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 - including the Olmec Toltec Teotihuacan Zapotec Maya and Aztec - Mexico was conquered and colonized by Spain in the early 16th century. Administered as the Viceroyalty of New Spain for three centuries it achieved its independence early in the 19th century. The global financial crisis beginning in late 2008 caused a massive economic downturn the following year although growth returned quickly in 2010. 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 but the PRI regained the presidency in 2012. Since 2007 Mexico's powerful drug-trafficking organizations have engaged in bloody feuding resulting in tens of thousands of drug-related homicides.


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Location: North 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

Area
Rank: 14
Comparative: slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Land boundaries

Coastline: 9,330 km

Maritime claims

Climate: varies from tropical to desert

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

Elevation

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

Land use

Irrigated land: 63,000 km² (2003)

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

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: 114,975,406 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 11
Growth rate: 1.086% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 107
Below poverty line: 51.3%

Nationality

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%

Religions: Roman Catholic 76.5% Protestant 5.2% (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

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.086% (2012 est.)
Rank: 107

Birth rate: 18.87 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 102

Death rate: 4.9 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 187

Net migration rate: -3.11 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 177

Population distribution

Urbanization

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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 103

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 73

Total fertility rate: 2.27 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 100

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 2.893 physicians/1000 population (2004)

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

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

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

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

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: federal republic

Capital

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

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)

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: Citizen's Movement (Movimiento Ciudadano) [Luis WALTON Aburto]; Institutional Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Institucional) or PRI [Cesar CAMACHO Quiroz]; Labor Party (Partido del Trabajo) or PT [Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez]; Mexican Green Ecological Party (Partido Verde Ecologista de Mexico) or PVEM [vacant]; National Action Party (Partido Accion Nacional) or PAN [Gustavo MADERO Munoz]; New Alliance Party (Partido Nueva Alianza) or PNA/PANAL [Luis CASTRO Obregon]; Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolucion Democratica) or PRD [Jesus ZAMBRANO Grijalva]

International organization participation: APEC BCIE BIS CAN (observer) Caricom (observer) CD CDB CE (observer) CELAC CSN (observer) EBRD FAO FATF G-20 G-3 G-15 G-24 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) LAES LAIA MIGA NAFTA NAM (observer) NEA OAS OECD OPANAL OPCW Paris Club (associate) PCA SICA (observer) UN UNASUR (observer) UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO Union Latina (observer) UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation

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

National symbols: golden eagle

National anthem

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 6.2% in 2009 as world demand for exports dropped asset prices tumbled and remittances and investment declined. GDP posted positive growth of 5.6% in 2010 with exports - particularly to the United States - leading the way. Growth slowed to 3.9% in 2011 and 3.8% in 2012 however. 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

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 90

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 83

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

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

Industries

Industrial production growth rate: 3.9% (2011 est.)
Rank: 84

Labor force: 50.01 million (2012 est.)
Rank: 12

Unemployment rate: 5.2% (2011 est.)
Rank: 44

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 51.3%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

Budget
Surplus or deficit: -2.4% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 86

Taxes and other revenues: 23.2% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 137

Public debt: 35.4% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 100

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.4% (2011 est.)
Rank: 119

Central bank discount rate: 4.5% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 80

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 4.92% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 158

Stock of narrow money: $148.9 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 20

Stock of broad money: $684.1 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 21

Stock of domestic credit: $359.5 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 27

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 22

Current account balance: -$11.07 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 172

Exports: $349.4 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 16
Commodities: manufactured goods oil and oil products silver fruits vegetables coffee cotton
Partners: US 78.6% (2011)

Imports: $350.8 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 15
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 49.7% China 14.9% Japan 4.7% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $149.3 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 18

Debt external: $210.9 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 31

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $302.3 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 18

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $112.1 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 26

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 254.4 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Production rank: 16
Consumption: 203.8 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 19
Exports: 1.32 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 54
Imports: 624.5 million kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 68
Installed generating capacity: 59.33 million kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 15
Generation sources fossil fuels: 75% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 99
Generation sources nuclear: 2.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 28
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 19.4% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 93
Generation sources other renewable sources: 3.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 45

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 2.934 million bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 10
Crude oil exports: 1.299 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 13
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 101
Crude oil proven reserves: 12.17 billion bbl (1 January 2013 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 19

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 1.458 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
Products production rank: 17
Products consumption: 2.133 million bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 13
Products exports: 199,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Products exports rank: 33
Products imports: 496,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Products imports rank: 12

Natural gas
Production: 55.1 billion m³ (2011 est.)
Production rank: 18
Consumption: 59.15 billion m³ (2011 est.)
Consumption rank: 15
Exports: 13 million m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 48
Imports: 13.95 billion m³ (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 22
Proven reserves: 490.3 billion m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 32

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 445.3 million Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 15

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 19.684 million (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 15
Mobile cellular: 94.565 million (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 13

Telephone system

Broadcast media: many TV stations and more than 1400 radio stations with most 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 (2012)

Internet
Country code: .mx
Hosts: 16.233 million (2012)
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: 159

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: 1724 (2012)
Rank: 3

Heliports: 1 (2012)

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
Rank: 16

Roadways
Rank: 17

Waterways: 2,900 km (navigable rivers and coastal canals mostly connected with ports on the country's east coast) (2012)
Rank: 34

Merchant marine
Rank: 70

Ports and terminals: Altamira Coatzacoalcos Lazaro Cardenas Manzanillo Salina Cruz Veracruz


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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

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 (2007)