Mexico

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Mexico

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Estados Unidos Mexicanos/United States of Mexico Area 1,958,201 sq km/756,061 sq mi Capital Mexico City Language Spanish (official), Nahuatl, Maya, Zapoteco, Mixteco, Otomi Religion Roman Catholic about 90% Time difference GMT -6/8 Major holidays 1 January, 5 February, 21 March, 1, 5 May, 1, 16 September, 12 October, 2, 20 November, 12, 25, 31 December; variable: Holy Thursday, Good Friday


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla, Netzahualcóyotl, Ciudad Juárez, Tijuana Major ports 49 ocean ports Physical features partly arid central highlands; Sierra Madre mountain ranges east and west; tropical coastal plains; volcanoes, including Popocatepetl; Rio Grande Airports 67 airports of which 35 are international; total passengers carried: 20.7 million (2003 est) Railways total length: 26,655 km/16,563 mi; total passenger journeys: 232,000 (2003) Roads total road network: 349,038 km/216,882 mi, of which 33.5% paved (2003 est); passenger cars: 201 per 1,000 people (2003 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state and government Felipe Calderón from 2006 Political system liberal democracy Political executive limited presidency Administrative divisions 31 states and a Federal District Political parties Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), moderate, left wing; National Action Party (PAN), moderate, Christian, right of centre; Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), left of centre Death penalty abolished in 2005 Armed forces 192,800; plus 300,000 reservists and rural defence militia of 11,000 (2006 est) Conscription one year, part-time (conscripts selected by lottery) Defence spend (% GDP) 0.4 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 5.3 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 2.9 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency Mexican peso GDP (US$) 768.4 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 4 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 753.4 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 10,030 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 3.5% (2006 est) Unemployment 3% (2005 est) Labour force 15.1% agriculture, 25.7% industry, 59.2% services (2005) Foreign debt (US$) 135.4 billion (2005 est) Major trading partners USA, Japan, Canada, Spain, Germany, South Korea Resources petroleum, natural gas, zinc, salt, silver, copper, coal, mercury, manganese, phosphates, uranium, strontium sulphide Industries motor vehicles, food processing, iron and steel, chemicals, beverages, electrical machinery, electronic goods, petroleum refining, cement, metals and metal products, tourism Exports petroleum and petroleum products, engines and spare parts for motor vehicles, motor vehicles, electrical and electronic goods, fresh and preserved vegetables, coffee, cotton. Principal market: USA 85.7% (2005) Imports motor vehicle chassis, industrial machinery and equipment, iron and steel, telecommunications equipment, organic chemicals, cereals and cereal preparations, consumer goods, basic manufactures. Principal source: USA 59.5% (2005) Arable land 12.7% (2006 est) Agricultural products maize, wheat, sorghum, barley, rice, beans, potatoes, coffee, cotton, sugar cane, fruit and vegetables; livestock raising and fisheries


POPULATION

Population 108,326,900 (2006 est) Population growth rate 1.1% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 55 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 76 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 31%, 15–59 61%, 60+ 8% (2005 est) Ethnic groups around 60% mestizo (mixed American Indian and Spanish descent), 30% American Indians, remainder mainly of European origin Life expectancy 74 (men); 79 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 28 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 10 Literacy rate 93% (men); 89% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 17.2 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 1.1 (2002 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 0.6 (2005 est) AIDS deaths 6,200 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 97 (urban); 72 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 18.2 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 44.3 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 330 (2001 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 276 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 13.1 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 17.4 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

c. 2600 BC Mayan civilization originated in Yucatán peninsula. 1000–500 BC Zapotec civilization developed around Monte Albán in southern Mexico. 4th–10th centuries AD Mayan Empire at its height. 10th–12th centuries Toltecs ruled much of Mexico from their capital at Tula. 12th century Aztecs migrated south into the valley of Mexico. c. 1325 Aztecs began building their capital Tenochtitlán on site of present-day Mexico City. 15th century Montezuma I built up the Aztec Empire in central Mexico. 1519–21 Hernán Cortes conquered Aztec Empire and secured Mexico for Spain. 1520 Montezuma II, last king of the Aztecs, was killed. 1535 Mexico became Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain; plantations and mining developed with Indian labour. 1519–1607 Indigenous population reduced from 21 million to 1 million, due mainly to lack of resistance to diseases transported from Old World. 1810 Father Miguel Hidalgo led unsuccessful revolt against Spanish. 1821 Independence proclaimed by Augustín de Iturbide with support of Church and landowners. 1822 Iturbide overthrew provisional government and proclaimed himself Emperor Augustín I. 1824 Federal republic established amid continuing public disorder. 1824–55 Military rule of Antonio López de Santa Anna, who imposed stability (he became president in 1833). 1846–48 Mexican War: Mexico lost California and New Mexico to USA. 1848 Revolt of Mayan Indians suppressed. 1855 Benito Juárez aided overthrow of Santa Anna's dictatorship. 1857–60 Sweeping liberal reforms and anticlerical legislation introduced by Juárez led to civil war with conservatives. 1861 Mexico suspended payment on foreign debt leading to French military intervention; Juárez resisted with US support. 1864 Supported by conservatives, France installed Archduke Maximilian of Austria as emperor of Mexico. 1867 Maximilian shot by republicans as French troops withdrew; Juárez resumed presidency. 1872 Death of Juárez. 1876 Gen Porfirio Diaz established dictatorship; Mexican economy modernized through foreign investment. 1911 Revolution overthrew Diaz; liberal president Francisco Madero introduced radical land reform and labour legislation but political disorder increased. 1914 and 1916–17 US military intervened to quell disorder. 1917 New constitution, designed to ensure permanent democracy, adopted with US encouragement. 1924–35 Government dominated by anticlerical Gen Plutarco Calles, who introduced further social reforms. 1929 Foundation of National Revolutionary Party (PRFN), renamed the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in 1946. 1938 President Lázaro Cárdenas nationalized all foreign-owned oil wells in face of US opposition. 1942 Mexico declared war on Germany and Japan (and so regained US favour). 1946–52 Miguel Alemán first of succession of authoritarian PRI presidents to seek moderation and stability rather than further radical reform. 1960s Rapid industrial growth partly financed by borrowing. 1976 Huge oil reserves discovered in southeastern state of Chiapas; oil production tripled in six years. 1982 Falling oil prices caused financial crisis; Mexico defaulted on debt. 1985 Earthquake in Mexico City killed thousands. 1994 Uprising in Chiapas by Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN), seeking rights for Mayan Indian population; Mexico formed North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA) with USA and Canada. Presidential elections won by Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León. 1996 Short-lived peace talks with EZLN; violent attacks against the government by new, leftist Popular Revolutionary Army (EPR) increased. 1997 The PRI lost assembly majority. Paramilitary gunmen killed 45 Indians in a Chiapas village, causing international outcry. 1998 Lapsed peace accord with Zapatista rebels was reactivated, but talks between government and rebels broke down. 2000 After 71 years, PRI lost power; Vicente Fox of conservative National Action Party (part of opposition Alliance for Change) elected president. He signed bill on indigenous rights; rebel leader offered peace talks. 2001 Zapatista leader, Subcomandante Marcos, led peaceful march from Chiapas to Mexico City to ask Congress to ratify indigenous rights bill. 2002 Torture and killing of hundreds of political activists by security forces during 1960s and 1970s made public by release of millions of secret security files. Three army officers charged with murder over killing of 134 leftists in 1970s. 2006 Conservative candidate Felipe Calderon won presidential elections with small majority. US president Bush signed legislation to build 1,125 km/700 mi fence along US–Mexico border to curb illegal immigration; plans condemned by Mexico. 2007 New law came into effect requiring authorities to take tougher action against domestic violence. In 2006, federal post of special prosecutor created to tackle violent crime against women.


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