Map of Mexico | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: 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 global financial crisis beginning in late 2008 caused another massive economic downturn the following year. As the economy recovers 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. National elections including the presidential election are scheduled for July 2012. Since 2007 Mexico's powerful drug-trafficking organizations have engaged in bloody fueding resulting in tens of thousands of drug-related homicides.


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Location: 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

Geographic coordinates: 23 00 N 102 00 W

Map reference: North America

Area
Total: 1,964,375 km²
Rank: 14
Land: 1,943,945 km²
Water: 20,430 km²
Comparative: slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Land boundaries
Total: 4,353 km
Border countries: (3) Belize 250 km; Guatemala 962 km; US 3,141 km

Coastline: 9,330 km

Maritime claims
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

Climate: varies from tropical to desert

Terrain: high rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert

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

Natural resources: petroleum silver copper gold lead zinc natural gas timber

Land use
Arable land: 12.66%
Permanent crops: 1.28%
Other: 86.06% (2005)

Irrigated land: 63,000 km² (2008)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 457.2 km³ (2000)

Natural hazards: 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
Volcanism: Mexico experiences volcanic activity in the central-southern part of the country; the volcanoes in Baja California are mostly dormant; Colima (elev. 3,850 m) which erupted in 2010 is Mexico's most active volcano and is responsible for causing periodic evacuations of nearby villagers; it has been deemed a 'Decade Volcano' by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Popocatepetl (elev. 5,426 m) poses a threat to Mexico City; other historically active volcanoes include Barcena Ceboruco El Chichon Michoacan-Guanajuato Pico de Orizaba San Martin Socorro and Tacana

Geography
Note: strategic location on southern border of US; corn (maize) one of the world's major grain crops is thought to have originated in Mexico


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Population: 113,724,226 (July 2011 est.)
Rank: 11
Growth rate: 1.102% (2011 est.)
Growth rate rank: 105
Below poverty line: 18.2%
Below poverty line note: based on food-based definition of poverty; asset based poverty amounted to more than 47% (2008)

Nationality
Noun: Mexican
Adjective: Mexican

Ethnic groups: mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60% Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30% white 9% other 1%

Languages: 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)

Religions: Roman Catholic 76.5% Protestant 6.3% (Pentecostal 1.4% other 3.8%) Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1% other 0.3% unspecified 13.8% none 3.1% (2000 census)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 28.2%
15-64 years: 65.2% (male 35,842,495/female 38,309,528)
65 years and over: 6.6% (male 3,348,495/female 4,113,552) (2011 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 27.1 years
Male: 26 years
Female: 28.1 years (2011 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.102% (2011 est.)
Rank: 105

Birth rate: 19.13 births/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 102

Death rate: 4.86 deaths/1000 population (July 2011 est.)
Rank: 191

Net migration rate: -3.24 migrant(s)/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 177

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 78% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 1.2% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Note: Mexico City is the second-largest urban agglomeration in the Western Hemisphere after Sao Paulo (Brazil) but before New York-Newark (US)

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to urban migration; natural freshwater 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
Current issues note: the government considers the lack of clean water and deforestation national security issues
International agreements 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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/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 (2011 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 17.29 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 104
Male: 19.14 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 15.36 deaths/1000 live births (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 76.47 years
Rank: 72
Male: 73.65 years
Female: 79.43 years (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.29 children born/woman (2011 est.)
Rank: 100

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 2.893 physicians/1000 population (2004)
Rank: 42

Hospital bed density: 1.6 beds/1000 population (2008)
Rank: 118

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 79
People living with hivaids: 220,000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 25
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: intermediate
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne disease: dengue fever
Water contact disease: leptospirosis (2009)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 23.6% (2000)
Rank: 13

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 3.4% (2006)
Rank: 100

Education expenditures: 4.8% of GDP (2007)
Rank: 69

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 86.1%
Male: 86.9%
Female: 85.3% (2005 Census)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 14 years
Male: 14 years
Female: 14 years (2008)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: United Mexican States
Conventional short form: Mexico
Local long form: Estados Unidos Mexicanos
Local short form: Mexico

Government type: federal republic

Capital
Name: Mexico City
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

Administrative divisions: 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 de Ignacio de la Llave (Veracruz) Yucatan Zacatecas

Dependent areas

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

National holiday: Independence Day 16 September (1810)

Constitution: 5 February 1917

Legal system: civil law system with US constitutional law theory influence; judicial review of legislative acts

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

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

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Felipe de Jesus CALDERON Hinojosa ; 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 the head of the Bank of Mexico and senior treasury officials require 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 35.9% Andres Manuel LOPEZ OBRADOR 35.3% Roberto MADRAZO 22.3% other 6.5%

Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Union consists of the Senate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats; 96 members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms and 32 seats 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; members to serve three-year terms)
Elections: Senate - last held on 2 July 2006 for all of the seats (next to be held on 1 July 2012); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 5 July 2009 (next to be held on 1 July 2012)
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 - PRI 237 PAN 143 PRD 72 PVEM 21 PT 13 CD 6 other 8; note - as of 1 January 2011 the current composition of the Senate is: PAN 50 PRI 33 PRD 25 PVEM 6 CD 6 PT 5 independent 3; the current composition of the Chamber of Deputies is: PRI 237 PAN 142 PRD 69 PVEM 21 PT 13 CD 8 other 10

Judicial branch: 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)

Political parties and leaders: Convergence for Democracy or CD [Luis WALTON Aburto]; Institutional Revolutionary Party or PRI [Humberto MOREIRA Valdes]; 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 [Gustavo MADERO Munoz]; New Alliance Party (Partido Nueva Alianza) or PNA/PANAL [Jorge Antonio KAHWAGI Macari]; Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolucion Democratica) or PRD [Jesus ORTEGA Martinez]

International organization participation: APEC BCIE BIS CAN (observer) Caricom (observer) CD CDB CE (observer) CSN (observer) EBRD FAO FATF G-20 G-3 G-15 G-24 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC 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 Paris Club (associate) PCA RG SICA (observer) UN UNASUR (observer) UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO Union Latina (observer) UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Arturo SARUKHAN Casamitjana
In the us chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington DC 20,006
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600
In the us fax: [1] (202) 728-1698
In the us consulate general: Atlanta Austin Boston Chicago Dallas Denver El Paso Houston Laredo (Texas) Los Angeles Miami New York Nogales (Arizona) Phoenix Sacramento San Antonio San Diego San Francisco San Jose San Juan (Puerto Rico)
In the us consulate: Albuquerque Anchorage (Alaska) Boise (Idaho) Brownsville (Texas) Calexico (California) Del Rio (Texas) Detroit Douglas (Arizona) Eagle Pass (Texas) Fresno (California) Indianapolis (Indiana) Kansas City (Missouri) Las Vegas Little Rock (Arkansas) McAllen (Texas) Midland (Texas) New Orleans Omaha Orlando Oxnard (California) Philadelphia Portland (Oregon) Presidio (Texas) Raleigh (North Carolina) Saint Paul Salt Lake City San Bernardino Santa Ana (California) Seattle Tucson Washington DC Yuma (Arizona); note - Washington DC Consular Section located in a separate building from the Mexican Embassy and has jurisdiction over DC parts of Virginia Maryland and West Virginia
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos PASCUAL
From the us embassy: Paseo de la Reforma 305 Colonia Cuauhtemoc 6,500 Mexico Distrito Federal
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 9,000 Brownsville TX 78,520-9,000
From the us telephone: [52] (55) 5,080-2000
From the us fax: [52] (55) 5,511-9,980
From the us consulate general: Ciudad Juarez Guadalajara Hermosillo Matamoros Monterrey Nuevo Laredo Tijuana
From the us consulate: Merida Nogales

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) white and red; Mexico's coat of arms (an eagle with a snake in its beak perched on a cactus) is centered in the white band; green signifies hope joy and love; white represents peace and honesty; red stands for hardiness bravery strength and valor; the coat of arms is derived from a legend that the wandering Aztec people were to settle at a location where they would see an eagle on a cactus eating a snake; the city they founded Tenochtitlan is now Mexico City
Note: similar to the flag of Italy which is shorter uses lighter shades of red and green and does not have anything in its white band

National symbols: golden eagle

National anthem
Name: 'Himno Nacional Mexicano'
Lyricsmusic: Francisco Gonzalez BOCANEGRA/Jaime Nuno ROCA
Note: adopted 1943 in use since 1854; the anthem is also known as 'Mexicanos al grito de Guerra' (Mexicans to the War Cry); according to tradition Francisco Gonzalez BOCANEGRA an accomplished poet was uninterested in submitting lyrics to a national anthem contest; his fiancee locked him in a room and refused to release him until the lyrics were completed

National heritage


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Economy overview: 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. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994 Mexico's share of US imports has increased from 7% to 12% and its share of Canadian imports has doubled to 5%. Mexico has free trade agreements with over 50 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 pension and fiscal reforms. The administration passed an energy reform measure in 2008 and another fiscal reform in 2009. Mexico's GDP plunged 6.5% in 2009 as world demand for exports dropped asset prices tumbled and remittances and investment declined. GDP posted positive growth of 5% in 2010 with exports - particularly to the United States - leading the way while domestic consumption and investment lagged. The administration continues to face many economic challenges including improving the public education system upgrading infrastructure modernizing labor laws and fostering private investment in the energy sector. CALDERON has stated that his top economic priorities remain reducing poverty and creating jobs.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 12
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 61

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 85
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3.9%
Industry: 32.6%
Services: 63.5% (2010 est.)

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

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

Industrial production growth rate: 6% (2010 est.)
Rank: 71

Labor force: 46.99 million (2010 est.)
Rank: 13
By occupation agriculture: 13.7%
By occupation industry: 23.4%
By occupation services: 62.9% (2005)

Unemployment rate: 5.5% (2009 est.)
Rank: 49
Note: underemployment may be as high as 25%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 18.2%
Note: based on food-based definition of poverty; asset based poverty amounted to more than 47% (2008)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.5%
Highest 10: 41.4% (2008)

Distribution of family income gini index: 53.1 (1998)
Rank: 18

Budget
Revenues: $234.3 billion
Expenditures: $263.8 billion (2010 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -2.8% of GDP (2010 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 93

Taxes and other revenues: 22.5% of GDP (2010 est.)
Rank: 134

Public debt: 36.9% of GDP (2009 est.)
Rank: 77

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 5.3% (2009 est.)
Rank: 137

Central bank discount rate: 4.5% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 82

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 7.074% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 140

Stock of narrow money: $123.6 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 24

Stock of broad money: $510.1 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 20

Stock of domestic credit: $327.8 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 30

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 22

Current account balance: -$6.352 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 177

Exports: $229.7 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 15
Commodities: manufactured goods oil and oil products silver fruits vegetables coffee cotton
Partners: US 73.5% Canada 7.5% (2010)

Imports: $234.4 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 16
Commodities: metalworking machines steel mill products agricultural machinery electrical equipment car parts for assembly repair parts for motor vehicles aircraft and aircraft parts
Partners: US 60.6% China 6.6% South Korea 5.2% (2010)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $99.86 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 18

Debt external: $195.6 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 30

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $308.4 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 16

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $64.04 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 28

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 239.1 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 15
Consumption: 181.5 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 19
Exports: 1.32 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Imports: 699.2 million kWh (2009 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 59.07 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 15
Consumption: 62.42 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 13
Exports: 200 million m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 43
Imports: 14.59 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 18
Proven reserves: 338.8 billion m³ (1 January 2011 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 37

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 19.892 million (2010)
Main lines in use rank: 15
Mobile cellular: 91.363 million (2010)
Mobile cellular rank: 11

Telephone system
General assessment: adequate telephone service for business and government; improving quality and increasing mobile cellular availability with mobile subscribers far outnumbering 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: despite the opening to competition in January 1997 Telmex remains dominant; Fixed-line teledensity is less than 20 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity reached 75 per 100 persons in 2009
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 (2009)

Broadcast media: large number of television stations and more than 1400 radio stations most are privately owned; the Televisa group once had a virtual monopoly in TV broadcasting but new broadcasting groups and foreign satellite and cable operators are now available (2007)

Internet
Country code: .mx
Hosts: 12.854 million (2010)
Hosts rank: 9
Users: 31.02 million (2009)
Users rank: 12

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 0.5% of GDP (2006 est.)
Rank: 162

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 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)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 1819 (2010)
Rank: 3
With paved runways total: 250
With paved runways over 3047 m: 12
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 30
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 85
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 83
With paved runways under 914 m: 40 (2010)
With unpaved runways total: 1569
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 66
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 438
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1063 (2010)

Heliports: 1 (2010)

Pipelines: gas 16,594 km; liquid petroleum gas 2,152 km; oil 7,499 km; oil/gas/water 4 km; refined products 7,264 km; water 33 km (2010)

Railways
Total: 17,166 km
Rank: 16
Standard gauge: 17,166 km 1.435-m gauge (22 km electrified) (2010)

Roadways
Total: 366,095 km
Rank: 17
Paved: 132,289 km (includes 6,279 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 233,806 km (2008)

Waterways: 2,900 km (navigable rivers and coastal canals mostly connected with ports on the country's east coast) (2010)
Rank: 33

Merchant marine
Total: 60
Rank: 65
By type: bulk carrier 4 cargo 3 chemical tanker 12 liquefied gas 4 passenger/cargo 11 petroleum tanker 22 roll on/roll off 4
Foreign owned: 5 (Denmark 2 Greece 1 South Africa 1 UAE 1)
Registered in other countries: 18 (Antigua and Barbuda 2 Honduras 1 Marshall Islands 4 Panama 6 Portugal 1 Spain 2 Venezuela 1 unknown 1) (2010)

Ports and terminals: Altamira Coatzacoalcos Lazaro Cardenas Manzanillo Salina Cruz Veracruz
Oil terminals: Cayo Arcas terminal Dos Bocas terminal


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Disputes international: 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; Belize and Mexico are working to solve minor border demarcation discrepancies arising from inaccuracies in the 1898 border treaty

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Idps: 5,500-10,000 (2007)

Illicit drugs: major drug-producing and transit nation; world's second largest opium poppy cultivator; opium poppy cultivation in 2009 rose 31% over 2008 to 19,500 hectares yielding a potential production of 50 metric tons of pure heroin or 125 metric tons of 'black tar' heroin the dominant form of Mexican heroin in the western United States; marijuana cultivation increased 45% to 17,500 hectares in 2009; 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 95% 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 (2011)