Mexico

source : World Fact Book 2008 (October 2008)

SEE UPDATED INFORMATION HERE

   Introduction    Mexico
Background:
Definition Field Listing 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. The elections held in 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that an opposition candidate - Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) - defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He was succeeded in 2006 by another PAN candidate Felipe CALDERON.
   Geography    Mexico
Location:
Definition Field Listing Middle 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
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing 23 00 N, 102 00 W
Map references:
Definition Field Listing North America
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order total: 1,972,550 sq km
land: 1,923,040 sq km
water: 49,510 sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing slightly less than three times the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing total: 4,353 km
border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing 9,330 km
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:
Definition Field Listing varies from tropical to desert
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing lowest point: Laguna Salada -10 m
highest point: Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber
Land use:
Definition Field Listing arable land: 12.66%
permanent crops: 1.28%
other: 86.06% (2005)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing 63,200 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
Definition Field Listing 457.2 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
Definition Field Listing total: 78.22 cu km/yr (17%/5%/77%)
per capita: 731 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to urban migration; natural fresh water resources scarce and polluted in north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme southeast; raw sewage and industrial effluents polluting rivers in urban areas; deforestation; widespread erosion; desertification; deteriorating agricultural lands; serious air and water pollution in the national capital and urban centers along US-Mexico border; land subsidence in Valley of Mexico caused by groundwater depletion
note: the government considers the lack of clean water and deforestation national security issues
Environment - international agreements:
Definition Field Listing party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing strategic location on southern border of US; corn (maize), one of the world's major grain crops, is thought to have originated in Mexico
   People    Mexico
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 109,955,400 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing 0-14 years: 29.6% (male 16,619,995/female 15,936,154)
15-64 years: 64.3% (male 34,179,440/female 36,530,154)
65 years and over: 6.1% (male 3,023,185/female 3,666,472) (2008 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing total: 26 years
male: 24.9 years
female: 27 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing 1.142% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 20.04 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 4.78 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order -3.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order total: 19.01 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 20.91 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 17.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order total population: 75.84 years
male: 73.05 years
female: 78.78 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 2.37 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 0.3% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 160,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 5,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
Definition Field Listing degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: dengue fever
water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing noun: Mexican(s)
adjective: Mexican
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1%
Religions:
Definition Field Listing Roman Catholic 76.5%, Protestant 6.3% (Pentecostal 1.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, other 3.8%), other 0.3%, unspecified 13.8%, none 3.1% (2000 census)
Languages:
Definition Field Listing Spanish only 92.7%, Spanish and indigenous languages 5.7%, indigenous only 0.8%, unspecified 0.8%; note - indigenous languages include various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional languages (2005)
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91%
male: 92.4%
female: 89.6% (2004 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
Definition Field Listing total: 13 years
male: 14 years
female: 13 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 5.5% of GDP (2005)
   Government    Mexico
Country name:
Definition Field Listing conventional long form: United Mexican States
conventional short form: Mexico
local long form: Estados Unidos Mexicanos
local short form: Mexico
Government type:
Definition Field Listing federal republic
Capital:
Definition Field Listing name: Mexico (Distrito Federal)
geographic coordinates: 19 26 N, 99 08 W
time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October
note: Mexico is divided into three time zones
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing 31 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Colima, Distrito Federal*, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacan de Ocampo, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro de Arteaga, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz-Llave, Yucatan, Zacatecas
Independence:
Definition Field Listing 16 September 1810 (declared); 27 September 1821 (recognized by Spain)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing Independence Day, 16 September (1810)
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing 5 February 1917
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing 18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced)
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing chief of state: President Felipe de Jesus CALDERON Hinojosa (since 1 December 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Felipe de Jesus CALDERON Hinojosa (since 1 December 2006)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; note - appointment of attorney general requires consent of the Senate
elections: president elected by popular vote for a single six-year term; election last held on 2 July 2006 (next to be held 1 July 2012)
election results: Felipe CALDERON elected president; percent of vote - Felipe CALDERON 35.89%, Andres Manuel LOPEZ OBRADOR 35.31%, Roberto MADRAZO 22.26%, other 6.54%
Legislative branch:
Definition Field Listing bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Union consists of the Senate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats; 96 members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms, and 32 seats are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote) and the Federal Chamber of Deputies or Camara Federal de Diputados (500 seats; 300 members are elected by popular vote; remaining 200 members are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote; to serve three-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 2 July 2006 for all of the seats (next to be held 1 July 2012); Chamber of Deputies - last held 2 July 2006 (next to be held 5 July 2009)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PAN 52, PRI 33, PRD 26, PVEM 6, CD 5, PT 5, independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PAN 207, PRD 127, PRI 106, PVEM 17, CD 17, PT 11, other 15
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing Supreme Court of Justice or Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nacion (justices or ministros are appointed by the president with consent of the Senate)
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing Convergence for Democracy or CD [Luis MALDONADO Venegas]; Institutional Revolutionary Party or PRI [Beatriz PAREDES]; Labor Party or PT [Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez]; Mexican Green Ecological Party or PVEM [Jorge Emilio GONZALEZ Martinez]; National Action Party (Partido Accion Nacional) or PAN [German MARTINEZ Cazares]; New Alliance Party (Partido Nueva Alianza) or PNA [Jorge Antonio KAHWAGI Macari]; Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolucion Democratica) or PRD [Leonel COTA Montano]; Social Democratic and Peasant Alternative Party (Partido Alternativa Socialdemocrata y Campesina) or Alternativa [Alberto BEGNE Guerra]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing Broad Progressive Front or FAP; Businessmen's Coordinating Council or CCE; Confederation of Employers of the Mexican Republic or COPARMEX; Confederation of Industrial Chambers or CONCAMIN; Confederation of Mexican Workers or CTM; Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce or CONCANACO; Coordinator for Foreign Trade Business Organizations or COECE; Federation of Unions Providing Goods and Services or FESEBES; National Chamber of Transformation Industries or CANACINTRA; National Peasant Confederation or CNC; National Small Business Chamber or CANACOPE; National Syndicate of Education Workers or SNTE; National Union of Workers or UNT; Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca or APPO; Roman Catholic Church
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing APEC, BCIE, BIS, CAN (observer), Caricom (observer), CDB, CE (observer), CSN (observer), EBRD, FAO, G-3, G-15, G-24, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, NAFTA, NAM (observer), NEA, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing chief of mission: Ambassador Arturo SARUKHAN Casamitjana
chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006
telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600
FAX: [1] (202) 728-1698
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, Houston, Laredo (Texas), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Nogales (Arizona), Omaha, Orlando, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
consulate(s): Albuquerque, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico (California), Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Douglas (Arizona), Eagle Pass (Texas), Fresno (California), Indianapolis (Indiana), Kansas City (Missouri), Laredo (Texas), Las Vegas, Little Rock (Arkansas), McAllen (Texas), New Orleans, Omaha, Orlando, Oxnard (California), Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), Presidio (Texas), Raleigh, Saint Paul (Minnesota), Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, Santa Ana (California), Seattle, Tucson, Yuma (Arizona)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio O. GARZA, Jr.
embassy: Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico, Distrito Federal
mailing address: P. O. Box 9000, Brownsville, TX 78520-9000
telephone: [52] (55) 5080-2000
FAX: [52] (55) 5511-9980
consulate(s) general: Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana
consulate(s): Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing 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
   Economy    Mexico
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing Mexico has a free market economy in 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. In 2007, during his first year in office, the Felipe CALDERON administration was able to garner support from the opposition to successfully pass a pension and a fiscal reform. The administration continues to face many economic challenges including the need to upgrade infrastructure, modernize labor laws, and allow private investment in the energy sector. CALDERON has stated that his top economic priorities remain reducing poverty and creating jobs.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order $1.353 trillion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
Definition Field Listing $893.4 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 3.2% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order $12,400 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing agriculture: 4%
industry: 26.6%
services: 69.5% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 44.71 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing agriculture: 18%
industry: 24%
services: 58% (2003)
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 3.7% plus underemployment of perhaps 25% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing 13.8% using food-based definition of poverty; asset based poverty amounted to more than 40% (2006)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing lowest 10%: 1.2%
highest 10%: 37% (2006)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
Definition Field Listing 50.9 (2005)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 4% (2007 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 20.8% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing revenues: $227.5 billion
expenditures: $227.2 billion (2007 est.)
Public debt:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 22.8% of GDP (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruit, tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products
Industries:
Definition Field Listing food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 1.4% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 222.4 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 183.3 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing 1.597 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing 470.7 million kWh (2005)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 3.083 million bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 2.078 million bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 2.268 million bbl/day (2004)
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 308,500 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 14.7 billion bbl (1 January 2007 est.)
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 41.37 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 47.5 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 282.9 million cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 9.717 billion cu m (2005)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 434.1 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order -$5.525 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order $271.9 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing manufactured goods, oil and oil products, silver, fruits, vegetables, coffee, cotton
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing US 75.9%, Canada 6.3%, Germany 1.7% (2007)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order $281.9 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing metalworking machines, steel mill products, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly, repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing US 55.9%, South Korea 5.4%, China 4.8%, Japan 4.2% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
Definition Field Listing $189.4 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order $87.19 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order $179.8 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order $260.9 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order $39.01 billion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order $348.3 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
Definition Field Listing Mexican peso (MXN)
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing Mexican pesos per US dollar - 10.8 (2007), 10.899 (2006), 10.898 (2005), 11.286 (2004), 10.789 (2003)
Fiscal year:
Definition Field Listing calendar year
   Communications    Mexico
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 19.754 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 68.254 million (2007)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing general assessment: adequate telephone service for business and government, but the population is poorly served; mobile subscribers far outnumber fixed-line subscribers; domestic satellite system with 120 earth stations; extensive microwave radio relay network; considerable use of fiber-optic cable and coaxial cable
domestic: low telephone density with about 18 fixed lines per 100 persons; privatized in December 1990; despite the opening to competition in January 1997, Telmex remains dominant; legal challenges to Telmex's alleged anti-competitive behavior in the mobile and fixed-line markets culminated in a World Trade Organization ruling in 2004 against Mexico prompting some strengthening of the powers granted Mexico's telecom regulator; mobile cellular teledensity approaching 65 per 100 persons
international: country code - 52; Columbus-2 fiber-optic submarine cable with access to the US, Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Spain, and Italy; the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the MAYA-1 submarine cable system together provide access to Central America, parts of South America and the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 120 (32 Intelsat, 2 Solidaridad (giving Mexico improved access to South America, Central America, and much of the US as well as enhancing domestic communications), 1 Panamsat, numerous Inmarsat mobile earth stations); linked to Central American Microwave System of trunk connections (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing AM 850, FM 545, shortwave 15 (2003)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing 236 (plus repeaters) (1997)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing .mx
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 7.629 million (2007)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 22.812 million (2007)
   Transportation    Mexico
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 1,834 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing total: 231
over 3,047 m: 12
2,438 to 3,047 m: 29
1,524 to 2,437 m: 84
914 to 1,523 m: 77
under 914 m: 29 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing total: 1,603
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 63
914 to 1,523 m: 408
under 914 m: 1,131 (2007)
Heliports:
Definition Field Listing 1 (2007)
Pipelines:
Definition Field Listing gas 22,705 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,875 km; oil 8,688 km; oil/gas/water 228 km; refined products 6,520 km (2006)
Railways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order total: 17,665 km
standard gauge: 17,665 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order total: 356,945 km
paved: 123,503 km (includes 6,144 km of expressways)
unpaved: 233,442 km (2005)
Waterways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 2,900 km (navigable rivers and coastal canals) (2007)
Merchant marine:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order total: 58 ships (1000 GRT or over) 798,024 GRT/1,134,064 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 7, chemical tanker 6, liquefied gas 4, passenger/cargo 12, petroleum tanker 24, roll on/roll off 3
foreign-owned: 4 (Denmark 2, Norway 1, UAE 1)
registered in other countries: 17 (Brazil 1, Honduras 1, Liberia 1, Marshall Islands 2, Panama 3, Portugal 1, Spain 3, Venezuela 4, unknown 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Definition Field Listing Altamira, Coatzacoalcos, Manzanillo, Morro Redondo, Salina Cruz, Tampico, Veracruz
   Military    Mexico
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing Secretariat of National Defense (Secretaria de Defensa Nacional, Sedena): Army (Ejercito, includes Mexican Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Mexicana, FAM)); Secretariat of the Navy (Secretaria de Marina, Semar): Mexican Navy (Armada de Mexico, ARM, includes Naval Air Force (FAN) and naval infantry) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
Definition Field Listing 18 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service obligation - 12 months; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary enlistment; conscripts serve only in the Army; Navy and Air Force service is all voluntary; women are eligible for voluntary military service (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
Definition Field Listing males age 16-49: 27,774,688
females age 16-49: 29,376,791 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing males age 16-49: 22,188,284
females age 16-49: 24,884,614 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
Definition Field Listing male: 1,110,544
female: 1,073,223 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 0.5% of GDP (2006 est.)
   Transnational Issues    Mexico
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing abundant rainfall in recent years along much of the Mexico-US border region has ameliorated periodically strained water-sharing arrangements; the US has intensified security measures to monitor and control legal and illegal personnel, transport, and commodities across its border with Mexico; Mexico must deal with thousands of impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans who cross the porous border looking for work in Mexico and the United States
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
Definition Field Listing IDPs: 5,500-10,000 (government's quashing of Zapatista uprising in 1994 in eastern Chiapas Region) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
Definition Field Listing major drug-producing nation; cultivation of opium poppy in 2005 amounted to 3,300 hectares yielding a potential production of 8 metric tons of pure heroin, or 17 metric tons of "black tar" heroin, the dominant form of Mexican heroin in the western United States; marijuana cultivation decreased 3% to 5,600 hectares in 2005 - just two years after a decade-high cultivation peak in 2003 - and yielded a potential production of 10,100 metric tons; government conducts the largest independent illicit-crop eradication program in the world; continues as the primary transshipment country for US-bound cocaine from South America, with an estimated 90% of annual cocaine movements towards the US stopping in Mexico; major drug syndicates control majority of drug trafficking throughout the country; producer and distributor of ecstasy; significant money-laundering center; major supplier of heroin and largest foreign supplier of marijuana and methamphetamine to the US market



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Source : CIA's World Fact Book 2008

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