Location and Area

Mexico forms part of North America, together with Canada and the United States of America; it is in the Western Hemisphere, west of the Greenwich meridian. In terms of geographical coordinates, the country's territory lies between meridians 118º 27' 24" W along the coast of Baja California on the Pacific Coast, and 86º 42' 36" W on the eastern most part, along Isla Mujeres in the Caribbean Sea; and between parallels 32º 43' 06" N on the northern border with the United States and 14º 32' 27" N to the south at the mouth of the Suchiate River on the border with Guatemala.

The Mexican National Territory comprises a land area of 1,964,375 square kilometres (1,959,248 continental and 5,127 made up of islands). Its coastline stretches along 11,122 kilometres, not including island coastlines. Its exclusive economic zone at sea amounts to 3,149,920 square kilometres.

According to Article 42 of the Mexican Constitution of 1917, the national territory comprises the following:

I.The integral parts of the Federation;
II.The islands' including the reefs and keys in adjacent seas;
III.The islands of Guadalupe and the Revillagigedos situated in the Pacific Ocean;
IV.The continental shelf and the submarine shelf of the islands' keys, and reefs;
V.The waters of the territorial seas to the extent and under terms fixed by international law and domestic maritime law;
VI.The space located above the national territory to the extent and according to rules established by international law on the subject.

Article 43 mentions the following Federal States as the integral parts of the Federation: Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Coahuila, Colima, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, México, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatán, Zacatecas and the Federal District.

Mexico has land borders, at the North, with the United States of America, along 3,152 kilometres (the Northern frontier Mexican States are: Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas) and, at the South, with Guatemala and Belice, along 1,149 kilometres (The Southern frontier Mexican States are: Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche and Quintana Roo).

Relief

The country's territory is very irregular and is characterized by mountains, plains, valleys and plateaus. The highest mountains in the country are its main volcanoes, the highest being the Pico de Orizaba with an altitude of 5,610 meters above sea level.

Natural resources

Due to its geographical location, shape, climate, orography and geology, Mexico has a wide variety of ecological characteristics that is unique worldwide; they include a wealth of different soils, and a diversity of flora and plant communities that feature practically all those known throughout the world.

Some parts of the country contain almost no vegetation, as is the case in the most arid desert zones and in areas that are covered in snow all year. Conversely, there are lush rain forests where the vegetation reaches a height of 40 meters in areas with over 4,000 mm. of annual rainfall. Between these two extremes, there is a large variety of shrub communities, forming extensive, varied bush land, grassland, conifer and holm oak forests in almost all mountain systems, palm groves and jungles with varying degrees of foliage life, highly developed mangroves in the southern parts of both coasts, and pioneer plant communities in coastal dune areas, among many others.

As regards non-renewable resources, the country's petroleum and silver reserves deserve special mention. At the outset of 1999 oil reserves stood at 58.683 billion barrels, and Mexico is the worlds foremost silver producer; output reached 2'876,506 kilograms in 1998.

Climates

Mexico's latitude and topography account for its highly varied range of climates, which range from warm, with annual mean temperatures above 78.8ºF (26ºC), to cold, with annual mean temperatures under 50ºF (10ºC); however annual mean, temperatures range between 50ºF (10ºC) and 78.8ºF(26ºC) in 93% of the country's territory; 23% of which has a warm- subhumid climate, 28% is dry, 21% very dry and 21% temperate-subhumid.

Political organization

According to Article 115 of the Mexican Constitution of 1917, the free Municipality is the basis of the territorial division of the Federal States and of their administrative organisation. Municipality is administered by a council (ayuntamiento), elected by direct popular vote, and there shall be no intermediate authority between this body and the government of the respective Federal State.

The ayuntamientos are governed by municipal presidents, aldermen (regidores), and syndics (síndicos), chosen by direct popular election and may not be re-elected for the term immediately following.

Constitutional Article 49 divides the supreme power of the Federation, into legislative, executive, and judicial branches:

-The legislative power of the United Mexican States is vested in a General Congress, which shall be divided into two chambers, one of deputies and the other of senators (Article 50). Deputies shall be elected every three years (Article 51). 300 deputies will be elected by the principle of relative majority of votes and 200 accordingly to the proportional representation principle, through Regional Lists (Article 52). The 128 Senators will be elected every six years as following: in each Federal State, two Senators will be elected on the principle of relative majority, another one will be assigned from the first majority and a fourth one from the second majority of (Article 56). Both senators and deputies can not be re-elected for the term immediately following.

-The exercise of the supreme executive power of the Union is vested in a single individual who is designated "President of the United Mexican States" (Article 80). The election of the President shall be direct and under the terms prescribed by the Electoral Law (Article 81). The President shall assume the duties of office on the first of December for a term of six years. A citizen who has held the office of President of the Republic, by popular election or by appointment as ad interim, provisional, or substitute President, can in no case and for no reason again hold that office (Article 83).

-The judicial power of the Federation is vested in a Supreme Court of Justice, in circuit courts, as a body in matters of amparo and as single judges in matters of appeal, and in district courts. The Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation shall consist of twenty-one ministers and shall function as a full court (en tribunal pleno) or divided into sections (salas). There shall also be five supernumerary ministers. Hearings of the full court or of the sections shall be public, with the exception of cases in which morals or the public interest requires secrecy. The terms of sessions of the Supreme Court, as a full court or in sections, the powers and duties of the supernumerary ministers, and the number and jurisdiction of the circuit courts and district judges shall be governed by this Constitution and by provisions of law. In no case shall the supernumerary ministers sit in the full court. The remuneration received for their services by the ministers of the Supreme Court, by the circuit magistrates and by the district judges may not be reduced during their term of office (Article 94).

Article 116 of the Constitution divides the public power of the 32 Federal States into legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Each State will organice itself accordingly with its own Constitution but keeping in mind the principles and restrictions stated on Articles 116, 117 and 118.

The Legislative branch of the Federal States meets at one chamber and its members are elected in proportion to the local inhabitants; deputies can not be re-elected for the term immediately following. The Executive branch is headed by a State Governor during a six years term and can not be re-elected in that position again. The Judicial branch is exerted by the State tribunals, as they are established by the State Constitution; the independence of magistrates and judges has to be guaranteed on the State Constitution (Article 116).

Total Growth and Population

According to the results of the XII General Census of Population and Housing (XII CGPyV, 2000), in February 2000 the Mexican population reached a total of 97.4 million inhabitants, continuing to be the eleventh most populated country in the world.
Considering these results, the annual demographic growth rate of the country during of period 1990 - 2000 approximately 1.9, showing a continued decrease in the growth rate.

Population By Gender

In regard to gender, there is an almost balanced situation, as men accounted for 48.7% of the population in 2000, vis-a-vis women who represented 51.3% of the total population. Nevertheless, in the age groups, differences are reflected both in a greater numbers of male births and male deaths, as well as in terms of gender and age in international migration.

Geographic Distribution

The nation's population density in 2000 was 50 people per square kilometer. Nevertheless, the population density in the 32 states of the union varies considerably, ranging from very low rates in the states of Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Sonora, Campeche, Durango and Coahuila, having under 15 inhabitants per square kilometer, to high densities in the Federal District and the State of Mexico where there are 5 634 and 611 inhabitants per square kilometer, respectively. This diversity is derived from the significant differences both in population and in the surface area of the states.

The population is concentrated in large urban centers and also scattered in smaller towns. In the first case, there are metropolitan cities such as Mexico, Guadalajara and Monterrey which make up 2% of the national territory, yet 25% of the total population of the country lives in these cities. At the other extreme, a little over one fourth of the population lives in rural areas having under 2 500 inhabitants which was the case of over 95% of all towns in 1990.

Basic services

According to the XII CGPyV, 2000, Mexico registered 21.9 million households.

Education

In 1997 10.6% of the population over 15 years of age was illiterate; 92.2% of the 6-14 year-old population attended school. During the 1998-1999 school year, 3.4 million children were enrolled at the pre-primary level, 14.7 million at the elementary level, 5.1 million at the secondary level, 3.0 million at high school level and 1.6 million in higher levels of education.

Health care

In 1999, Mexico had 117.0 doctors, 187.8 nurses and 78.8 hospital beds per 100 000 inhabitants.

Economic activity

Mexico's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) amounted to 483 671.7 million dollars in 1999, making it the eleventh largest worldwide. During that year the main economic sectors share of GDP was as follows: 5.0% farming and livestock, 28.2% the industrial sector, of which manufacturing accounts for 74.7%, and 66.8% services, 30.9% of which consists of commerce, restaurants and hotels. Crude oil production amounted to 2 906.1 thousand barrels a day.

Labor force

According to the National Employment Survey, in 1999 Mexico's economically active population amounted to 39 751 385, that is, 56.0% of a total working-age population of 70 974 891.

Communications

In 1999 Mexico had a total of 253,993 km. of paved and hard-top roads, 26,622 km. of railroads, 55 international and 29 domestic airports, and 108 harbors; 10.927 million telephone lines were also in service.

Fauna

Mexico holds high places worldwide in terms of fauna: it has the largest variety of reptiles in the world, with 717 of the 6,300 that have been classified, of which 574 are native to the country; it holds the second place in diversity of mammals, with 449 of the 4,170 existing species; the fourth place in amphibians, with 282 of the 4,184 known species, and the twelfth place in birds, with 1,150 of the 9,198 types.

*Source :INEGI