- This article is about the country Mexico. For other meanings, see Mexico (disambiguation)
The United Mexican States or Mexico (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos, México1) is a country located in North America, bordered to the north by the United
States, to the south-east by Guatemala and Belize, to the west by the Pacific Ocean and to the east by
the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. It is the northernmost and third largest country in Latin America.
History
main article: History of Mexico
Mexico was the site of several advanced Native American
civilizations, of the Mesoamerican cultures, such as the Maya and the Aztecs. The arrival
of the Spanish in the early 16th
century and their defeat of the Aztecs in 1521 marked the beginning of the colonial
period of Mexico as a part of New Spain.
In 1810, independence from Spain was declared, causing a long war that eventually led to
independence in 1821. After independence, Mexico's territory slowly decreased in size, with
the secession of Central America and Texas and land lost and sold to the United States (see Mexican-American
War) . In the 1860s the country suffered a military occupation by France, fought off by the president Benito Juárez.
The long, undemocratic regime of Porfirio Díaz led to the Mexican Revolution in 1910.
Revolutionary forces defeated the federal army, but were left with internal struggles, leaving the country in conflict for two
more decades. At the end of the revolution the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) controlled the country until the end of the
20th century.
Politics
main article: Politics of Mexico
The 1917 constitution provides for the
federal republic with powers separated into independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Historically, the executive is the dominant branch, with power vested in the president, who promulgates and executes the laws of the parliament, the federal congress or
Congreso de la Unión.
The Congress has played an increasingly important role since 1997 when opposition
parties first made major gains. The president also legislates by executive decree in certain economic and financial fields, using
powers delegated from the Congress. The president is elected by universal adult suffrage for a 6-year term and may not hold
office a second time. There is no vice president; in the event of the removal or death of the president, a provisional president
is elected by the Congress.
The bicameral National Congress is composed of a Senate
(Cámara de Senadores) and a Chamber
of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados). Consecutive re-election is prohibited. Senators are elected to 6-year terms, and
deputies serve 3-year terms. The Senate's 128 seats are filled by a mixture of direct-election and proportional representation. In the lower Chamber of
Deputies, 300 of the total 500 deputies are directly elected to represent single-member districts, and the remaining 200 are
selected by a modified form of proportional representation from five electoral regions. The 200 proportional representation seats
were created to help smaller parties gain access to the Chamber.
States
main article: States of Mexico
Mexico is divided into 31 states (estados) and the Mexican Federal District (Distrito Federal). The Mexico City Metropolitan Area, which
includes the Federal District and adjacent parts of México State,
is one of the most populous cities in the world.
Map of Mexico
Geography
main article: Geography of Mexico
Situated in the southwestern part of mainland North America and roughly triangular in shape, Mexico stretches more than 3000
km (1,850 miles) from northwest to southeast. Its width is varied, from more than 2000 km (1,200 miles) in the north and less
than 220 km (135 miles) at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
in the south. Mexico borders two major bodies of water, the Pacific Ocean
(with the Sea of Cortés between the mainland and the Baja California peninsula) to the west and on the east the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea that lead to the Atlantic Ocean. Here
are found coastal plains, whereas central Mexico consists of high plateaus and rugged mountains, including volcanoes, the highest of which is the Pico de Orizaba at 5,610 m.
The terrain and climate vary from deserts in the north to tropical rain forest in the south.
Mexico's major rivers include the Río Bravo (known in the US as the Rio
Grande), the Río Grijalva, the
Río Balsas and the Río Yaqui.
Economy
main article: Economy of Mexico
Mexico has a free-market economy with a mixture of modern and outmoded industry
and agriculture, increasingly dominated by the private sector. The number of
state-owned enterprises in Mexico has fallen from more than 1,000 in 1982 to fewer than 200
in 1999. The administration of President Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León continued a policy of privatizing and expanding competition in sea ports, railroads, telecommunications, electricity, natural
gas distribution, and airports which was initiated by his predecessors Miguel de la Madrid and Carlos Salinas de Gortari.
A strong export sector helped to cushion the economy's decline in 1995 and led the
recovery in 1996-1999. Private consumption became the
leading driver of growth, accompanied by increased employment and higher wages. Mexico still needs to overcome many structural
problems as it strives to modernize its economy and raise living standards. Income distribution is very unequal, with the top 20%
of income earners accounting for 55% of income.
Following 6.9% growth in 2000, real GDP fell 0.3% in
2001, with the US slowdown the principal cause. Positive developments in 2001 included a drop in inflation to 6.5%, a sharp fall
in interest rates, and a strong peso that appreciated 5% against the
US dollar. Trade with the US and Canada has tripled since NAFTA was implemented in
1994. Mexico is pursuing additional trade agreements with most countries in Latin America
and has signed a free trade deal with the European Union, putting more
than 90% of trade under free trade agreements and lessening its dependence on the US.
Demographics
main article: Demographics of Mexico
Mexico is the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the
world and the second most populous country in Latin America after
Portuguese-speaking Brazil. Some 60% of the population is of a mixed ethnicity known as mestizo, with 30% being Amerindian and 9% of European descent. The country is predominantly Roman Catholic (89%), with 6% adhering to various Protestant faiths and the remaining 5% either to other smaller religions or is unaffiliated.
Culture
main article: Culture of Mexico
Holidays and celebrations
Notes
1 The spelling Méjico is occasionally used in other Hispanic nations but considered offensive
in Mexico itself.
Miscellaneous topics
External links
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