Mexico Key Facts and Information
Location
Mexico is situated in the middle of America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the US.
Land Area
Mexico is slightly smaller than three times the size of Texas and stretches over an total area of 1,972,550 sq km, which 1,923,040 sq km is land and 49,510 sq km is water. Mexico has a coastline area of 9,330 km.
Climate
The climate in Mexico varies from a tropical to a desert climate.
Natural Resources and Hazards
Recognized natural resources in Mexico are petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas and timber. Mexico has had quite a few experiences of nasty natural hazards, such as, tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south and hurricanes on the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean coasts.
Population and Employment
Mexico has a population of 106,202,903 (July 2005 est.) people, with an average life expectancy at birth of 75.19 years. An average labor force of 34.73 million (2004 est.) people is present in Mexico and a very low average of only 3.2% unemployment is present. The main recognized industries in Mexico are agriculture 18%, industry 24%, and services 58%.
Religion
89% of Mexico's population is Roman Catholics, 6% is Protestants, and the remainders of 5% has other religions.
Flag
The flag of Mexico consists of three equal vertical bands of green, white, and red; and the coat of arms (an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its beak) is centered in the white band.
Economy
Mexico has a free market economy that recently entered 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 one-fourth that of the US; income distribution remains highly unequal. Trade with the US and Canada has tripled since the implementation of NAFTA in 1994. Mexico has 12 free trade agreements with over 40 countries including, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, the European Free Trade Area, and Japan, putting more than 90% of trade under free trade agreements. The government is cognizant of the need to upgrade infrastructure, modernize the tax system and labor laws, and provide incentives to invest in the energy sector, but progress is slow. Mexico has a purchasing power parity of $1.006 trillion (2004 est.) and a real growth rate of 4.1% (2004 est.)
Agricultural Products and Main Industries
The main agricultural products in Mexico is corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruit, tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products and wood products. And the main industries are food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables and tourism.
Infrastructure
Mexico has a diverse infrastructure with a total of 17,634 km of railways, 329,532 km of highways, 2,900 km of waterways, 19 ports and harbors and 1,833 airports.
Capital
The capital of Mexico is Mexico City, with a population of 18,131,000 (2004 est.) people.
Time Zone
GMT: - 6 hours
