COUNTRY DATA: MEXICO: Information from the CIA World Factbook
INTRODUCTION
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 nation had been making an impressive recovery
until the global financial crisis hit in late 2008. 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.
GEOGRAPHY
Area
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.
1,964,375 sq km
Climate
Varies from tropical to desert.
Natural
Resources
Petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber.
Total
Renewable
Water
Resources
457.2 cu km (2000)
Freshwater
Withdrawal
78.22 cu km/yr (17%/5%/77%)
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, 12,631 ft), 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, 17,802
ft) 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.
Scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to urban migration; natural fresh water
resources scarce and polluted in north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme
Location
Environmental
Issues
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.
Note: the government considers the lack of clean water and deforestation national security issues.
PEOPLE
Population
112,468,855 (July 2010 est.)
Ethnic Groups
Mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%,
other 1%
Religions
Roman Catholic 76.5%, Protestant 6.3% (Pentecostal 1.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, other
3.8%), other 0.3%, unspecified 13.8%, none 3.1% (2000 census).
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).
86.1%
Languages
Literacy Rate
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)
HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (2007 est.)
GOVERNMENT
Type
Federal Republic
Independence
16 September 1810 (declared); 27 September 1821 (recognized by Spain).
Constitution
5 February 1917
Legal System
Mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts
compulsory International Court of Justice jurisdiction with reservations.
ECONOMY
Agricultural
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.
Import
commodities
Metalworking machines, steel mill products, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, car
parts for assembly, repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts.
Import
Partners
US 56.7%, China 9.35%, South Korea 5.21% (2009).
Export
Commodities
Manufactured goods, oil and oil products, silver, fruits, vegetables, coffee, cotton.
Export Partners
US 80.5%, Canada 3.6%, Germany 1.4% (2009).
Per Capita
GDP
$13,200 (2009 est.).
Population
below poverty
line
18.2% using food-based definition of poverty; asset based poverty amounted to more than 47%
(2008).
*CITATIONS: All information included above is extracted from the CIA World Factbook except where noted.
Country Data: Information from Human Development Report
COUNTRY: Mexico
General
Life Expectancy at Birth (in years)
76.7 years
Average number of years in School (in years)
8.7 years
Gross National Income Per Capita (In US Dollars)
$13,971
Gender Inequality
Female Seats in Parliament (%)
22.1%
Population with at least a Secondary Education Female (% 0f 25 and older)
57.7%
Population with at least a Secondary Education Male (% 0f 25 and older)
63.6%
Labor Force Participation Female (%)
46.3%
Labor Force Participation Male (%)
84.6%
Births Attended by Skilled Health Professionals (%)
94%
Poverty
Population surviving on $1.25 per day (%)
4%
Empowerment
Number of Journalists Imprisoned
0
Corruption Victims (% of people who face a bribe situation in the last year)
Political Engagement (% percent of people who voiced opinion to public
officials)
11%
22%
Sustainability
Fossil Fuels as Primary Energy Source (%)
89%
Renewable Resources as Primary Energy Source (%)
9%
Population without Access to Water (%)
6%
Population Without Access to Sanitation Services (%)
15%
Population affected by natural disasters (% between 2000-2009)
.66%
Human Security
Number of Refugees leaving this country
6,200
Number of Internally Displaced People in This Country
5,500
Prevalence of Undernourishment (%)
<5%
Demographics
Urban Residents (% of total Population)
77.8%
Health
HIV Prevalence in Female Youth (% ages 15-24)
.2%
HIV Prevalence in Male Youth (% ages 15-24)
.3%
HIV Prevalence in Adults (% ages 15-49)
.3%
Other
Official Development Assistance Per Capita (in US dollars)
$1.40
Population without Electricity (%)
NA
Mexico's Public Expenditure
Education
3.90%
4.80%
Health
Research and Development
Military
Debt Payment
0.50%
0.50%
2.70%