|
Basic Facts |
Country name |
conventional long form: United Mexican States
conventional short form: Mexico local long form: Estados Unidos Mexicanos local short form: Mexico |
Gevernment type | federal republic |
Capital |
name: Mexico (Distrito Federal)
geographic coordinates: 19 24 N, 99 09 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 four time zones |
Flag description | 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 |
Currency | Mexican peso (MXN) |
Internet country code | .mx |
Ports and terminals | Altamira, Manzanillo, Morro Redondo, Salina Cruz, Tampico, Topolobampo, Veracruz |
Agriculture products | corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruit, tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products |
Industries | food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, tourism |
Geography |
Location | 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 |
Coordinates | 23 00 N, 102 00 W |
Continent | North America |
Area |
total: 1,972,550 sq km
land: 1,923,040 sq km water: 49,510 sq km |
Boundaries |
total: 4,353 km
border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km |
Coastline | 9,330 km |
Climate | varies from tropical to desert |
Terrain | high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert |
Natural resources | petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber |
Natural hazards | 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 |
People |
Population | 107,449,525 (July 2006 est.) |
Ethnic groups | mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1% |
Religions | nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5% |
Languages | Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous languages |