Aminet 6/Aminet 6 - June 1995.iso/Aminet/docs/misc/wfbook93_texi.lha/texi/158.data

Text File | 1995-03-27 | 13.6 KB | 423 lines

@node Geography (Mexico)
@section Geography (Mexico)

@display

Location:
  Central America, between Guatemala and the US
Map references:
  North America, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
 total area:
  1,972,550 km2
 land area:
  1,923,040 km2
 comparative area:
  slightly less than three times the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
  total 4,538 km, Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,326 km
Coastline:
  9,330 km
Maritime claims:
 contiguous zone:
  24 nm
 continental shelf:
  200 nm or the natural prolongation of continental margin
 exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
 territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  claims Clipperton Island (French possession)
Climate:
  varies from tropical to desert
Terrain:
  high, rugged mountains, low coastal plains, high plateaus, and desert
Natural resources:
  petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber
Land use:
 arable land:
  12%
 permanent crops:
  1%
 meadows and pastures:
  39%
 forest and woodland:
  24%
 other:
  24%
Irrigated land:
  51,500 km2 (1989 est.)
Environment:
  subject to tsunamis along the Pacific coast and destructive earthquakes in
  the center and south; natural water resources scarce and polluted in north,
  inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme southeast;
  deforestation; erosion widespread; desertification; serious air pollution in
  Mexico City and urban centers along US-Mexico border
Note:
  strategic location on southern border of US



@end display

@node People (Mexico)
@section People (Mexico)

@display

Population:
  90,419,606 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
  1.97% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
  27.67 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
  4.82 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -3.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  28.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
 total population:
  72.55 years
 male:
  68.99 years
 female:
  76.3 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  3.25 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
 noun:
  Mexican(s)
 adjective:
  Mexican
Ethnic divisions:
  mestizo (Indian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%,
  Caucasian or predominantly Caucasian 9%, other 1%
Religions:
  nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%
Languages:
  Spanish, various Mayan dialects
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
 total population:
  87%
 male:
  90%
 female:
  85%
Labor force:
  26.2 million (1990)
 by occupation:
  services 31.7%, agriculture, forestry, hunting, and fishing 28%, commerce
  14.6%, manufacturing 11.1%, construction 8.4%, transportation 4.7%, mining
  and quarrying 1.5%



@end display

@node Government (Mexico)
@section Government (Mexico)

@display

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)
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
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 16 September (1810)
Political parties and leaders:
  (recognized parties) Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Fernando Ortiz
  Arana; National Action Party (PAN), Carlos CASTILLO; Popular Socialist Party
  (PPS), Indalecio SAYAGO Herrera; Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD),
  Roberto ROBLES Garnica; Cardenist Front for the National Reconstruction
  Party (PFCRN), Rafael AGUILAR Talamantes; Authentic Party of the Mexican
  Revolution (PARM), Carlos Enrique CANTU Rosas; Democratic Forum Party (PFD),
  Pablo Emilio MADERO; Mexican Ecologist Party (PEM), 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 Provding Goods and
  Services (FESEBES)
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced)
Elections:
 President:
  last held on 6 July 1988 (next to be held 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)



@end display

@node Government (Mexico 2. usage)
@section Government (Mexico 2. usage)

@display

 Senate:
  last held on 18 August 1991 (next to be held midyear 1994); results -
  percent of vote by party NA; seats in full Senate - (64 total) PRI 62, PRD
  1, PAN 1
 Chamber of Deputies:
  last held on 18 August 1991 (next to be held midyear 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
Executive branch:
  president, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
  bicameral National Congress (Congreso de la Union) consists of an upper
  chamber or Senate (Camara de Senadores) and a lower chamber or Chamber of
  Deputies (Camara de Diputados)
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia)
Leaders:
 Chief of State and Head of Government:
  President Carlos SALINAS de Gortari (since 1 December 1988)
Member of:
  AG (observer), CARICOM (observer), CCC, CDB, CG, EBRD, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-6,
  G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, 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, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
  UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
 chief of mission:
  Ambassador Jorge MONTANO Martinez
 chancery:
  1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006
 telephone:
  [phone]
 consulates general:
  Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, San Juan
  (Puerto Rico)
 consulates:
  Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico
  (California), Corpus Christi, Detroit, Fresno (California), Miami, Nogales
  (Arizona), Philadelphia, Phoenix, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, Seattle
US diplomatic representation:  chief of mission:
  Ambassador John D. NEGROPONTE, Jr.
 embassy:
  Paseo de la Reforma 305, 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
 consulates general:
  Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana
 consulates:
  Hermosillo, Matamoros, Mazatlan, 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



@end display

@node Economy (Mexico)
@section Economy (Mexico)

@display

Overview:
  Mexico's economy is a mixture of state-owned industrial facilities (notably
  oil), private manufacturing and services, and both large-scale and
  traditional agriculture. In the 1980s, Mexico experienced severe economic
  difficulties: the nation accumulated large external debts as world petroleum
  prices fell; rapid population growth outstripped the domestic food supply;
  and inflation, unemployment, and pressures to emigrate became more acute.
  Growth in national output, however, has recovered, rising from 1.4% in 1988
  to 4% in 1990 and 3.6% in 1991 and coming in at 2.6% in 1992. The US is
  Mexico's major trading partner, accounting for almost three-quarters of its
  exports and imports. After petroleum, border assembly plants and tourism are
  the largest earners of foreign exchange. The government, in consultation
  with international economic agencies, has been implementing programs to
  stabilize the economy and foster growth. For example, it has privatized more
  than two-thirds of its state-owned companies (parastatals), including banks.
  In 1991-92 the government conducted negotiations with the US and Canada on a
  North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which was still being discussed
  by the three countries in early 1993. In January 1993, Mexico replaced its
  old peso with a new peso, at the rate of 1,000 old to 1 new peso.
  Notwithstanding the palpable improvements in economic performance in the
  early 1990s, Mexico faces substantial problems for the remainder of the
  decade - e.g., rapid population growth, unemployment, and serious pollution,
  particularly in Mexico City.
National product:
  GDP - exchange rate conversion - $328 billion (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  2.6% (1992)
National product per capita:
  $3,600 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  11.9% (1992)
Unemployment rate:
  14%-17% (1991 est.)
Budget:
  revenues $58.9 billion; expenditures $48.3 billion, including capital
  expenditures of $6.5 billion (1991); figures do not include state-owned
  companies
Exports:
  $27.5 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
 commodities:
  crude oil, oil products, coffee, shrimp, engines, motor vehicles, cotton,
  consumer electronics
 partners:
  US 74%, Japan 8%, EC 4% (1992 est.)
Imports:
  $48.1 billion (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
 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:
  $104 billion (1992 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 5.5% (1991 est.); accounts for 28% of GDP
Electricity:
  27,000,000 kW capacity; 120,725 million kWh produced, 1,300 kWh per capita
  (1992)



@end display

@node Economy (Mexico 2. usage)
@section Economy (Mexico 2. usage)

@display

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; fish catch of 1.4 million
  metric tons among top 20 nations (1987)
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 from South America
Economic aid:
  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 - 3.100 (January 1993), 3,198
  (November 1992), 3,018.4 (1991), 2,812.6 (1990), 2,461.3 (1989), 2,273.1
  (1988); note - the new pesos replaced the old pesos on 1 January 1993; 1 new
  pesos = 1,000 old pesos
Fiscal year:
  calendar year



@end display

@node Communications (Mexico)
@section Communications (Mexico)

@display

Railroads:
  24,500 km total
Highways:
  212,000 km total; 65,000 km paved, 30,000 km semipaved or cobblestone,
  62,000 km rural roads (improved earth) or roads under construction, 55,000
  km unimproved earth roads
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 858,162 GRT/1,278,488 DWT; includes 4
  short-sea passenger, 2 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off, 31
  oil tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 7 liquefied gas, 1 bulk, 5 container
Airports:
 total:
  1,841
 usable:
  1,478
 with permanent-surface runways:
  200
 with runways over 3,659 m:
  3
 with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  35
 with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  273
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



@end display

@node Defense Forces (Mexico)
@section Defense Forces (Mexico)

@display

Branches:
  National Defense (including Army and Air Force), Navy (including Marines)
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 22,201,567; fit for military service 16,205,926; reach
  military age (18) annually 1,049,729 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP



@end display