2010 Edition

Background

The site of advanced Amerindian civilizations, Mexico came under Spanish rule for three centuries before achieving independence early in the 19th century. A devaluation of the peso in late 1994 threw Mexico into economic turmoil, triggering the worst recession in over half a century. The global financial crisis beginning in late 2008 caused another massive economic downturn the following year. As the economy recovers, 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 Amerindian 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. In January 2009, Mexico assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2009-10 term.

Area

land

1,943,945 sq km

total

1,964,375 sq km

water

20,430 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Climate

varies from tropical to desert

Coastline

9,330 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m

lowest point

Laguna Salada -10 m

Environment - current issues

scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to urban migration; 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; 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

Environment - international 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

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

731 cu m/yr (2000)

total

78.22 cu km/yr (17%/5%/77%)

Geographic coordinates

23 00 N, 102 00 W

Geography - note

strategic location on southern border of US; corn (maize), one of the world's major grain crops, is thought to have originated in Mexico

Irrigated land

63,200 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

border countries

Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km

total

4,353 km

Land use

arable land

12.66%

other

86.06% (2005)

permanent crops

1.28%

Location

Middle 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

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 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

Mexico experiences volcanic activity in the central-southern part of the country; the volcanoes in Baja California are mostly dormant; Colima (elev. 3,850 m, 12,631 ft), 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, 17,802 ft) 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

Natural resources

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

Terrain

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

Total renewable water resources

457.2 cu km (2000)

Age structure

0-14 years: 29.1% (male 16,544,223/female 15,861,141) 15-64 years: 64.6% (male 34,734,571/female 37,129,793) 65 years and over: 6.2% (male 3,130,518/female 3,811,543) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

19.39 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate

4.83 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

Education expenditures

4.8% of GDP (2007)

Ethnic groups

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.3% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

11,000 (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

200,000 (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

15.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

male

19.71 deaths/1,000 live births

total

17.84 deaths/1,000 live births

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)

Life expectancy at birth

female

79.22 years (2010 est.)

male

73.45 years

total population

76.26 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

85.3% (2005 Census)

male

86.9%

total population

86.1%

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk

intermediate

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease

dengue fever

water contact disease

leptospirosis (2009)

Median age

female

27.7 years (2010 est.)

male

25.6 years

total

26.7 years

Nationality

adjective

Mexican

noun

Mexican(s)

Net migration rate

-3.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Population

112,468,855 (July 2010 est.)

Population growth rate

1.118% (2010 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 76.5%, Protestant 6.3% (Pentecostal 1.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, other 3.8%), other 0.3%, unspecified 13.8%, none 3.1% (2000 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

14 years (2008)

male

14 years

total

14 years

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: 0.82 male(s)/female

total population

0.96 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.31 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

1.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

77% of total population (2008)

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

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October note: Mexico is divided into three time zones

geographic coordinates

19 26 N, 99 08 W

name

Mexico City (Distrito Federal)

time difference

UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

5 February 1917

Country name

conventional long form

United Mexican States

conventional short form

Mexico

local long form

Estados Unidos Mexicanos

local short form

Mexico

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Carlos PASCUAL

consulate(s)

Merida, Nogales

consulate(s) general

Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Matamoros, Monterrey, Nuevo Laredo, Tijuana

embassy

Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico, Distrito Federal

FAX

[52] (55) 5511-9980

mailing address

P. O. Box 9000, Brownsville, TX 78520-9000

telephone

[52] (55) 5080-2000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006

chief of mission

Ambassador Arturo SARUKHAN Casamitjana

consulate(s)

Albuquerque, Anchorage (Alaska), Boise (Idaho), Brownsville (Texas), Calexico (California), Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Douglas (Arizona), Eagle Pass (Texas), Fresno (California), Indianapolis (Indiana), Kansas City (Missouri), Laredo (Texas), Las Vegas, Little Rock (Arkansas), McAllen (Texas), New Orleans, Omaha, Orlando, Oxnard (California), Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), Presidio (Texas), Raleigh, Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, Santa Ana (California), Seattle, Tucson, Washington DC, Yuma (Arizona); 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

consulate(s) general

Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, Houston, Laredo (Texas), Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Nogales (Arizona), Phoenix, Raleigh (North Carolina), Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Juan (Puerto Rico)

FAX

[1] (202) 728-1698

telephone

[1] (202) 728-1600

Executive branch

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 )

chief of state

President Felipe de Jesus CALDERON Hinojosa (since 1 December 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

election results

Felipe CALDERON elected president; percent of vote - Felipe CALDERON 35.9%, Andres Manuel LOPEZ OBRADOR 35.3%, Roberto MADRAZO 22.3%, other 6.5%

elections

president elected by popular vote for a single six-year term; election last held on 2 July 2006 (next to be held 1 July 2012)

head of government

President Felipe de Jesus CALDERON Hinojosa (since 1 December 2006)

Flag description

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; Mexico's coat of arms (an eagle with a snake in its beak perched on a cactus) is centered in the white band; green signifies hope, joy, and love; white represents peace and honesty; red stands for hardiness, bravery, strength, and valor; the coat of arms is derived from a legend that the wandering Aztec people were to settle at a location where they would see an eagle on a catus eating a snake; the city they founded, Tenochtitlan, is now Mexico City note: similar to the flag of Italy, which is shorter, uses lighter shades of red and green, and does not have anything in its white band

Government type

federal republic

Independence

16 September 1810 (declared); 27 September 1821 (recognized by Spain)

International organization participation

APEC, BCIE, BIS, CAN (observer), Caricom (observer), CD, CDB, CSN (observer), EBRD, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-3, G-15, G-24, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, MIGA, NAFTA, NAM (observer), NEA, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW, Paris Club (associate), PCA, RG, SICA (observer), UN, UNASUR (observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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)

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 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)

composition of the Chamber of Deputies is

PRI 237, PAN 142, PRD 69, PVEM 21, PT 13, CD 8, other 10

election results

Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PAN 52, PRI 33, PRD 26, PVEM 6, CD 5, PT 5, independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRI 237, PAN 143, PRD 72, PVEM 21, PT 13, CD 6, other 8; note - as of 1 January 2011, the current composition of the Senate is: PAN 50, PRI 33, PRD 25, PVEM 6, CD 6, PT 5, independent 3; the current

elections

Senate - last held on 2 July 2006 for all of the seats (next to be held on 1 July 2012); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 5 July 2009 (next to be held on 1 July 2012)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Francisco Gonzalez BOCANEGRA/Jaime Nuno ROCA note: adopted 1943, in use since 1854; the anthem is also known as "Mexicanos, al grito de Guerra" (Mexicans, to the War Cry); according to tradition, Francisco Gonzalez BOCANEGRA, an accomplished poet, was uninterested in submitting lyrics to a national anthem contest; his fiancee locked him in a room and refused to release him until the lyrics were completed

name

"Himno Nacional Mexicano" (National Anthem of Mexico)

National holiday

Independence Day, 16 September (1810)

Political parties and leaders

Convergence for Democracy or CD [Luis WALTON Aburto]; Institutional Revolutionary Party or PRI [Beatriz PAREDES Rangel]; Labor Party or PT [Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez]; Mexican Green Ecological Party or PVEM [Jorge Emilio GONZALEZ Martinez]; National Action Party (Partido Accion Nacional) or PAN [Gustavo MADERO Munoz]; New Alliance Party (Partido Nueva Alianza) or PNA/PANAL [Jorge Antonio KAHWAGI Macari]; Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolucion Democratica) or PRD [Jesus ORTEGA Martinez]

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; Dialogue for the Reconstruction of Mexico or DIA; 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

Suffrage

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

Agriculture - products

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

Central bank discount rate

NA%

Commercial bank prime lending rate

7.07% (31 December 2009 est.) 8.71% (31 December 2008 est.)

Current account balance

-$7 billion (2010 est.) -$6.23 billion (2009 est.)

Debt - external

$212.5 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $204.5 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

48.2 (2008) 53.1 (1998)

Economy - overview

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%. 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 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 6.5% in 2009 as world demand for exports dropped and asset prices tumbled, but GDP posted positive growth of 5% in 2010, with export growth leading the way. The administration continues to face many economic challenges, including improving the public education system, upgrading infrastructure, modernizing labor laws, and fostering private investment in the energy sector. CALDERON has stated that his top economic priorities remain reducing poverty and creating jobs.

Electricity - consumption

181.5 billion kWh (2009 est.)

Electricity - exports

1.288 billion kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

584 million kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - production

245 billion kWh (2008 est.)

Exchange rates

Mexican pesos (MXN) per US dollar - 12.687 (2010), 13.514 (2009), 11.016 (2008), 10.8 (2007), 10.899 (2006)

Exports

$303 billion (2010 est.) $229.8 billion (2009 est.)

Exports - commodities

manufactured goods, oil and oil products, silver, fruits, vegetables, coffee, cotton

Exports - partners

US 80.5%, Canada 3.6%, Germany 1.4% (2009)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

4.2%

industry

33.3%

services

62.5% (2010 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$13,800 (2010 est.) $13,400 (2009 est.) $14,400 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

5% (2010 est.) -6.5% (2009 est.) 1.5% (2008 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.004 trillion (2010 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$1.56 trillion (2010 est.) $1.485 trillion (2009 est.) $1.589 trillion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 1.7% highest 10%: 36.3% (2008)

Imports

$306 billion (2010 est.) $234.4 billion (2009 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 48%, China 13.5%, Japan 4.8% (2009)

Industrial production growth rate

6% (2010 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.1% (2010 est.) 3.6% (2009)

Investment (gross fixed)

21.1% of GDP (2010 est.)

Labor force

46.99 million (2010 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

13.7%

industry

23.4%

services

62.9% (2005)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$340.6 billion (31 December 2009) $232.6 billion (31 December 2008) $397.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Natural gas - consumption

59.8 billion cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - exports

688 million cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - imports

11.84 billion cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - production

60.35 billion cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

359.7 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

Oil - consumption

2.078 million bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - exports

1.225 million bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - imports

521,100 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - production

3.001 million bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

12.42 billion bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

18.2% using food-based definition of poverty; asset based poverty amounted to more than 47% (2008)

Public debt

41.5% of GDP (2010 est.) 39.1% of GDP (2009 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$116.4 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $99.86 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of broad money

$583.8 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $493 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$62.93 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $53.46 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$328.4 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $308.4 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$342.4 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $288.5 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$135.7 billion (31 December 2010 est) $119.5 billion (31 December 2009 est)

Unemployment rate

5.6% (2010 est.) 5.5% (2009 est.) note: underemployment may be as high as 25%

Broadcast media

large number of television stations and more than 1,400 radio stations, most are privately owned; the Televisa group once had a virtual monopoly in TV broadcasting, but new broadcasting groups and foreign satellite and cable operators are now available (2007)

Internet country code

.mx

Internet hosts

12.854 million (2010)

Internet users

31.02 million (2009)

Telephone system

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 reached 75 per 100 persons in 2009

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

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 (2009)

Telephones - main lines in use

19.425 million (2009)

Telephones - mobile cellular

83.528 million (2009)

Airports

1,819 (2010)

Airports - with paved runways

total

250 over 3,047 m: 12 2,438 to 3,047 m: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 85 914 to 1,523 m: 83 under 914 m: 40 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

1,569 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 66 914 to 1,523 m: 438 under 914 m: 1,063 (2010)

Heliports

1 (2010)

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 4, cargo 3, chemical tanker 12, liquefied gas 4, passenger/cargo 11, petroleum tanker 22, roll on/roll off 4

foreign-owned

5 (Denmark 2, Greece 1, South Africa 1, UAE 1)

registered in other countries

18 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Honduras 1, Marshall Islands 4, Panama 6, Portugal 1, Spain 2, Venezuela 1, unknown 1) (2010)

total

60

Pipelines

gas 22,705 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,875 km; oil 8,688 km; oil/gas/water 228 km; refined products 6,520 km (2009)

Ports and terminals

Altamira, Coatzacoalcos, Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, Salina Cruz, Veracruz

Railways

standard gauge

17,516 km 1.435-m gauge (2008)

total

17,516 km

Roadways

paved

132,289 km (includes 6,279 km of expressways)

total

366,095 km

unpaved

233,806 km (2008)

Waterways

2,900 km (navigable rivers and coastal canals mostly connected with ports on the country's east coast) (2010)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 28,475,126 females age 16-49: 30,048,077 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 22,893,649 females age 16-49: 25,401,642 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

1,069,885 (2010 est.)

male

1,108,032

Military branches

Secretariat of National Defense (Secretaria de Defensa Nacional,

Sedena)

Army (Ejercito, includes 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), naval infantry) (2009)

Military expenditures

0.5% of GDP (2006 est.)

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)

Disputes - international

abundant rainfall in recent years along much of the Mexico-US border region has ameliorated periodically strained water-sharing arrangements; the US has intensified security measures to monitor and control legal and illegal personnel, transport, and commodities across its border with Mexico; Mexico must deal with thousands of impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans who cross the porous border looking for work in Mexico and the United States

Illicit drugs

major drug-producing nation; cultivation of opium poppy in 2007 rose to 6,900 hectares yielding a potential production of 18 metric tons of pure heroin, or 50 metric tons of "black tar" heroin, the dominant form of Mexican heroin in the western United States; marijuana cultivation increased to 8,900 hectares in 2007 and yielded a potential production of 15,800 metric tons; government conducts the largest independent illicit-crop eradication program in the world; continues as the primary transshipment country for US-bound cocaine from South America, with an estimated 90% of annual cocaine movements toward the US stopping in Mexico; major drug syndicates control the majority of drug trafficking throughout the country; producer and distributor of ecstasy; significant money-laundering center; major supplier of heroin and largest foreign supplier of marijuana and methamphetamine to the US market (2007) page last updated on January 20, 2011 ======================================================================

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs

5,500-10,000 (government's quashing of Zapatista uprising in 1994 in eastern Chiapas Region) (2007)