Mexico

Mexico (United Mexican States / Estados Unidos Mexicanos) is strategically located in Middle America on the southern border of the United States. Mexico borders the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the United States, and borders the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the United States. 

Population
In July 2006, Mexico's population was estimated at 107,449,525: 60% mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish), 30% Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian, 9% white, and 1% other. The population is 89% "nominally Roman Catholic", 6% Protestant, and 5% other. The language spoken is predominantly Spanish, with "various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous languages". 

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 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," according to the CIA The World Factbook.

Statistics 1950-1975

 * US trained military personnel: 738
 * US military aid: $14,300,000
 * US provided US aid or training to police
 * This country practiced torture on an administrative basis during this period

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * free trade / Trade Agreements
 * Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)
 * North American Free Trade Agreement / NAFTA


 * globalization
 * illegal immigration
 * Mexico's Media
 * Minuteman Project
 * North American Union
 * Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America
 * U.S.-Mexico Border Partnership Declaration
 * U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce
 * U.S.-Mexico Social Security Totalization Agreement
 * water wars
 * Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)
 * Vicente Fox

Country Profiles

 * A Country Study: Mexico, The Library of Congress.
 * Country Briefings: Mexico, The Economist. Includes current news links.
 * Country Profile: Mexico and Timeline: Mexico, BBC.
 * Mexico, Centers for Disease Control (CDC): travel info.
 * Mexico, Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy.
 * Mexico, European Union.
 * "Mexico. An Introduction," Geographia.com.
 * Mexico, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
 * Mexico, CIA The World Factbook.
 * Mexico, U.S. Department of State.
 * Mexico, Washington Post.
 * Mexico, Wikipedia.
 * Mexico, World Bank.
 * Mexico, World Health Organization.
 * Mexico, World Trade Organization.
 * "The Mexico Project", The National Security Archive, George Washington University.

Websites

 * AncientMexico.com.
 * e-mexico (English; also available in: Maya | Mazahua | Español | Français | Light versions.)
 * Embassy of Mexico in Canada.
 * Embassy of Mexico in the United States.
 * MEXonline.com: Mexican history online.
 * United States Embassy in Mexico / Citizen Services.

Maps

 * Maps-of-Mexico.com.
 * Mexico, Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection, The University of Texas at Austin.
 * Mexico, WorldAtlas.com.
 * VirtualMex.com.

Articles & Commentary

 * Manuel Roig-Franzia, "Two Forces Maintain Siege of Oaxaca. Facing Uncertainty, Mexican City Shuts Down," Washington Post, October 31, 2006.