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Communications

Airports [time series]

1,815 total, 1,505 usable; 200 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways over 3,659 m; 33 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 284 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air [time series]

186 major transport aircraft

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

212,000 km total; 65,000 km paved, 30,000 km semipaved or cobblestone, 62,000 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]

58 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 875,239 GRT/1,301,355 DWT; includes 4 short-sea passenger, 3 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off, 30 petroleum tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 7 liquefied gas, 1 bulk, 1 combination bulk, 4 container

Pipelines [time series]

crude oil 28,200 km; petroleum 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]

24,500 km total; breakdown NA

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

highly developed system with extensive radio relay links; privatized in December 1990; connected into Central America Microwave System; 6,410,000 telephones; broadcast 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 (including Army and Air Force), Navy (including Marines)

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

exchange rate conversion - $1.6 billion, less than 1% of GDP (1982 budget)

Manpower availability [time series]

males 15-49, 23,023,871; 16,852,513 fit for military service; 1,138,455 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 $41.0 billion; expenditures $47.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $6.3 billion (1990)

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), $7.7 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $110 million

Electricity [time series]

26,150,000 kW capacity; 114,277 million kWh produced, 1,270 kWh per capita (1991)

Exchange rates [time series]

market rate of Mexican pesos (Mex$) per US$1 - 3,068.5 (January 1992), 3,018.4 (1991) 2,940.9 (January 1991), 2,812.6 (1990), 2,461.3 (1989), 2,273.1 (1988), 1,378.2 (1987)

Exports [time series]

$27.4 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.) commodities: crude oil, oil products, coffee, shrimp, engines, motor vehicles, cotton, consumer electronics partners: US 68%, EC 14%, Japan 6% (1990 est.)

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$98.4 billion (1991)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

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

exchange rate conversion - $289 billion, per capita $3,200; real growth rate 4% (1991 est.)

Illicit drugs [time series]

illicit cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis continues in spite of active government eradication program; major supplier to the US market; continues as the primary transshipment country for US-bound cocaine from South America

Imports [time series]

$36.7 billion (c.i.f., 1991) commodities: grain, metal manufactures, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment partners: US 69%, EC 13%, Japan 6% (1990)

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

growth rate 5.5% (1991 est.); accounts for 28% 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]

18.8% (1991 est.)

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, is recovering, rising from 1.4% in 1988 to 4% in 1990 and again in 1991. 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 began negotiations with the US and Canada on a free trade agreement.

Unemployment rate [time series]

14-17% (1991 est.)

Geography

Climate [time series]

varies from tropical to desert

Coastline [time series]

9,330 km

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

Area (Land area) [time series]

1,923,040 km2

Land boundaries [time series]

4,538 km; 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%

Maritime claims [time series]

Contiguous zone: 24 nm Continental shelf: natural prolongation of continental margin or 200 nm Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Territorial sea: 12 nm

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

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; FAX [52] (5) 511-9980, 208-3373; there are US Consulates General in Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Tijuana, and Consulates in Hermosillo, Matamoros, Mazatlan, Merida, and Nuevo Laredo

Executive branch (Elections) [time series]

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 18 August 1988 (next to be held midyear 1994); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats in full Senate - (64 total) number of seats by party; PRI 61, PRD 2, PAN 1 Chamber of Deputies: last held on 18 August 1991 (next to be held midyear 1994); results - PRI 53%, PAN 20%, PFCRN 10%, PPS 6%, PARM 7%, PMS (now part of PRD) 4%; seats - (500 total) PRI 320, PAN 89, PRD 41, PFCRN 23, PARM 15, PPS 12

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 in its beak) is centered in the white band

Independence [time series]

16 September 1810 (from Spain)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia)

Executive branch (Leaders) [time series]

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), CARICOM (observer) CCC, CDB, CG, EBRD, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-6, G-11, G-15, 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), Coordinator for Foreign Trade Business Organizations (COECE)

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

(recognized parties) Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Genaro BORREGO Estrada; 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

Government type (Type) [time series]

federal republic operating under a centralized government

People

Birth rate [time series]

29 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate [time series]

5 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

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

Infant mortality rate [time series]

30 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

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 [time series]

Spanish; various Mayan dialects

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

69 years male, 76 years female (1992)

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 migrant/1,000 population (1992)

Organized labor [time series]

35% of labor force

Population [time series]

92,380,721 (July 1992), growth rate 2.3% (1992)

Religions [time series]

nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%

Total fertility rate [time series]

3.3 children born/woman (1992)