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Communications

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

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

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

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

Manpower availability [time series]

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.)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 679, FM 0, shortwave 22

Radios [time series]

22.5 million (1992 est.)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

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 - fixed lines (Telephones) [time series]

11,890,868 (1993 est.)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

238

Televisions [time series]

13.1 million (1992 est.) Defense

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

revenues: $56 billion (1995 est.) expenditures: $54 billion (1995 est.), including capital expenditures of $NA

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

1 New Mexican peso (Mex$) = 100 centavos

Economic aid [time series]

recipient: ODA, $85 million (1993) note: US commitments, (Emergency Stabilization Fund), $13.5 billion; IMF, $13 billion (1995-96)

Economic overview [time series]

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 [time series]

capacity: 28,780,000 kW production: 122 billion kWh consumption per capita: 1,239 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates [time series]

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 [time series]

$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.)

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$155 billion (1995 est.)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

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

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

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 8.5% industry: 28.4% services: 63.1%

Real GDP per capita (GDP per capita) [time series]

$7,700 (1995 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP real growth rate) [time series]

-6.9% (1995 est.)

Illicit drugs [time series]

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 [time series]

$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 [time series]

-7.5% (1995 est.)

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

52% (1995 est.)

Labor force [time series]

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 [time series]

10% (1995 est.) plus considerable underemployment

Geography

Area [time series]

total area: 1,972,550 sq km land area: 1,923,040 sq km comparative area: slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Climate [time series]

varies from tropical to desert

Coastline [time series]

9,330 km

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

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

Geographic coordinates [time series]

23 00 N, 102 00 W

Geography - note (Geographic note) [time series]

strategic location on southern border of US

Disputes - international (International disputes) [time series]

claims Clipperton Island (French possession)

Irrigated land [time series]

51,500 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 4,538 km border countries: 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%

Location [time series]

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 [time series]

North America

Maritime claims [time series]

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 [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

high, rugged mountains, low coastal plains, high plateaus, and desert lowest point: Laguna Salada -10 m highest point: Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m

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 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 [time series]

Mexico

Legislative branch (Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)) [time series]

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 [time series]

5 February 1917

Data code [time series]

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

chief of mission: Ambassador Jesus SILVA Herzog Flores chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600 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) 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

Executive branch [time series]

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% cabinet: Cabinet was appointed by the president

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

[52] (5) 511-9980, 208-3373 consulate(s) general: Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana consulate(s): Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Nuevo Laredo

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)

International organization participation [time series]

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 [time series]

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

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)

Country name (Name of country) [time series]

conventional long form: United Mexican States conventional short form: Mexico local long form: Estados Unidos Mexicanos local short form: Mexico

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

(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

Legislative branch (Senate (Camara de Senadores)) [time series]

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 [time series]

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

Government type (Type of government) [time series]

federal republic operating under a centralized government

Diplomatic representation from the US (US diplomatic representation) [time series]

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

People

Age structure [time series]

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 [time series]

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

Death rate [time series]

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

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]

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

Languages [time series]

Spanish, various Mayan dialects

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 73.67 years male: 70.07 years female: 77.45 years (1996 est.)

Literacy [time series]

age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.) total population: 89.6% male: 91.8% female: 87.4%

Nationality [time series]

noun: Mexican(s) adjective: Mexican

Net migration rate [time series]

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

Population [time series]

95,772,462 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

1.87% (1996 est.)

Religions [time series]

nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%

Sex ratio [time series]

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 all ages: 0.97 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

3.03 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Transportation

Airports [time series]

total: 1,411 with paved runways over 3 047 m: 9 with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 25 with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 88 with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 66 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.)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 245,433 km paved: 88,601 km (including 4,286 km of expressways) unpaved: 156,832 km (1993 est.)

Merchant marine [time series]

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

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, Altamira, Coatzacoalcos, Ensenada, Guaymas, La Paz, Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Progreso, Salina Cruz, Tampico, Topolobampo, Tuxpan, Veracruz

Railways [time series]

total: 20,567 km standard gauge: 20,477 km 1.435-m gauge (246 km electrified) narrow gauge: 90 km 0.914-m gauge (1994)

Waterways [time series]

2,900 km navigable rivers and coastal canals