

Infant mortality rate

25 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

Spanish, various Mayan dialects

Life expectancy at birth

female

77.45 years (1996 est.)

male

70.07 years

total population

73.67 years

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)

female

87.4%

male

91.8%

total population

89.6%

Nationality

adjective

Mexican

noun

Mexican(s)

Net migration rate

-2.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population

95,772,462 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

1.87% (1996 est.)

Religions

nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%

Sex ratio

all ages

0.97 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

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: 0.84 male(s)/female

Total fertility rate

3.03 children born/woman (1996 est.)

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

Capital

Mexico

Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)

elections last held 24 August 1994 (next to be held NA July 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (500 total) PRI 300, PAN 119, PRD 71, PT 10

Constitution

5 February 1917

Data code

MX

Diplomatic representation in US

chancery

1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006

chief of mission

Ambassador Jesus SILVA Herzog Flores

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, Sacramento, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, San Jose, Santa Ana, Seattle

consulate(s) general

Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)

telephone

[1] (202) 728-1600

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet was appointed by the president

chief of state and head of government

President Ernesto ZEDILLO Ponce de Leon (since 1 December 1994) was elected for a six-year term by popular vote; election last held 21 August 1994 (next to be held NA 2000); 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%

FAX

[52] (5) 511-9980, 208-3373

consulate(s)

Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Nuevo Laredo

consulate(s) general

Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana

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)

International organization participation

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

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia), judges are appointed by the president with consent of the Senate

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)

Name of country

conventional long form

United Mexican States

conventional short form

Mexico

local long form

Estados Unidos Mexicanos

local short form

Mexico

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); 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)

Political parties and leaders

(recognized parties) Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Santiago ONATE Laborde; 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; Democratic Forum Party (PFD), Pablo Emilio MADERO; Mexican Green Ecologist Party (PVEM), Jorge GONZALEZ Torres; Workers Party (PT), Alberto ANYA Gutierrez

Senate (Camara de Senadores)

elections last held 21 August 1994 (next to be held NA July 1997 for one-quarter of the seats); 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

Suffrage

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

Type of government

federal republic operating under a centralized

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

Agriculture

corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruit, tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products

Budget

expenditures

$54 billion (1995 est.), including capital expenditures of $NA

revenues

$56 billion (1995 est.)

Currency

1 New Mexican peso (Mex$) = 100 centavos

Economic aid

note

US commitments, (Emergency Stabilization Fund), $13.5 billion; IMF, $13 billion (1995-96)

recipient

ODA, $85 million (1993)

Economic overview

Mexico has a free market economy with a mixture of modern and outmoded industry and agriculture, increasingly dominated by the private sector. Mexico entered 1996 on the heels of its worst recession since the 1930s. Economic activity contracted about 7% in 1995 in the aftermath of the peso devaluation in late 1994. Although Mexico City was able to correct imbalances in its external accounts, meet international payments obligations, and dramatically improve its trade balance in 1995, the domestic economy suffered harshly as the ZEDILLO administration stuck to a strict austerity program. The tight monetary and fiscal policies helped prevent spiraling inflation and kept government spending under control but drove interest rates to record heights, making it difficult for most Mexicans to service their debts. At the same time, consumers' reduced purchasing power made buying even necessities difficult for some. Many small- and medium-sized firms were unable to survive under the twin burdens of high interest rates and depressed domestic demand for their goods. Business closures and cutbacks fueled unemployment; more than 1 million Mexicans lost their jobs. According to the government and most private sector observers, the recession bottomed out in the third quarter of 1995, but the difficult year fed growing dissatisfaction with the ruling party, led to a crisis of confidence in President ZEDILLO'S ability to lead, and spurred increased tensions within the ruling party. While the ZEDILLO administration is optimistic that 1996 will bring some recovery - the government is forecasting 3% growth and 21% inflation - Mexico will face several key vulnerabilities, including the financial health of the banking sector, shaky investor confidence that could be easily jarred by more political or economic shocks, and increasingly emboldened dissenters within the ruling party.

Electricity

capacity

28,780,000 kW

consumption per capita

1,239 kWh (1993)

production

122 billion kWh

Exchange rates

market rate of Mexican pesos (Mex$) per US$1 - 7.6647 (December 1995), 6.4194 (1995), 3.3751 (1994), 3.1156 (1993), 3,094.9 (1992), 3,018.4 (1991)

note

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

Exports

$80 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.), includes in-bond industries

commodities

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

partners

US 85%, Japan 1.6%, EU 4.6% (1994 est.)

External debt

$155 billion (1995 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $721.4 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture

8.5%

industry

28.4%

services

63.1%

GDP per capita

$7,700 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

-6.9% (1995 est.)

Illicit drugs

illicit cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis continues in spite of increasing government eradication; major supplier of heroin and marijuana to the US market; continues as the primary transshipment country for US-bound cocaine from South America; increasingly involved in the production and distribution of methamphetamine

Imports

$72 billion (f.o.b., 1995 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 69%, Japan 6%, EU 12% (1994 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

-7.5% (1995 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

52% (1995 est.)

Labor force

33.6 million (1994)

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%

Unemployment rate

10% (1995 est.) plus considerable underemployment

Branches

National Defense (includes Army and Air Force), Navy (includes Naval Air and Marines)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $2.24 billion, 0.9% of GDP (1996)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49

23,945,962

males fit for military service

17,451,706

males reach military age (18) annually

1,057,538 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 679, FM 0, shortwave 22

Radios

22.5 million (1992 est.)

Telephone system

highly developed system with extensive microwave radio relay links; privatized in December 1990

domestic

adequate telephone service for business and government, but the population is poorly served; domestic satellite system with 120 earth stations; extensive microwave radio relay network

international

satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean); launched Solidaridad I satellite in November 1993 and Solidaridad II in October 1994, giving Mexico improved access to South America, Central America and much of the US as well as enhancing domestic communications; linked to Central American Microwave System of trunk connections

Telephones

11,890,868 (1993 est.)

Television broadcast stations

238

Televisions

13.1 million (1992 est.) Defense

Airports

total

1,411

with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

88

with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

25

with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m

66

with paved runways over 3 047 m

9

with paved runways under 914 m

815

with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

50

with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m

358 (1995 est.)

Highways

paved

88,601 km (including 4,286 km of expressways)

total

245,433 km

unpaved

156,832 km (1993 est.)

Merchant marine

ships by type

cargo 1, chemical tanker 4, container 4, liquefied gas tanker 7, oil tanker 29, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2, short-sea passenger 3 (1995 est.)

total

51 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 875,314 GRT/1,245,932 DWT

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

Railways

narrow gauge

90 km 0.914-m gauge (1994)

standard gauge

20,477 km 1.435-m gauge (246 km electrified)

total

20,567 km

Waterways

2,900 km navigable rivers and coastal canals