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Mexico
Physical.
Mexico is located in North America, south of the United States and north of
Belize and Guatemala. It covers an area approximately three times the size of
Texas. The climate varies from tropical to desert. Mexico's terrain consists of
rugged mountains, low coastal plains, high plateaus and desert. Some natural
resources include petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas and
timber.
People.
Almost 105 million people live in Mexico. Spanish is the primary language, while
various Mayan dialects and a few other languages are also spoken. The ethnic
make-up of the country is as follows: Mestizo (60%)
Amerindian (30%) and white (9%). Religiously, Mexico
is Roman Catholic (89%) with some Protestants (6%).
Government.
Following a brutal election process in which the losing candidate claimed fraud,
the inability of former President Fox to implement his programs and Mexico's far
from satisfactory economic performance set the stage for contentious general
elections in July 2006. PAN candidate Felipe Calderon emerged winning by a
half percent of the votes. Runner up Obrador of the PRD, challenged the
results of the election and called for a recount. Calderon favors a full
market approach and private investment in state-controlled energy markets.
Economy. In 1994, Mexico joined NAFTA,
the North American Free Trade Agreement, to shore up the economy staggered by
the fall in petroleum prices and the pressure of interest on government loans.
But the agreement has failed to generate significant job growth and has hurt
thousands of farmers who cannot compete with subsidized North American farmers.
After 12 years, NAFTA has caused lower real wages, more unequal income
distribution and large-scale migration to the US. Of the 40 million poor, 18
million are living in extreme poverty and the income distribution is skewed with
20% of the population in control of 58% of the nation’s wealth and the bottom
20% controlling 4%. Mexico's ended 2005 with a lackluster 3 percent growth and
has fallen short of the one million new jobs needed to keep pace with the
population growth.
Areas of Concern.
Persistent problems of corruption, endemic drug-related violence, poverty,
unemployment and underemployment, high debt and inflation. Environmental
concerns include land degradation, scarcity of freshwater and serious air
pollution.
Mexico statistics
Geography
Area: 764,000 square miles
Capital: Mexico City (pop 8,500,000)
Environmental concerns: scarce freshwater resources; water pollution;
deforestation; soil erosion; serious air pollution; disposal of toxic waste;
urbanization
Geographical features: high rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus;
desert
Climate: varies from tropical to desert
People
104,959,594 people;
Mestizo (60%); Amerindian (30%); white (9%)
Annual growth rate: 1.18%
Major language: Spanish, various Maya, Nahuatl and
other regional indigenous languages
Religions: Roman Catholic (89%); Protestant (6%)
Health and social issues
Life expectancy: Men, 72 years;
women, 77 years
Infant mortality: 21.69 deaths per 1000 live births
40% of the population lives in poverty
1 physician per 613 people
HIV/AIDS rate in adults: 0.3%
92.2% of adults are literate
Compulsory education: ages 6-12; free
Communication and
transportation
15,958,700 main telephone lines
10,033,000 Internet users
204,761 miles of highway
12,122 miles of railroad
1,827 airfields
12,230,000 motor vehicles
Government
Mexico is a federal republic that
gained its independence from Spain on September 16, 1810
President Felipe Calderon is both the head of state and government
5 major political parties
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at 18
Military
Military expenditures are 0.9% of the
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Current disputes: none
Economy
Currency: pesos
Per capita income: $9,000
GDP: $ 941.2 billion
GDP growth rate: 1.2%
Inflation rate: 4%
Labor force: (18%) agricultural; (24%) industry; (58%) services
Resources and industry
Natural resources: petroleum; silver;
copper; gold; lead; zinc; natural gas; timber
Agriculture: corn; wheat; soybeans; rice; beans; cotton; coffee; fruit;
tomatoes; livestock products; wood products
Industry: food and beverages; tobacco; chemicals; iron and steel; petroleum;
mining; textiles; clothing; motor vehicles; consumer durables; tourism
Exports: $164.8 billion
Imports: $168.9 billion
Suggested web sites
Search ‘Mexico’ at
www.dmoz.org
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