MEXICO

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Essential Country Information

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General Information

Area

1,959,248 sq km (758,449 sq miles).

Population

106.4 million (UN, 2005).

Population Density

54.3 per sq km.

Capital

Mexico City. Population: 21 million (2003 estimate).

Geography

Mexico is at the southern extremity of North America and is bordered to the north by the USA, northwest by the Gulf of California, west by the Pacific, south by Guatemala and Belize, and east by the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Mexico’s geographical features range from swamp to desert, and from tropical lowland jungle to high alpine vegetation. Over half the country has an altitude above 1000m (3300ft). The central land mass is a plateau flanked by ranges of mountains to the east and west that lie roughly parallel to the coast. The northern area of this plateau is arid and thinly populated, and occupies 40 per cent of the total area of Mexico. The southern area is crossed by a range of volcanic mountains running from Cape Corrientes in the west through the Valley of Mexico to Veracruz in the east, and includes the magnificent volcanoes of Cofre de Perote, Ixtaccíhuatl, Matlalcueyetl, Nevado de Toluca, Orizaba and Popocatépetl. This is the heart of Mexico and where almost half of the population lives. To the south, the land falls away to the sparsely populated Isthmus of Tehuantepec whose slopes and flatlands support both commercial and subsistence agriculture. In the east, the Gulf Coast and the Yucatán peninsula are flat and receive over 75 per cent of Mexico’s rain. The most productive agricultural region in Mexico is the northwest, while the Gulf Coast produces most of Mexico’s oil and sulphur. Along the northwest coast, opposite the peninsula of Baja California, and to the southeast along the coast of Bahía de Campeche and the Yucatán peninsula, the lowlands are swampy with coastal lagoons.

Government

Republic since 1917. Gained independence from Spain in 1821. Head of State and Government: President Vicente Fox Quesada since 2000. Recent history: Carlos Salinas de Gortari's first term of office began in 1988. The new Government embarked on a major economic reform programme comprising a package of devaluation, tax reform, privatisation and deregulation. The programme, dubbed ‘Cactus Thatcherism’, also included an application to join GATT (the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, forerunner of the World Trade Organisation) and the instigation by Salinas of a free-trade treaty with the USA and Canada. This eventually led to the creation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which was ratified by the three countries during 1993. The Salinas Government also improved its standing in Washington by cracking down on drug trafficking. Popular as all this was overseas, Mexicans saw little benefit as living standards for most people fell sharply. The traditional political opposition was all but emasculated by PRI’s stranglehold over the country, but at the beginning of 1994, in the impoverished southern state of Chiapas, an armed insurrection started with land reform at the heart of its aims. The guerrillas described themselves as ‘Zapatistas’ (after Mexican revolutionary hero Emiliano Zapata, who also fought primarily on the issue of land ownership). The Mexican Government initially waged a classic counter-insurgency war, using a mixture of force and incentives on the largely pro-guerrilla peasant population. This was a problem that Salinas was happy to leave to his successor, Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon, who won the next round of Presidential elections, held in August 1994. After six years of struggle and bouts of negotiation, the Zapatistas and the Government reached a deal – the San Andreas accord – conceding autonomy to the region. Whether or not the Government had any intention of honouring the agreement is unclear: it certainly met furious opposition from within PRI and the military, and none of its provisions were put into effect. Disillusioned, the Zapatistas returned to guerrilla war and waited for a more receptive administration to take office. Meanwhile the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (Institutional Revolutionary Party, PRI) had other matters on its mind. In 2000, the PRI had overtaken the Soviet Communist Party’s 70-year longevity record for a ruling political party. But it was deeply unpopular and, that very year, it lost control of both the Presidency and the National Assembly to the centre-right Partido Acción Nacional (PAN, National Action Party). Vincente Fox Quesada took over the Presidency. Fox re-engaged with the Zapatistas, and some elements of the San Andreas deal have now been put into effect. Fox has also managed to open up one of the murkier episodes in recent Mexican history. During the 1960s and 70s, as in Argentina, Chile and Brazil, the security forces had engaged in a ‘dirty war’ against trades unionists and activists: thousands were detained without trial, tortured, murdered or ‘disappeared’. Some perpetrators are now being brought to account. Despite this, economic problems have undermined Fox’s popularity and, as he reached the middle of his six-year term, the PAN lost control of the National Assembly to the PRI. Mexico is a federal Republic with 31 states and one federal district. The bicameral National Congress is elected by universal adult suffrage. The 64 members of the Senate (two per state plus two for the federal district) serve for a term of six years. The 500-seat Chamber of Deputies consists of members elected for three years, 300 from single-member constituencies with the remaining 200 allocated to minority parties on the basis of proportional representation. The President, who appoints a Cabinet, has executive power and serves a term congruent with that of the Senate. Each state has its own Governor and elected Chamber of Deputies.

Language

Spanish is the official language (spoken by more than 90 per cent). English is widely spoken. 8 per cent speak indigenous languages, of which Nátinate is most widely spoken.

Religion

89 per cent Roman Catholic, five per cent Protestant and six per cent other denominations.

Electricity

110 volts AC, 60Hz. US two-pin (flat) plugs are usual.

SOCIAL CONVENTIONS

Handshaking is the most common form of greeting. Casual sportswear is acceptable for daytime dress throughout the country. At beach resorts, dress is very informal for men and women and nowhere are men expected to wear ties. In Mexico City, however, dress tends to be smart in elegant restaurants and hotel dining rooms. Smoking is unrestricted except where notified. Mexicans regard relationships and friendships as the most important thing in life next to religion and they are not afraid to show their emotions. A large Mexican family always seems to find room for one more and a visitor who becomes friends with a Mexican will invariably be made part of the family. Visitors should always remember that local customs and traditions are important.