Mexico Fact File - General Information Population: 105 million
Size of Country: 761,605 square miles (1,972,550 square kilometers), slightly less than three times the size of Texas.
Capital city: Mexico City, DF
Location: Mexico is bordered by the U.S. to the North; the Gulf of Mexico to the East, Guatemala and Belize to the Southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the West and South.
International airport: Mexico City, Mexico
Climate: "varies from tropical to desert"
Currency: Mexican peso (US $1 = 11.42 pesos)
Language: Spanish and indigenous languages (Mayan and Nahuatl)
System of government: Federal democracy, led by President Vicente Fox
Telephone country code: 52
Time zone: One to two hours behind Eastern Standard time
Electricity: Mexico runs on 120 Volts and 60Hz
National holidays: New Year's Day (January 1), Constitution Day (February 5), Birthday of Benito Juarez (March 21), Maundy Thursday (march/April), Good Friday (March/April), Labor Day/May Day (May 1), National Day (September 16), Discovery of America (October 12), All Soul's Day (November 2), Celebration of the Revolution (November 20), Guadalupe Day (December 12), Christmas Day (December 25).
Religion: Roman Catholic with Protestant minority
Life expectancy at birth: 75 years
Business hours: Commercial offices are usually open from 10am until 1pm and from 4pm to 7pm Mondays to Fridays. Government offices are open from 8am to 7pm during the week. Banks are open from 9am to 3:30pm Monday to Fridays, but close at 1pm on Saturdays.
Media: 236 television broadcast stations and 1449 radio stations (851 AM and 16 FM)
Education: Primary school begins at age 5; secondary school begins at age 11
and lasts until age 17.
Economy: Free market economy composed of industry and agriculture, as Well as tourism. Agricultural products include corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruit, tomatoes, livestock, and wood products. Major industries are food and beverage, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, tourism.
Export: $165 billion
Primary trade partners: U.S., Japan, Canada, Spain, and China
Imports: $169 billion
Gross Domestic Product: $942 billion
GDP per capita: $9,000
Inflation rate: 6.5% in 2001
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