History of Latin America - Mexico

FLAG Southward from its 1,500-mile- (2,400-kilometer-) long border with the United States lies the Estados Unidos Mexicanos. A country with slightly more than 750,000 square miles (1,940,000 square kilometers) in area, Mexico has a vast array of mineral resources, limited agricultural land, and a rapidly growing population. These factors are the basis for many of the country's present problems as well as opportunities for future development. The nation is struggling to modernize its economy. With more than 80 million people in the mid-1980s, Mexico's overall population density exceeds 110 per square mile (42 per square kilometer). More than half of its inhabitants live in the country's central core, while the arid north and the tropical south are sparsely settled.
The long-held stereotype of Mexico as a slow-paced country with a population consisting mainly of subsistence farmers has little validity. Petroleum and tourism dominate the economy, and industrialization is increasing in many parts of the nation. Internal migration from the countryside has caused urban centers to grow dramatically: more than two thirds of all Mexicans now live in cities. Mexico City, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 16 million people, is the largest city in the world. While still low by United States standards, the nation's gross national product per capita rose significantly during the 1970s. Despite impressive social and economic gains, since 1981 Mexico has been wracked by severe inflation and an enormous foreign debt brought on in large part by precipitous declines in the value of petroleum products.

Official Name. United Mexican States (in Spanish, Estados Unidos Mexicanos).
Capital. Mexico City.
Coat of Arms. Eagle perched on a cactus, which grows out of a stylized rock in a lake, holding a snake in its beak a reference to an old Aztec legend. Adopted 1823; altered 1968.
Anthem. 'Mexicanos, al grito de guerra' (Mexicans, at the Cry of War).
NATURAL FEATURES
Borders. Coast mainland, 4,212 miles (6,778 kilometers); Baja California, 2,090 miles (3,363 kilometers); land frontier 2,764 miles (4,448 kilometers).
Natural Regions. Mexican Plateau, Gulf Coastal Plain, Pacific Lowlands, Baja California Peninsula, Balsas Depression, Southern Highlands, Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Chiapas Highlands.
Major Ranges. Mesa del Sur, Sierra Madre de Chiapas, Sierra Madre del Sur, Sierra Madre Occidental, Sierra Madre Oriental.
Notable Peaks. Citlaltepetl (Orizaba), 18,855 feet (5,747 meters); Popocatepetl, 17,887 feet (5,452 meters).
Major Rivers. Balsas, Bravo del Norte (Rio Grande), Fuerte, Grande de Santiago, Grijalva, Hunaya, Lerma, Moctezuma, Panuco, Papaloapan, Yaqui.
Major Lakes. Chapala, Cuitzeo, Patzcuaro.
Climate. Diversified, ranging from tropical to cold. Influenced by latitude and altitude. Southern half in Tropical Zone; northern half in Temperate Zone. Three climatic zones tierra caliente (hot land), areas from sea level to just above 2,000 feet (600 meters); tierra templada (temperate land), areas from 2,000 feet (600 meters) to 6,000 feet (1,800 meters); tierra fria (cold land), areas from 6,000 feet (1,800 meters) to 11,000 feet (3,350 meters).
THE PEOPLE
Population (1991 estimate). 83,151,000; 109.5 persons per square mile (42.3 persons per square kilometer); 72.6 percent urban, 27.4 percent rural.
Vital Statistics (rate per 1,000 population). Births 31.5; deaths 5.3; marriages 7.9.
Life Expectancy (at birth). Males 67.8 years; females 73.9 years.
Major Languages. Spanish, Mayan, other Indian languages.
Ethnic Groups. Mestizo, American Indian, Caucasian, black.
Major Religions. Roman Catholicism, Protestantism.
MAJOR CITIES (1990 census)


ECONOMY
Chief Agricultural Products. Crops corn, coffee, sugarcane, cacao, cotton, fruits, rice, wheat, vegetables, beans, henequen (for hemp and furniture), maguey (for tequila). Livestock and fish cattle, pigs, poultry, goats, shrimp, sardines, anchovies, tuna, lobster, abalone.
Chief Mined Products. Crude petroleum, natural gas, silver, zinc, lead, cadmium, iron ore, copper, sand and gravel, sulfur, coal, salt, aluminum.
Chief Manufactured Products. Foods and beverages, automobiles, electronic equipment, iron and steel, petroleum products, textiles, chemicals, metal products, machinery.
Chief Imports. Industrial supplies, machinery, transportation equipment, foods and beverages, books, chemicals.
Chief Exports. Crude and processed petroleum, natural gas, silver, vanilla, foods and beverages, hemp, transportation equipment.
Chief Trading Partners. United States, Japan, Germany, France, Brazil, Canada, Italy, United Kingdom.
Monetary Unit. 1 Mexican peso = 100 centavos.