@Mexico, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
United Mexican States
conventional short form:
Mexico
local long form:
Estados Unidos Mexicanos
local short form:
Mexico
Digraph:
MX
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)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 16 September (1810)
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
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced)
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
President Carlos SALINAS de Gortari (since 1 December 1988); election
last held on 6 July 1988 (next to be held 21 August 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)
cabinet:
Cabinet; appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress (Congreso de la Union)
Senate (Camara de Senadores):
elections last held on 18 August 1991 (next to be held 21 August
1994); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats in full Senate -
(64 total; Senate will expand to 128 seats following next election)
PRI 62, PRD 1, PAN 1
Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados):
elections last held on 18 August 1991 (next to be held 21 August
1994); results - PRI 53%, PAN 20%, PFCRN 10%, PPS 6%, PARM 7%, PMS
(now part of PRD) 4%; seats - (500 total) PRI 320, PAN 89, PRD 41,
PFCRN 23, PARM 15, PPS 12
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia)
Political parties and leaders:
(recognized parties) Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Ignacio
Pichardo PAGAZA; National Action Party (PAN), Carlos CASTILLO; Popular
Socialist Party (PPS), Indalecio SAYAGO Herrera; Democratic
Revolutionary Party (PRD), Porfirio MUNOZ Ledo; Cardenist Front for
the National Reconstruction Party (PFCRN), Rafael AGUILAR Talamantes;
Authentic Party of the Mexican Revolution (PARM), Rosa Maria MARTINEZ
Denagri; Democratic Forum Party (PFD), Pablo Emilio MADERO; Mexican
Green Ecologist Party (PVEM), Jorge GONZALEZ Torres
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); Revolutionary Workers Party (PRT); 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); Coordinator for Foreign Trade Business Organizations
(COECE); Federation of Unions Providing Goods and Services (FESEBES)
Member of:
AG (observer), BCIE, CARICOM (observer), CCC, CDB, CG, EBRD, ECLAC,
FAO, G-3, G-6, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, 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,
OECD, ONUSAL, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,
WFTI, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Jorge MONTANO Martinez
chancery:
1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006
telephone:
(202) 728-1600
consulate(s) general:
Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, Houston, Los Angeles,
Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco,
San Juan (Puerto Rico)
consulate(s):
Albuquerque, Austin, Boston, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico
(California), Corpus Christi, Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Eagle Pass
(Texas), Fresno (California), Loredo, Mc Allen (Texas), Midland
(Texas), Nogales (Arizona), Oxnard (California), Philadelphia
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador James JONES
embassy:
Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico, D.F.
mailing address:
P. O. Box 3087, Laredo, TX 78044-3087
telephone:
[52] (5) 211-0042
FAX:
[52] (5) 511-9980, 208-3373
consulate(s) general:
Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana
consulate(s):
Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, 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 in its beak)
is centered in the white band
@Mexico, Economy
Overview: Mexico's economy, made up predominantly of private manufacturing and services and both large-scale and traditional agriculture, is beginning to rebound from the economic difficulties of the 1980s but still faces key challenges. During the 1980s, the accumulation of large external debts, falling world petroleum prices, rapid population growth, and mounting inflation and unemployment plagued the economy. In recent years, the government has responded by implementing sweeping economic reforms. Strict fiscal and monetary discipline have brought inflation under control, reduced the internal debt, and produced budgetary surpluses in 1992 and 1993. The tight money policies, however, have restricted growth: barely 0.4% in 1993 after a rise of 2.6% in 1992 and 3.6% in 1991. Another aspect of the reform has been the privatization of more than 80% of Mexico's businesses, including all of the commercial banks. Seeking out increased trade and investment opportunities, the government negotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the United States and Canada, which entered into force on 1 January 1994. Within Latin America, Mexico has completed bilateral free trade agreements with Chile and Costa Rica, and is continuing negotiations with Colombia and Venezuela for a trilateral deal in addition to holding trade discussions with various other nations. In January of 1993, Mexico replaced its old peso at the rate of 1,000 old to 1 new peso. Despite its hard-won economic progress and the prospects of long-term gains under NAFTA, Mexico still faces difficult problems, including sluggish growth, unemployment, continuing social inequalities, serious pollution, and the prospect of increased competition with the opening of trade. National product: GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $740 billion (1993 est.) National product real growth rate: 0.4% (1993) National product per capita: $8,200 (1993 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8% (1993 est.) Unemployment rate: 10.7% (1992 est.) Budget: revenues: $58.1 billion expenditures: $53 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.4 billion (1992 est.) Exports: $50.5 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.), includes in-bond industries commodities: crude oil, oil products, coffee, silver, engines, motor vehicles, cotton, consumer electronics partners: US 74%, Japan 8%, EC 4% (1992 est.) Imports: $65.5 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.), includes in-bond industries commodities: metal-working machines, steel mill products, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly, repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts partners: US 74%, Japan, 11%, EC 6% (1992) External debt: $125 billion (1993 est.) Industrial production: growth rate 2.8% (1992 est.); accounts for 28% of GDP Electricity: capacity: 27,000,000 kW production: 120.725 billion kWh consumption per capita: 1,300 kWh (1992) Industries: food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, 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 Illicit drugs: illicit cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis continues in spite of active government eradication program; major supplier to the US market; continues as the primary transshipment country for US-bound cocaine and marijuana from South America Economic aid: recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $3.1 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $7.7 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $110 million Currency: 1 New Mexican peso (Mex$) = 100 centavos Exchange rates: market rate of Mexican pesos (Mex$) per US$1 - 3.3556 (March 1994), 3,094.9 (1992), 3,018.4 (1991), 2,812.6 (1990), 2,461.3 (1989) note: the new peso replaced the old peso on 1 January 1993; 1 new peso = 1,000 old pesos Fiscal year: calendar year
@Mexico, Communications
Railroads:
24,500 km total
Highways:
total:
242,300 km
paved:
84,800 km (including 3,166 km of expressways)
unpaved:
gravel and earth 157,500 km
Inland waterways:
2,900 km navigable rivers and coastal canals
Pipelines:
crude oil 28,200 km; petroleum products 10,150 km; natural gas 13,254
km; petrochemical 1,400 km
Ports:
Acapulco, Altamira, Coatzacoalcos, Ensenada, Guaymas, Manzanillo,
Mazatlan, Progreso, Puerto Vallarta, Salina Cruz, Tampico, Tuxpan,
Veracruz
Merchant marine:
58 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 853,161 GRT/1,269,018 DWT, cargo
3, chemical tanker 4, container 4, liquefied gas 7, oil tanker 32,
refrigerated cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2, short-sea passenger 4
Airports:
total:
1,993
usable:
1,585
with permanent-surface runways:
202
with runways over 3,659 m:
3
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
35
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
286
Telecommunications:
highly developed system with extensive microwave radio relay links;
privatized in December 1990; connected into Central America Microwave
System; 6,410,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 679 AM, no FM, 238
TV, 22 shortwave; 120 domestic satellite terminals; earth stations - 4
Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT; launched
Solidarity I satellite in November 1993
@Mexico, Defense Forces
Branches:
National Defense (including Army and Air Force), Navy (including
Marines)
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 22,779,635; fit for military service 16,619,809; reach
military age (18) annually 1,053,025 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
$NA, NA% of GDP
@Micronesia, Federated States of, Geography
Location:
Oceania, Micronesia, in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters
of the way between Hawaii and Indonesia
Map references:
Oceania, Southeast Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
702 sq km
land area:
702 sq km
comparative area:
slightly less than four times the size of Washington, DC
note:
includes Pohnpei (Ponape), Truk (Chuuk), Yap, and Kosrae
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
6,112 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern
islands; located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasional
severe damage
Terrain:
islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low, coral
atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Truk
Natural resources:
forests, marine products, deep-seabed minerals
Land use:
arable land:
NA%
permanent crops:
NA%
meadows and pastures:
NA%
forest and woodland:
NA%
other:
NA%
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
NA
natural hazards:
subject to typhoons (June to December)
international agreements:
party to - Climate Change, Law of the Sea; signed, but not ratified -
Biodiversity
Note:
four major island groups totaling 607 islands