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Communications

Airports [time series]

1,815 total, 1,537 usable; 195 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 33 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 276 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air [time series]

174 major transport aircraft

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

210,000 km total; 65,000 km paved, 30,000 km semipaved or cobblestone, 60,000 km rural roads (improved earth) or roads under construction, 55,000 km unimproved earth roads

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

2,900 km navigable rivers and coastal canals

Merchant marine [time series]

64 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 999,423 GRT/1,509,939 DWT; includes 4 short-sea passenger, 9 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 31 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 3 chemical tanker, 7 liquefied gas, 3 bulk, 3 combination bulk

Pipelines [time series]

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

Ports [time series]

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

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

20,680 km total; 19,950 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; 730 km 0.914-meter narrow gauge

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

highly developed system with extensive radio relay links; connection into Central American Microwave System; 6.41 million telephones; stations--679 AM, no FM, 238 TV, 22 shortwave; 120 domestic satellite terminals; earth stations--4 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

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

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

$1 billion, 0.6% of GDP (1988)

Manpower availability [time series]

males 15-49, 22,340,628; 16,360,596 fit for military service; 1,107,163 reach military age (18) annually

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

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; fish catch of 1.4 million metric tons among top 20 nations (1987)

Budget [time series]

revenues $44.3 billion; expenditures $55.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $7.8 billion (1989)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Mexican peso (plural--pesos); 1 Mexican peso (Mex$) = 100 centavos

Economic aid [time series]

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $3.1 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $7.1 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $110 million

Electricity [time series]

27,600,000 kW capacity; 108,976 million kWh produced, 1,240 kWh per capita (1990)

Exchange rates [time series]

market rate of Mexican pesos (Mex$) per US$1--2,940.9 (January 1991), 2,812.6 (1990), 2,461.3 (1989), 2,273.1 (1988), 1,378.2 (1987), 611.8 (1986), 256.9 (1985)

Exports [time series]

$26.8 billion (f.o.b., 1990); commodities--crude oil, oil products, coffee, shrimp, engines, cotton; partners--US 66%, EC 16%, Japan 11%

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$96.0 billion (1990)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

$236 billion, per capita $2,680; real growth rate 3.9% (1990)

Illicit drugs [time series]

illicit cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis continues in spite of government eradication efforts; major link in chain of countries used to smuggle cocaine from South American dealers to US markets

Imports [time series]

$29.8 billion (c.i.f., 1990); commodities--grain, metal manufactures, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment; partners--US 62%, EC 18%, Japan 10%

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 5.3% (1989); accounts for 27% of GDP

Industries [time series]

food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, transportation equipment, tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

30% (1990)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

Mexico's economy is a mixture of state-owned industrial plants (notably oil), private manufacturing and services, and both large-scale and traditional agriculture. In the 1980s Mexico experienced severe economic difficulties: the nation accumulated large external debts as world petroleum prices fell; rapid population growth outstripped the domestic food supply; and inflation, unemployment, and pressures to emigrate became more acute. Growth in national output, however, appears to be recovering, rising from 1.4% in 1988 to 3.9% in 1990. The US is Mexico's major trading partner, accounting for two-thirds of its exports and imports. After petroleum, border assembly plants and tourism are the largest earners of foreign exchange. The government, in consultation with international economic agencies, is implementing programs to stabilize the economy and foster growth. In 1991 the government also plans to begin negotiations with the US and Canada on a free trade agreement.

Unemployment rate [time series]

15-18% (1990 est.)

Geography

Climate [time series]

varies from tropical to desert

Coastline [time series]

9,330 km Contiguous zone: 24 nm; Continental shelf: natural prolongation of continental margin or 200 nm; Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

claims Clipperton Island (French possession)

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

subject to tsunamis along the Pacific coast and destructive earthquakes in the center and south; natural water resources scarce and polluted in north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme southeast; deforestation; erosion widespread; desertification; serious air pollution in Mexico City and urban centers along US-Mexico border

Land boundaries [time series]

4,538 km total; Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,326 km

Land use [time series]

arable land 12%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 39%; forest and woodland 24%; other 24%; includes irrigated 3%

Natural resources [time series]

crude oil, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber

Note [time series]

strategic location on southern border of US

Terrain [time series]

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

Area (Total area) [time series]

1,972,550 km2; land area: 1,923,040 km2

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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

Capital [time series]

Mexico

Constitution [time series]

5 February 1917

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

Ambassador Gustavo PETRICIOLI Iturbide; Chancery at 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC 20006; telephone (202) 728-1600; there are Mexican Consulates General in Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Antonio, San Diego, and Consulates in Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico (California), Corpus Christi, Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Douglas (Arizona), Eagle Pass (Texas), Fresno (California), Kansas City (Missouri), Laredo, McAllen (Texas), Miami, Nogales (Arizona), Oxnard (California), Philadelphia, Phoenix, Presidio (Texas), Sacramento, St. Louis, St. Paul (Minneapolis), Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, San Jose, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Seattle; US--Ambassador John D. NEGROPONTE, Jr.; Embassy at Paseo de la Reforma 305, 06500 Mexico, D.F. (mailing address is P. O. Box 3087, Laredo, TX 78044-3087); telephone [52] (5) 211-0042; there are US Consulates General in Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Tijuana, and Consulates in Hermosillo, Matamoros, Mazatlan, Merida, and Nuevo Laredo

Executive branch [time series]

president, Cabinet

Flag [time series]

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; the coat of arms (an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake is its beak) is centered in the white band

Independence [time series]

16 September 1810 (from Spain)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court of Justice (Suprema Corte de Justicia) Chief of State and Head of Government--President Carlos SALINAS de Gortari (since 1 December 1988)

Legal system [time series]

mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch [time series]

bicameral National Congress (Congreso de la Union) consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Camara de Senadores) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

United Mexican States

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

AG (observer), CCC, CDB, CG, EBRD, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-6, G-11, G-19, G-24, G-77, 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, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 16 September (1810)

Political parties (Other political or pressure groups) [time series]

Roman Catholic Church, Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM), Confederation of Industrial Chambers (CONCAMIN), Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce (CONCANACO), National Peasant Confederation (CNC), UNE (no expansion), Revolutionary Workers Party (PRT), Mexican Democratic Party (PDM), 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), Business Coordination Council (CCE)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

(recognized parties) Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Luis Donaldo COLOSIO Murrieta; National Action Party (PAN), Luis ALVAREZ; Popular Socialist Party (PPS), Indalecio SAYAGO Herrera; Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), Cuauhtemoc CARDENAS Solorzano; Cardenist Front for the National Reconstruction Party (PFCRN), Rafael AGUILAR Talamantes; Authentic Party of the Mexican Revolution (PARM), Carlos Enrique CANTU Rosas

Suffrage [time series]

universal and compulsory (but not enforced) at age 18 President--last held on 6 July 1988 (next to be held September 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); Senate--last held on 6 July 1988 (next to be held mid-year 1991); results--PRI 94%, FDN (now PRD) 6%; seats--(64 total) number of seats by party NA; Chamber of Deputies--last held on 6 July 1988 (next to be held mid-year 1991); results--PRI 53%, PAN 20%, PFCRN 10%, PPS 6%, PARM 7%, PMS (now part of PRD) 4%; seats--(500 total) number of seats by party NA

Government type (Type) [time series]

federal republic operating under a centralized government

People

Birth rate [time series]

29 births/1,000 population (1991)

Death rate [time series]

5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

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

Infant mortality rate [time series]

29 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

Labor force [time series]

26,100,000 (1988); services 31.4%, agriculture, forestry, hunting, and fishing 26%, commerce 13.9%, manufacturing 12.8%, construction 9.5%, transportation 4.8%, mining and quarrying 1.3%, electricity 0.3% (1986)

Languages (Language) [time series]

Spanish

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

68 years male, 76 years female (1991)

Literacy [time series]

87% (male 90%, female 85%) age 15 and over can read and write (1985 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun--Mexican(s); adjective--Mexican

Net migration rate [time series]

- 1 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

Organized labor [time series]

35% of labor force

Population [time series]

90,007,304 (July 1991), growth rate 2.2% (1991)

Religions (Religion) [time series]

nominally Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3%

Total fertility rate [time series]

3.4 children born/woman (1991)