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Communications

Internet country code [time series]

.mx

Internet users (Internet hosts) [time series]

12.716 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 8

Internet users [time series]

23.26 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 16

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 850, FM 545, shortwave 15 (2003)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: adequate telephone service for business and government, but the population is poorly served; mobile subscribers far outnumber fixed-line subscribers; domestic satellite system with 120 earth stations; extensive microwave radio relay network; considerable use of fiber-optic cable and coaxial cable domestic: low telephone density with about 19 fixed lines per 100 persons; privatized in December 1990; despite the opening to competition in January 1997, Telmex remains dominant; legal challenges to Telmex's alleged anti-competitive behavior in the mobile and fixed-line markets culminated in a World Trade Organization ruling in 2004 against Mexico prompting some strengthening of the powers granted Mexico's telecom regulator; mobile cellular teledensity approaching 70 per 100 persons 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 (2008)

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

20.539 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 14

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

75.304 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 12

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

236 (plus repeaters) (1997)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

revenues: $257.1 billion expenditures: $258.1 billion (2008 est.)

Central bank discount rate [time series]

NA% (31 December 2008)

Commercial bank prime lending rate [time series]

8.71% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 114 7.56% (31 December 2007)

Current account balance [time series]

-$15.81 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 176 -$8.331 billion (2007 est.)

Debt - external [time series]

$200.4 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 31 $193.1 billion (31 December 2007)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income (Distribution of family income - Gini index) [time series]

47.9 (2006) country comparison to the world: 32 53.1 (1998)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

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. Trade with the US and Canada has nearly tripled since the implementation of NAFTA in 1994. Mexico has 12 free trade agreements with over 40 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 a pension and a fiscal reform. The administration continues to face many economic challenges including the need to upgrade infrastructure, modernize labor laws, and allow private investment in the energy sector. CALDERON has stated that his top economic priorities remain reducing poverty and creating jobs.

Electricity - consumption [time series]

200.9 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 18

Electricity - exports [time series]

1.288 billion kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports [time series]

584 million kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - production [time series]

245 billion kWh (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 15

Exchange rates [time series]

Mexican pesos (MXN) per US dollar - 11.016 (2008 est.), 10.8 (2007), 10.899 (2006), 10.898 (2005), 11.286 (2004)

Exports [time series]

$291.3 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 17 $271.9 billion (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities [time series]

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

Exports - partners [time series]

US 80.2%, Canada 2.4%, Germany 1.7% (2008)

GDP (official exchange rate) [time series]

$1.088 trillion (2008 est.)

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

$1.567 trillion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 12 $1.547 trillion (2007 est.) $1.498 trillion (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars

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

agriculture: 3.8% industry: 35.2% services: 61% (2008 est.)

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

$14,300 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 79 $14,200 (2007 est.) $13,900 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars

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

1.3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 170 3.3% (2007 est.) 5.1% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: 1.8% highest 10%: 37.9% (2006)

Imports [time series]

$308.6 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 17 $281.9 billion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities [time series]

metalworking machines, steel mill products, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly, repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts

Imports - partners [time series]

US 49%, China 11.2%, Japan 5.3%, South Korea 4.4%, Germany 4.1% (2008)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

-0.7% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 139

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]

5.1% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 87 4% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed) [time series]

22.1% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 82

Labor force [time series]

45.32 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 13

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture: 15.1% industry: 25.7% services: 59% (2005)

Market value of publicly traded shares [time series]

$232.6 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 24 $397.7 billion (31 December 2007) $348.3 billion (31 December 2006)

Natural gas - consumption [time series]

66.88 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 13

Natural gas - exports [time series]

1.136 billion cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 33

Natural gas - imports [time series]

12.61 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 17

Natural gas - production [time series]

52.15 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 17

Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]

372.7 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 35

Oil - consumption [time series]

2.128 million bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 12

Oil - exports [time series]

1.986 million bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 11

Oil - imports [time series]

479,600 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 27

Oil - production [time series]

3.186 million bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 7

Oil - proved reserves [time series]

10.5 billion bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 17

Population below poverty line [time series]

13.8% using food-based definition of poverty; asset based poverty amounted to more than 40% (2006)

Public debt [time series]

35.8% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 65 23.5% of GDP (2004 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold [time series]

$95.3 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 16 $87.19 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad [time series]

$45.39 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 32 $44.7 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home [time series]

$289.8 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 17 $267.8 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of domestic credit [time series]

$287 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 25 $349.1 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of narrow money (Stock of money) [time series]

$92.34 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 13 $103.5 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of narrow money (Stock of quasi money) [time series]

$147.4 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 16 $168.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Unemployment rate [time series]

4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 47 3.7% (2007 est.) note: underemployment is perhaps 25%

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 1,964,375 sq km country comparison to the world: 15 land: 1,943,945 sq km water: 20,430 sq km

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Climate [time series]

varies from tropical to desert

Coastline [time series]

9,330 km

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Laguna Salada -10 m highest point: Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m

Environment - current issues [time series]

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

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

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

Total water withdrawal (Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)) [time series]

total: 78.22 cu km/yr (17%/5%/77%) per capita: 731 cu m/yr (2000)

Geographic coordinates [time series]

23 00 N, 102 00 W

Geography - note [time series]

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 [time series]

63,200 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 4,353 km border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 12.66% permanent crops: 1.28% other: 86.06% (2005)

Location [time series]

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 [time series]

North America

Maritime claims [time series]

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Natural hazards [time series]

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

Natural resources [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

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

Total renewable water resources [time series]

457.2 cu km (2000)

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]

name: Mexico City (Distrito Federal) geographic coordinates: 19 26 N, 99 08 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October note: Mexico is divided into three time zones

Constitution [time series]

5 February 1917

Country name [time series]

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 [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio O. GARZA, Jr. embassy: Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico, Distrito Federal mailing address: P. O. Box 9000, Brownsville, TX 78520-9000 telephone: [52] (55) 5080-2000 FAX: [52] (55) 5511-9980 consulate(s) general: Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana consulate(s): Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Arturo SARUKHAN Casamitjana chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600 FAX: [1] (202) 728-1698 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, Houston, Laredo (Texas), Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Nogales (Arizona), Phoenix, Sacramento, Saint Paul (Minnesota), San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Juan (Puerto Rico) consulate(s): Albuquerque, 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, Yuma (Arizona)

Executive branch [time series]

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 head of government: President Felipe de Jesus CALDERON Hinojosa (since 1 December 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; note - appointment of attorney general requires consent of the Senate 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) election results: Felipe CALDERON elected president; percent of vote - Felipe CALDERON 35.89%, Andres Manuel LOPEZ OBRADOR 35.31%, Roberto MADRAZO 22.26%, other 6.54%

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

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

Government type [time series]

federal republic

Independence [time series]

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

International organization participation [time series]

APEC, BCIE, BIS, CAN (observer), Caricom (observer), CDB, CE (observer), CSN (observer), EBRD, FAO, 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, PCA, RG, SICA (observer), UN, UNASUR (observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch [time series]

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 [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 or Congreso de la Union consists of the Senate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats; 96 members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms, and 32 seats are 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; to serve three-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 2 July 2006 for all of the seats (next to be held 1 July 2012); Chamber of Deputies - last held 2 July 2006 (next to be held 5 July 2009) 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 - PAN 207, PRD 127, PRI 106, PVEM 17, CD 17, PT 11, other 15

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 16 September (1810)

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

Convergence for Democracy or CD [Luis MALDONADO Venegas]; Institutional Revolutionary Party or PRI [Beatriz PAREDES]; 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 [German MARTINEZ Cazares]; New Alliance Party (Partido Nueva Alianza) or PNA [Jorge Antonio KAHWAGI Macari]; Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolucion Democratica) or PRD [Leonel COTA Montano]; Social Democratic and Peasant Alternative Party (Partido Alternativa Socialdemocrata y Campesina) or Alternativa [Alberto BEGNE Guerra]

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

Broad Progressive Front or FAP; 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; 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 [time series]

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

Introduction

Background [time series]

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 nation had been making an impressive recovery until the global financial crisis hit in late 2008. 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.

Military

Manpower available for military service [time series]

males age 16-49: 27,774,688 females age 16-49: 29,376,791 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service [time series]

males age 16-49: 22,541,654 females age 16-49: 25,149,027 (2009 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually [time series]

male: 1,109,981 female: 1,072,094 (2009 est.)

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

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) and naval infantry) (2009)

Military expenditures [time series]

0.5% of GDP (2006 est.) country comparison to the world: 161

Military service age and obligation [time series]

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)

People

Age structure [time series]

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) (2009 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

19.71 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 102

Death rate [time series]

4.8 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 193

Education expenditure (Education expenditures) [time series]

5.5% of GDP (2005) country comparison to the world: 49

Ethnic groups [time series]

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

0.3% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 88

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

11,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 30

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

200,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 30

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 18.42 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 113 male: 20.3 deaths/1,000 live births female: 16.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)

Languages [time series]

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 [time series]

total population: 76.06 years country comparison to the world: 71 male: 73.25 years female: 79 years (2009 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 91% male: 92.4% female: 89.6% (2004 est.)

Major infectious diseases [time series]

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 [time series]

total: 26.3 years male: 25.3 years female: 27.3 years (2009 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Mexican(s) adjective: Mexican

Net migration rate [time series]

-3.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 156

Population [time series]

111,211,789 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 11

Population growth rate [time series]

1.13% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 120

Religions [time series]

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) [time series]

total: 13 years male: 14 years female: 13 years (2006)

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: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

2.34 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 108

Urbanization [time series]

urban population: 77% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 1.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

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 [time series]

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)

Refugees and internally displaced persons [time series]

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

Transportation

Airports [time series]

1,744 (2009) country comparison to the world: 3

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 246 over 3,047 m: 12 2,438 to 3,047 m: 29 1,524 to 2,437 m: 85 914 to 1,523 m: 82 under 914 m: 38 (2009)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 1,498 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 65 914 to 1,523 m: 426 under 914 m: 1,005 (2009)

Heliports [time series]

1 (2009)

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 55 country comparison to the world: 67 by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 7, chemical tanker 5, liquefied gas 4, passenger/cargo 11, petroleum tanker 23, roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 4 (Denmark 2, Hong Kong 1, UAE 1) registered in other countries: 20 (Brazil 1, Honduras 1, Liberia 2, Marshall Islands 4, Panama 2, Portugal 1, Spain 3, Venezuela 5, unknown 1) (2008)

Pipelines [time series]

gas 22,705 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,875 km; oil 8,688 km; oil/gas/water 228 km; refined products 6,520 km (2006)

Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]

Altamira, Coatzacoalcos, Manzanillo, Morro Redondo, Salina Cruz, Tampico, Veracruz

Railways [time series]

total: 17,516 km country comparison to the world: 16 standard gauge: 17,516 km 1.435-m gauge (2008)

Roadways [time series]

total: 356,945 km country comparison to the world: 19 paved: 178,473 km (includes 6,279 km of expressways) unpaved: 178,472 km (2006)

Waterways [time series]

2,900 km (navigable rivers and coastal canals) (2008) country comparison to the world: 34