MEXICO                                                                          
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 1,972,550 km2; land area: 1,923,040 km2                             
                                                                                
Comparative area: slightly less than three times the size of Texas              
Land boundaries: 4,538 km total; Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km,               
US 3,326 km                                                                     
                                                                                
Coastline: 9,330 km                                                             
                                                                                
Maritime claims:                                                                
                                                                                
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;                                                         
                                                                                
Continental shelf: natural prolongation of continental margin or                
200 nm;                                                                         
                                                                                
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;                                                
                                                                                
Territorial sea: 12 nm                                                          
                                                                                
Disputes: claims Clipperton Island (French possession)                          
                                                                                
Climate: varies from tropical to desert                                         
                                                                                
Terrain: high, rugged mountains, low coastal plains, high plateaus,             
and desert                                                                      
                                                                                
Natural resources: crude oil, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc,                 
natural gas, timber                                                             
                                                                                
Land use: arable land 12%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures             
39%; forest and woodland 24%; other 24%; includes irrigated 3%                  
                                                                                
Environment: 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                                                                          
                                                                                
Note: strategic location on southern border of US                               
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: 90,007,304 (July 1991), growth rate 2.2% (1991)                     
                                                                                
Birth rate: 29 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                    
                                                                                
Net migration rate: - 1 migrants/1,000 population (1991)                        
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: 29 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                       
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 76 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 3.4 children born/woman (1991)                            
                                                                                
Nationality: noun--Mexican(s); adjective--Mexican                               
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: mestizo (Indian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or                   
predominantly Amerindian 30%, white or predominantly white 9%, other 1%         
                                                                                
Religion: nominally Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3%                           
Language: Spanish                                                               
                                                                                
Literacy: 87% (male 90%, female 85%) age 15 and over can                        
read and write (1985 est.)                                                      
                                                                                
Labor force: 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)                                                         
                                                                                
Organized labor: 35% of labor force                                             
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: United Mexican States                                           
                                                                                
Type: federal republic operating under a centralized government                 
                                                                                
Capital: Mexico                                                                 
                                                                                
Administrative divisions: 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                              
                                                                                
Independence: 16 September 1810 (from Spain)                                    
                                                                                
Constitution: 5 February 1917                                                   
                                                                                
Legal system: mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law                 
system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ             
jurisdiction, with reservations                                                 
                                                                                
National holiday: Independence Day, 16 September (1810)                         
                                                                                
Executive branch: president, Cabinet                                            
                                                                                
Legislative branch: 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)                
                                                                                
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Suprema Corte de                     
Justicia)                                                                       
                                                                                
Leaders:                                                                        
                                                                                
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Carlos SALINAS de              
Gortari (since 1 December 1988)                                                 
                                                                                
Political parties and leaders: (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: universal and compulsory (but not enforced) at age 18                 
                                                                                
Elections:                                                                      
                                                                                
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                                  
                                                                                
Other political or pressure groups: 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)                    
                                                                                
Member of: 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                                    
                                                                                
Diplomatic representation: 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                                                                          
                                                                                
Flag: 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                                             
                                                                                
ECONOMY                                                                         
Overview: 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.                                                           
                                                                                
GDP: $236 billion, per capita $2,680; real growth rate 3.9%                     
(1990)                                                                          
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 30% (1990)                                    
                                                                                
Unemployment rate: 15-18% (1990 est.)                                           
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $44.3 billion; expenditures $55.2 billion,                     
including capital expenditures of $7.8 billion (1989)                           
                                                                                
Exports: $26.8 billion (f.o.b., 1990);                                          
                                                                                
commodities--crude oil, oil products, coffee, shrimp, engines,                  
cotton;                                                                         
                                                                                
partners--US 66%, EC 16%, Japan 11%                                             
                                                                                
Imports: $29.8 billion (c.i.f., 1990);                                          
                                                                                
commodities--grain, metal manufactures, agricultural machinery,                 
electrical equipment;                                                           
                                                                                
partners--US 62%, EC 18%, Japan 10%                                             
                                                                                
External debt: $96.0 billion (1990)                                             
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate 5.3% (1989); accounts for                    
27% of GDP                                                                      
                                                                                
Electricity: 27,600,000 kW capacity; 108,976 million kWh produced,              
1,240 kWh per capita (1990)                                                     
                                                                                
Industries: food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel,             
petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, transportation equipment, tourism        
                                                                                
Agriculture: 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)                    
                                                                                
Illicit drugs: 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                                                           
                                                                                
Economic aid: 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            
                                                                                
Currency: Mexican peso (plural--pesos);                                         
1 Mexican peso (Mex$) = 100 centavos                                            
                                                                                
Exchange rates: 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)                      
                                                                                
Fiscal year: calendar year                                                      
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
Railroads: 20,680 km total; 19,950 km 1.435-meter standard gauge;               
730 km 0.914-meter narrow gauge                                                 
                                                                                
Highways: 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                                  
                                                                                
Inland waterways: 2,900 km navigable rivers and coastal canals                  
                                                                                
Pipelines: crude oil, 28,200 km; refined products, 10,150 km;                   
natural gas, 13,254 km; petrochemical, 1,400 km                                 
                                                                                
Ports: Acapulco, Coatzacoalcos, Ensenada, Guaymas, Manzanillo,                  
Mazatlan, Progreso, Puerto Vallarta, Salina Cruz, Tampico, Veracruz             
                                                                                
Merchant marine: 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                                                                
                                                                                
Civil air: 174 major transport aircraft                                         
                                                                                
Airports: 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                                                  
                                                                                
Telecommunications: 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                                                                  
Branches: National Defense (includes Army and Air Force), Navy                  
(includes Marines)                                                              
                                                                                
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 22,340,628; 16,360,596 fit for              
military service; 1,107,163 reach military age (18) annually                    
                                                                                
Defense expenditures: $1 billion, 0.6% of GDP (1988)                            
