Mexico

Broadcast media

many TV stations and more than 1,400 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

Internet hosts

16.233 million (2012) country comparison to the world: 9

Internet users

31.02 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 12

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 is about 80 per 100 persons 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

Telephones - main lines in use

19.684 million (2011) country comparison to the world: 15

Telephones - mobile cellular

94.565 million (2011) country comparison to the world: 13

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $270.2 billion expenditures: $298.2 billion (2012 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-2.4% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 86

Central bank discount rate

NA% (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 80 4.5% (31 December 2009 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

4.7% (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 158 4.92% (31 December 2011 est.)

Current account balance

-$8.361 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 172 -$11.07 billion (2011 est.)

Debt - external

$217.7 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 31 $210.9 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

51.7 (2008) country comparison to the world: 18 53.1 (1998)

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.

Exchange rates

Mexican pesos (MXN) per US dollar - 13.25 (2012 est.) 12.423 (2011 est.) 12.636 (2010 est.) 13.514 (2009) 11.016 (2008)

Exports

$377.4 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 16 $349.4 billion (2011 est.)

Exports - commodities

manufactured goods, oil and oil products, silver, fruits, vegetables, coffee, cotton

Exports - partners

US 78.6% (2011)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.163 trillion (2012 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$1.758 trillion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 12 $1.694 trillion (2011 est.) $1.629 trillion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 3.7% industry: 34.2% services: 62.1% (2012 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$15,300 (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 83 $14,900 (2011 est.) $14,500 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

3.8% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 90 3.9% (2011 est.) 5.6% (2010 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 1.5% highest 10%: 41.4% (2008)

Imports

$379.4 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 15 $350.8 billion (2011 est.)

Imports - commodities

metalworking machines, steel mill products, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly, repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts

Imports - partners

US 49.7%, China 14.9%, Japan 4.7% (2011)

Industrial production growth rate

3.9% (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 84

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.1% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 119 3.4% (2011 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

21.5% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 79

Labor force

50.01 million (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 12

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 13.7% industry: 23.4% services: 62.9% (2005)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$408.7 billion (31 December 2011) country comparison to the world: 22 $454.3 billion (31 December 2010) $340.6 billion (31 December 2009)

Population below poverty line

51.3% note: based on food-based definition of poverty; asset based poverty amounted to more than 47% (2010 est.)

Public debt

35.4% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 100 35.4% of GDP (2011 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$141.9 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 18 $149.3 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of broad money

$738 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 21 $684.1 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$129.7 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 26 $112.1 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$320.8 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 18 $302.3 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$445.6 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 27 $359.5 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$180.7 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 20 $148.9 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

23.2% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 137

Unemployment rate

4.5% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 44 5.2% (2011 est.) note: underemployment may be as high as 25%

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

445.3 million Mt (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 15

Crude oil - exports

1.299 million bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 13

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 101

Crude oil - production

2.934 million bbl/day (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 10

Crude oil - proved reserves

12.17 billion bbl (1 January 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 19

Electricity - consumption

203.8 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 19

Electricity - exports

1.32 billion kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 54

Electricity - from fossil fuels

75% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 99

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

19.4% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 93

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

2.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 28

Electricity - from other renewable sources

3.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 45

Electricity - imports

624.5 million kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 68

Electricity - installed generating capacity

59.33 million kW (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 15

Electricity - production

254.4 billion kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 16

Natural gas - consumption

59.15 billion cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 15

Natural gas - exports

13 million cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 48

Natural gas - imports

13.95 billion cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 22

Natural gas - production

55.1 billion cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 18

Natural gas - proved reserves

490.3 billion cu m (1 January 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 32

Refined petroleum products - consumption

2.133 million bbl/day (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 13

Refined petroleum products - exports

199,000 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 33

Refined petroleum products - imports

496,000 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 12

Refined petroleum products - production

1.458 million bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 17

Area

total: 1,964,375 sq km country comparison to the world: 14 land: 1,943,945 sq km water: 20,430 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Climate

varies from tropical to desert

Coastline

9,330 km

Elevation extremes

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

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 note: the government considers the lack of clean water and deforestation national security issues

Environment - 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 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 78.22 cu km/yr (17%/5%/77%) per capita: 731 cu m/yr (2000)

Geographic coordinates

23 00 N, 102 00 W

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

Irrigated land

63,000 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

total: 4,353 km border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km

Land use

arable land: 12.66% permanent crops: 1.28% other: 86.06% (2005)

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

Map references

North America

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

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: 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

Natural resources

petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber

Terrain

high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert

Total renewable water resources

457.2 cu km (2000)

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

Capital

name: Mexico City (Distrito Federal) 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

Constitution

5 February 1917

Country name

conventional long form: United Mexican States conventional short form: Mexico local long form: Estados Unidos Mexicanos local short form: Mexico

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Earl Anthony WAYNE embassy: Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico, Distrito Federal mailing address: P. O. Box 9000, Brownsville, TX 78520-9000 telephone: [52] (55) 5080-2000 FAX: [52] (55) 5511-9980 consulate(s) general: Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Monterrey, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo, Tijuana

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Eduardo MEDINA MORA Icaza chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600 FAX: [1] (202) 728-1698 consulate(s) 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) consulate(s): 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), 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

Executive branch

chief of state: President Enrique PENA NIETO (since 1 December 2012); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Enrique PENA NIETO (since 1 December 2012) 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 (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website) elections: president elected by popular vote for a single six-year term; election last held on 1 July 2012 (next to be held July 2018) election results: Enrique PENA NIETO elected president; percent of vote - Enrique PENA NIETO (PRI) 38.21%, Andres Manuel LOPEZ OBRADOR (PRD) 31.59%, Josefina Eugenia VAZQUEZ Mota (PAN) 25.41%, other 4.79%

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

Government type

federal republic

Independence

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

International law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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

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)

Legal system

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

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 1 July 2012 for all of the seats (next to be held on 1 July 2018); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 1 July 2012 (next to be held on 5 July 2015) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRI 52, PAN 38, PRD 22, PVEM 9, PT 4, Movimiento Ciudadano 2, PANAL 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRI 208, PAN 114, PRD 100, PVEM 33, PT 19, Movimiento Ciudadano 16, PANAL 10

National anthem

name: "Himno Nacional Mexicano" (National Anthem of Mexico) lyrics/music: 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 holiday

Independence Day, 16 September (1810)

National symbol(s)

golden eagle

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]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Businessmen's Coordinating Council or CCE; Confederation of Employers of the Mexican Republic or COPARMEX; Confederation of Industrial Chambers or CONCAMIN; Confederation of Mexican Workers or CTM; Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce or CONCANACO; Coordinator for Foreign Trade Business Organizations or COECE; Federation of Unions Providing Goods and Services or FESEBES; National Chamber of Transformation Industries or CANACINTRA; National Peasant Confederation or CNC; National Small Business Chamber or CANACOPE; National Syndicate of Education Workers or SNTE; National Union of Workers or UNT; Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca or APPO; Roman Catholic Church

Suffrage

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

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.

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 28,815,506 females age 16-49: 30,363,558 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 23,239,866 females age 16-49: 25,642,549 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 1,105,371 female: 1,067,007 (2010 est.)

Military branches

Secretariat of National Defense (Secretaria de Defensa Nacional, Sedena): Army (Ejercito), Mexican Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Mexicana, FAM); Secretariat of the Navy (Secretaria de Marina, Semar): Mexican Navy (Armada de Mexico (ARM), includes Naval Air Force (FAN), Mexican Marine Corps (Cuerpo de Infanteria de Marina, Mexmar or CIM)) (2011)

Military expenditures

0.5% of GDP (2006 est.) country comparison to the world: 159

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)

Age structure

0-14 years: 27.8% (male 16,329,415/ female 15,648,127) 15-64 years: 65.5% (male 36,385,426/ female 38,880,768) 65 years and over: 6.7% (male 3,459,939/ female 4,271,731) (2012 est.)

Birth rate

18.87 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 102

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

3.4% (2006) country comparison to the world: 100

Death rate

4.9 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 187

Education expenditures

4.8% of GDP (2007) country comparison to the world: 69

Ethnic groups

mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.3% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 79

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

220,000 (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 25

Health expenditures

13.8% of GDP (2009) country comparison to the world: 3

Hospital bed density

1.6 beds/1,000 population (2008)

Infant mortality rate

total: 16.77 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 103 male: 18.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.)

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)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 76.66 years country comparison to the world: 73 male: 73.84 years female: 79.63 years (2012 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.1% male: 86.9% female: 85.3% (2005 Census)

Major cities - population

MEXICO CITY (capital) 19.319 million; Guadalajara 4.338 million; Monterrey 3.838 million; Puebla 2.278 million; Tijuana 1.629 million (2009)

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)

Maternal mortality rate

50 deaths/100,000 live births (2010) country comparison to the world: 108

Median age

total: 27.4 years male: 26.3 years female: 28.5 years (2012 est.)

Nationality

noun: Mexican(s) adjective: Mexican

Net migration rate

-3.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 177

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

23.6% (2000) country comparison to the world: 13

Physicians density

2.893 physicians/1,000 population (2004)

Population

114,975,406 (July 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 11

Population growth rate

1.086% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 107

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)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 90% of population rural: 68% of population total: 85% of population unimproved: urban: 10% of population rural: 32% of population total: 15% of population

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 14 years male: 14 years female: 14 years (2008)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.27 children born/woman (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 100

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 10% country comparison to the world: 102 male: 9.7% female: 10.6% (2009)

Urbanization

urban population: 78% of total population (2010) 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)

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

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)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs: 160,000 (government's quashing of Zapatista uprising in 1994 in eastern Chiapas Region; drug cartel violence and government's military response since 2007; violence between and within indigenous groups) (2011)

Airports

1,724 (2012) country comparison to the world: 3

Airports - with paved runways

total: 249 over 3,047 m: 12 2,438 to 3,047 m: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 82 914 to 1,523 m: 88 under 914 m: 37 (2012)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 1,475 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 44 914 to 1,523 m: 288 under 914 m: 1,140 (2012)

Heliports

1 (2012)

Merchant marine

total: 52 country comparison to the world: 70 by type: bulk carrier 5, cargo 3, chemical tanker 11, liquefied gas 3, passenger/cargo 10, petroleum tanker 17, roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 5 (France 1, Greece 2, South Africa 1, UAE 1) registered in other countries: 12 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Marshall Islands 2, Panama 5, Portugal 1, Spain 1, Venezuela 1, unknown 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)

Ports and terminals

Altamira, Coatzacoalcos, Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, Salina Cruz, Veracruz oil terminals: Cayo Arcas terminal, Dos Bocas terminal

Railways

total: 17,166 km country comparison to the world: 16 standard gauge: 17,166 km 1.435-m gauge (22 km electrified) (2008)

Roadways

total: 366,095 km country comparison to the world: 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) (2012) country comparison to the world: 34