304 lines
24 KiB
Plaintext
304 lines
24 KiB
Plaintext
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MEXICO
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 1,972,550 km2; land area: 1,923,040 km2
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Comparative area: slightly less than three times the size of Texas
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Land boundaries: 4,538 km total; Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km,
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US 3,326 km
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Coastline: 9,330 km
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Maritime claims:
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Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
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Continental shelf: natural prolongation of continental margin or
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200 nm;
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Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Disputes: claims Clipperton Island (French possession)
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Climate: varies from tropical to desert
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Terrain: high, rugged mountains, low coastal plains, high plateaus,
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and desert
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Natural resources: crude oil, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc,
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natural gas, timber
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Land use: arable land 12%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures
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39%; forest and woodland 24%; other 24%; includes irrigated 3%
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Environment: subject to tsunamis along the Pacific coast and
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destructive earthquakes in the center and south; natural water resources
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scarce and polluted in north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and
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extreme southeast; deforestation; erosion widespread; desertification;
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serious air pollution in Mexico City and urban centers along US-Mexico
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border
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Note: strategic location on southern border of US
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PEOPLE
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Population: 90,007,304 (July 1991), growth rate 2.2% (1991)
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Birth rate: 29 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: - 1 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 29 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 76 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 3.4 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Mexican(s); adjective--Mexican
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Ethnic divisions: mestizo (Indian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or
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predominantly Amerindian 30%, white or predominantly white 9%, other 1%
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Religion: nominally Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3%
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Language: Spanish
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Literacy: 87% (male 90%, female 85%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1985 est.)
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Labor force: 26,100,000 (1988); services 31.4%, agriculture,
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forestry, hunting, and fishing 26%, commerce 13.9%, manufacturing 12.8%,
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construction 9.5%, transportation 4.8%, mining and quarrying 1.3%,
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electricity 0.3% (1986)
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Organized labor: 35% of labor force
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: United Mexican States
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Type: federal republic operating under a centralized government
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Capital: Mexico
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Administrative divisions: 31 states (estados, singular--estado) and
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1 federal district* (distrito federal); Aguascalientes, Baja California,
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Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima,
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Distrito Federal*, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco,
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Mexico, Michoacan, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla,
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Queretaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco,
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Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatan, Zacatecas
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Independence: 16 September 1810 (from Spain)
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Constitution: 5 February 1917
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Legal system: mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law
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system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ
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jurisdiction, with reservations
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National holiday: Independence Day, 16 September (1810)
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Executive branch: president, Cabinet
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Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congreso de la
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Union) consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Camara de Senadores)
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and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Suprema Corte de
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Justicia)
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Leaders:
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Chief of State and Head of Government--President Carlos SALINAS de
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Gortari (since 1 December 1988)
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Political parties and leaders: (recognized parties)
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Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Luis Donaldo COLOSIO Murrieta;
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National Action Party (PAN), Luis ALVAREZ;
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Popular Socialist Party (PPS), Indalecio SAYAGO Herrera;
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Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), Cuauhtemoc CARDENAS Solorzano;
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Cardenist Front for the National Reconstruction Party (PFCRN), Rafael
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AGUILAR Talamantes;
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Authentic Party of the Mexican Revolution (PARM), Carlos Enrique CANTU
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Rosas
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Suffrage: universal and compulsory (but not enforced) at age 18
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Elections:
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President--last held on 6 July 1988 (next to be held September
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1994); results--Carlos SALINAS de Gortari (PRI) 50.74%,
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Cuauhtemoc CARDENAS Solorzano (FDN) 31.06%,
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Manuel CLOUTHIER (PAN) 16.81%; other 1.39%; note--several of the smaller
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parties ran a common candidate under a coalition called the National
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Democratic Front (FDN);
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Senate--last held on 6 July 1988 (next to be held mid-year
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1991); results--PRI 94%, FDN (now PRD) 6%;
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seats--(64 total) number of seats by party NA;
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Chamber of Deputies--last held on 6 July 1988 (next to be held
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mid-year 1991);
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results--PRI 53%, PAN 20%, PFCRN 10%, PPS 6%, PARM 7%, PMS (now part of
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PRD) 4%;
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seats--(500 total) number of seats by party NA
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Other political or pressure groups: Roman Catholic Church,
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Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM), Confederation of Industrial
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Chambers (CONCAMIN), Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce
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(CONCANACO), National Peasant Confederation (CNC), UNE (no expansion),
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Revolutionary Workers Party (PRT), Mexican Democratic Party (PDM),
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Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and Peasants (CROC), Regional
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Confederation of Mexican Workers (CROM), Confederation of Employers of
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the Mexican Republic (COPARMEX), National Chamber of Transformation
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Industries (CANACINTRA), Business Coordination Council (CCE)
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Member of: AG (observer), CCC, CDB, CG, EBRD, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-6,
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G-11, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA,
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IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO,
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ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD,
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UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Gustavo PETRICIOLI Iturbide;
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Chancery at 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC 20006; telephone
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(202) 728-1600; there are Mexican Consulates General in Chicago, Dallas,
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Denver, El Paso, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, San
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Francisco, San Antonio, San Diego, and Consulates in Albuquerque,
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Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico (California),
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Corpus Christi, Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Douglas (Arizona), Eagle Pass
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(Texas), Fresno (California), Kansas City (Missouri), Laredo, McAllen
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(Texas), Miami, Nogales (Arizona), Oxnard (California), Philadelphia,
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Phoenix, Presidio (Texas), Sacramento, St. Louis, St. Paul (Minneapolis),
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Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, San Jose, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and
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Seattle;
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US--Ambassador John D. NEGROPONTE, Jr.; Embassy at Paseo de la
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Reforma 305, 06500 Mexico, D.F. (mailing address is P. O. Box 3087,
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Laredo, TX 78044-3087); telephone 52 (5) 211-0042; there are US
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Consulates General in Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Tijuana,
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and Consulates in Hermosillo, Matamoros, Mazatlan, Merida, and Nuevo
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Laredo
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Flag: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and
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red; the coat of arms (an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake is its
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beak) is centered in the white band
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Mexico's economy is a mixture of state-owned industrial
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plants (notably oil), private manufacturing and services, and both
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large-scale and traditional agriculture. In the 1980s Mexico experienced
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severe economic difficulties: the nation accumulated large external debts
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as world petroleum prices fell; rapid population growth outstripped the
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domestic food supply; and inflation, unemployment, and pressures to
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emigrate became more acute. Growth in national output, however,
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appears to be recovering, rising from 1.4% in 1988 to 3.9% in 1990.
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The US is Mexico's major trading partner, accounting for two-thirds of
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its exports and imports. After petroleum, border assembly plants and
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tourism are the largest earners of foreign exchange. The government, in
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consultation with international economic agencies, is implementing
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programs to stabilize the economy and foster growth. In 1991 the
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government also plans to begin negotiations with the US and Canada on a
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free trade agreement.
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GDP: $236 billion, per capita $2,680; real growth rate 3.9%
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(1990)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 30% (1990)
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Unemployment rate: 15-18% (1990 est.)
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Budget: revenues $44.3 billion; expenditures $55.2 billion,
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including capital expenditures of $7.8 billion (1989)
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Exports: $26.8 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
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commodities--crude oil, oil products, coffee, shrimp, engines,
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cotton;
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partners--US 66%, EC 16%, Japan 11%
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Imports: $29.8 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
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commodities--grain, metal manufactures, agricultural machinery,
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electrical equipment;
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partners--US 62%, EC 18%, Japan 10%
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External debt: $96.0 billion (1990)
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Industrial production: growth rate 5.3% (1989); accounts for
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27% of GDP
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Electricity: 27,600,000 kW capacity; 108,976 million kWh produced,
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1,240 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel,
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petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, transportation equipment, tourism
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Agriculture: accounts for 9% of GDP and over 25% of work force;
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large number of small farms at subsistence level; major food crops--corn,
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wheat, rice, beans; cash crops--cotton, coffee, fruit, tomatoes; fish
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catch of 1.4 million metric tons among top 20 nations (1987)
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Illicit drugs: illicit cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis
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continues in spite of government eradication efforts; major link in
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chain of countries used to smuggle cocaine from South American
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dealers to US markets
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $3.1
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billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-89), $7.1 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $110 million
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Currency: Mexican peso (plural--pesos);
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1 Mexican peso (Mex$) = 100 centavos
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Exchange rates: market rate of Mexican pesos (Mex$) per
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US$1--2,940.9 (January 1991), 2,812.6 (1990), 2,461.3 (1989),
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2,273.1 (1988), 1,378.2 (1987), 611.8 (1986), 256.9 (1985)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 20,680 km total; 19,950 km 1.435-meter standard gauge;
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730 km 0.914-meter narrow gauge
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Highways: 210,000 km total; 65,000 km paved, 30,000 km semipaved or
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cobblestone, 60,000 km rural roads (improved earth) or roads under
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construction, 55,000 km unimproved earth roads
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Inland waterways: 2,900 km navigable rivers and coastal canals
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Pipelines: crude oil, 28,200 km; refined products, 10,150 km;
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natural gas, 13,254 km; petrochemical, 1,400 km
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Ports: Acapulco, Coatzacoalcos, Ensenada, Guaymas, Manzanillo,
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Mazatlan, Progreso, Puerto Vallarta, Salina Cruz, Tampico, Veracruz
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Merchant marine: 64 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 999,423
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GRT/1,509,939 DWT; includes 4 short-sea passenger, 9 cargo, 2
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refrigerated cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 31 petroleum, oils, and
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lubricants (POL) tanker, 3 chemical tanker, 7 liquefied gas, 3 bulk, 3
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combination bulk
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Civil air: 174 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 1,815 total, 1,537 usable; 195 with permanent-surface
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runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 33 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
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276 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: highly developed system with extensive radio
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relay links; connection into Central American Microwave System; 6.41
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million telephones; stations--679 AM, no FM, 238 TV, 22 shortwave; 120
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domestic satellite terminals; earth stations--4 Atlantic Ocean
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INTELSAT and 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: National Defense (includes Army and Air Force), Navy
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(includes Marines)
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 22,340,628; 16,360,596 fit for
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military service; 1,107,163 reach military age (18) annually
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Defense expenditures: $1 billion, 0.6% of GDP (1988)
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