*Introduction

The site of advanced Amerindian civilizations, Mexico came under Spanish rule for three centuries before achieving independence early in the 19th century. A devaluation of the peso in late 1994 threw Mexico into economic turmoil, triggering the worst recession in over half a century. The nation continues to make an impressive recovery. 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. Elections held in July 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that the opposition defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) was sworn in on 1 December 2000 as the first chief executive elected in free and fair elections.

*Geography

Mexico is located in Central 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.

Mexico's land mass covers 1,923,040 sq km. which gives the country a size slightly smaller than three times the state of Texas. Mexico's climate varies from tropical to desert as it's terrain changes from high, rugged mountains to low coastal plains and high plateaus.

Mexico's natural resources include petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, and timber.

*People

Mexico claims a population of 106,202,903 inhabitants according to their July 2005 census. Mexico's largest city with over 8.2 million people living in it is said to be the world's 8th largest city, while New York with it's 8.0 million ranks as the world's 11th. Mexico has an annual growth rate of 1.17%.

Mexico's population is a mixture of mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, and other 1%.

Religion

*Mexico is predominantly Roman Catholic (about 89% of the population). It is the nation with the second largest Catholic population, behind Brazil and before the United States. Also, 6% of the population adheres to various Protestant faiths (mostly Pentecostal), and the remaining 5% of the population adhering to other religions or professing no religion. Some of the country's Catholics (notably those of indigenous background) syncretize Catholicism with various elements of Aztec or Mayan religions. The Virgin of Guadalupe has long been a symbol enshrining the major aspirations of Mexican society. According to anthropologist Eric R. Wolf, the Guadalupe symbol links family, politics, and religion; the colonial past and the independent present; and the indigenous and the Mexican.

*The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon) has a growing presence in the major border cities of northeastern Mexico, and over 1,000,000 members nationwide. Judaism  has been practiced in Mexico for centuries, and there are estimated to be more than 45,000 Jews in Mexico today.  Islam is mainly practiced by members of the Arab, Turkish, and other expatriate communities, though there is a very small number of the indigenous population in Chiapas state that practice Islam.

(* Facts taken from Wikipedia).

The major languages of Mexico include Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous languages. Mexico has one of the larges indigenous populations of Central America with 23,500,000. This number is comprised of 54 ethnic groups. 

*Religion:      1. Orientals                12

                        2. Jewish                    9

                        3. Catholic                  2983

                        4. Protestant              83

                        5. Evangelicals          1710

                        6. Baptists                  1567

                        7. JW                          2

                        8. Mormon                 1

                        9. Islam                      2

                        10. Neo Express        4

*Government

Mexico has a federal republic form of government. The country is divided into 31 states and 1 federal district. Mexico gained their independence from Spain on 16 September 1810. Mexico's legal system is based upon a mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations. Mexico has it's own military service which is universal and compulsory at age 18.

*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 (North America Free Trade Agreement) 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 Fox administration is cognizant of the need to upgrade infrastructure, modernize the tax system and labor laws, and allow private investment in the energy sector, but has been unable to win the support of the opposition-led Congress. The next government that takes office in December 2006 will confront the same challenges of boosting economic growth, improving Mexico's international competitiveness, and reducing poverty.

(*Facts taken from the CIA World Fact Book)

Mexico's Coat of Arms