Mexico
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2008-07-15T17:24:27Z
Rjwilmsi
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{{dablink|This article is about the country in North America. Mexican(s) redirects here. For other uses, see [[Mexico (disambiguation)]] or [[Mexican (disambiguation)]].}}
{{pp-semi-protected|small=yes}}
{{Infobox Country
|native_name = Estados Unidos Mexicanos
|conventional_long_name = United Mexican States
|common_name = Mexico
|image_flag = Flag_of_Mexico.svg
|image_coat = Coat of arms of Mexico.svg
|symbol_type = Coat of arms
|image_map = Mexico location.svg
|national_anthem = "[[Himno Nacional Mexicano]]"<br>Mexican National Anthem
|national_motto =
|other_symbol_type = [[Seal|National seal]]:
|other_symbol = [[Seal of the United Mexican States]] [[Image:Seal of the Government of Mexico.svg|15px]]
|official_languages = None at federal level. <br> [[Spanish language|Spanish]] (de facto)
|languages_type = [[National language]]
|languages = [[Spanish language|Spanish]], and 62 [[Languages of Mexico|Indigenous Amerindian languages]].<ref name="ofc_lang">There is no official language stipulated in the constitution. However, the General Law of Linguistic Rights for the Indigenous Peoples recognizes all Amerindian minority languages, along with Spanish, as national languages and equally valid in territories where spoken. The government recognizes 62 indigenous languages, and more variants which are mutually unintelligible.[http://www.cdi.gob.mx/index.php?id_seccion=90]</ref>
|demonym = Mexican
|capital = [[Mexico City]]
|latd=19 |latm=03 |latNS=N |longd=99 |longm=22 |longEW=W
|government_type = [[Federal republic|Federal]] [[presidential system|presidential republic]]
|leader_title1 = [[President of Mexico|President]]
|leader_name1 = [[Felipe Calderón]]<br />([[National Action Party (Mexico)|PAN]])
|largest_city = capital
|area_km2 = 1,972,550 <!-- see http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/mx.htm -->
|area_sq_mi = 761,606 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
|area_rank = 15th
|area_magnitude = 1 E12
|percent_water = 2.5
|population_estimate = 106,682,500<ref>[[INEGI]],''Consulta de resultados. Numeralia (Publicaciones de contenido general sobre el país)'', http://www.inegi.gob.mx/est/contenidos/espanol/proyectos/integracion/inegi324.asp?s=est&c=11722#tres, retrieved on 23 June 2008</ref>
|population_estimate_year = mid-2008
|population_estimate_rank = 11th
|population_census = 103,263,388
|population_census_year = 2005
|population_density_km2 = 55
|population_density_sq_mi = 142 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
|population_density_rank = 142nd
|GDP_PPP_year = 2006
|GDP_PPP = $1.149 [[1000000000000 (number)|trillion]]
|GDP_PPP_rank = 12th
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $12,775
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 60th
|GDP_nominal = $840.012 [[1000000000 (number)|billion (short scale)]]
|GDP_nominal_rank = 14th
|GDP_nominal_year = 2006
|GDP_nominal_per_capita = $8,066
|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 55th
|HDI_year = 2007
|HDI = {{increase}} 0.829
|HDI_rank = 52nd
|HDI_category = <font color="#009900">high</font>
|Gini = <span style="color: #0c0; font-size: larger;">▼</span> 46.1 <ref>[http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/hdr_20072008_en_complete.pdf]</ref>
|Gini_year = 2008
|Gini_category = <font color="#e0584e">high</font>
|sovereignty_type = [[Mexican War of Independence|Independence]]
|sovereignty_note = from [[Spain]]
|established_event1 = Declared
|established_event2 = Recognized
|established_date1 = [[September 16]], [[1810]]
|established_date2 = [[September 27]], [[1821]]
|currency = [[Mexican peso]]
|currency_code = MXN
|time_zone = U.S Central to Western
|utc_offset = -8 to -6
|time_zone_DST = varies
|utc_offset_DST =
|cctld = [[.mx]]
|calling_code = 52
|footnotes =
}}
The '''United Mexican States'''<ref>The alternative translation '''Mexican United States''' is occasionally used.[http://historical.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=661&Lot_No=56012&src=pr]</ref> ({{Audio-es|Estados Unidos Mexicanos|EUM.ogg}}), or commonly '''Mexico''' ({{IPAEng|ˈmɛksɪkoʊ}}) ({{Audio-es|México|Mexico.ogg}} {{IPA-all|'mexiko}}), is a [[federalism|federal]] [[constitutionalism|constitutional]] [[republic]] in [[North America]]. It is bordered on the north by the [[United States]]; on the south and west by the [[Pacific Ocean|North Pacific Ocean]]; on the southeast by [[Guatemala]], [[Belize]], and the [[Caribbean Sea]]; and on the east by the [[Gulf of Mexico]].<ref>''Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary'', 3rd ed. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc.; p. 733 </ref><ref>"[http://www.bartleby.com/65/me/Mexico.html Mexico]". ''[http://www.bartleby.com/65/ The Columbia Encyclopedia]'', 6th ed. 2001–6. New York: Columbia University Press.</ref> The United Mexican States are a [[federation]] comprising [[political divisions of Mexico|thirty-one states]] and a [[federal district]], the capital [[Mexico City]], whose metropolitan area is [[list of metropolitan areas by population|one of the world's most populous]].
Covering almost 2 million [[square kilometer]]s,<ref>{{cite web|title=Mexico - Geography|work=CIA The World Factbook|publisher=CIA|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mx.html#Geo|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref> Mexico is the fifth-largest country in the [[Americas]] by total area and the [[List of countries and outlying territories by total area|14th largest independent nation in the world]]. With an estimated population of 109 million,<ref>{{cite web|title=Mexico - People|work=CIA The World Factbook|publisher=CIA|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mx.html#People|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref> it is the [[List of countries by population|11th most populous country]] and the most populous [[Spanish language|Spanish]]-speaking country in the world.
As a [[regional power]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Japan's Regional Diplomacy, Latin America and the Caribbean|publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan|url=http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/other/bluebook/2006/05.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Latin America:Region is losing ground to competitors|publisher=Oxford Analytica|url=http://www.oxanstore.com/displayfree.php?NewsItemID=130098|accessdate=2007-10-01}}</ref> and the only [[Latin American]] member of the [[Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development]] (OECD) since 1994, Mexico is firmly established as an [[Newly-industrialized country|upper middle-income country]].<ref>{{cite web|title=List of upper middle-income countries|publisher=The World Bank|url=http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/DATASTATISTICS/0,,contentMDK:20421402~pagePK:64133150~piPK:64133175~theSitePK:239419,00.html#Upper_middle_income|accessdate=2007-10-02}}</ref>
Mexico is the [[list of countries by GDP (PPP)|12th largest economy in the world]] by [[gross domestic product|GDP]] by [[purchasing power parity]]. The economy is strongly linked to those of its [[North American Free Trade Agreement]] (NAFTA) partners. Despite being considered an emerging world power,<ref>[http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=38056 G8: Despite Differences, Mexico Comfortable as G5 Emerging Power<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> the uneven distribution of income and the increase in insecurity are issues of concern.
[[Mexican general election, 2000|Elections held in July 2000]] marked the first time that an opposition party won the presidency from the [[Institutional Revolutionary Party]] ("Partido Revolucionario Institucional" : PRI) which had held it since 1929, culminating the political alternation at the federal level, which had begun at the local level during the 1980s.
==Etymology==
[[Image:CodexMendoza01.jpg|thumb|left|Image of Mexico-Tenochtitlan from the [[Mendoza codex]].]]
{{main|Toponymy of Mexico}}
After winning independence from Spain, it was decided that the new country would be named after its [[Mexico City|capital city]], whose original name of foundation was [[Tenochtitlan|México-Tenochtitlan]], in reference to the [[Mexica]] tribe, the main group of people that came to be known as the [[Aztec]] civilization. The origin of the name Mexica is obscure and subject to diverse interpretations. Some<ref>{{cite book|last=Aguilar-Moreno|first=Manuel|title=Handbook to Life in the Aztec World|year=2006|publisher=Facts of Life, Inc.|isbn=0-8160-5673-0|pages=19}}</ref> argue that it derives from the [[Nahuatl]] ''[[Mexitl|Mēxitl]]'' or ''Mēxitli'', a secret name for the god of war and patron of the Aztecs, [[Huitzilopochtli]], in which case ''Mēxihco'' means "Place where ''Mēxitli'' lives". Another hypothesis is that the word ''Mēxihco'' derives from the ''mētztli'' ("moon"), ''xictli'' ("navel", "center" or "son"), and the suffix ''-co'' (place), in which case it means "Place at the center of the moon" or "Place at the center of the Lake Moon", in reference to [[Lake Texcoco]]. The system of interconnected lakes, of which Texcoco was at the center, had the form of a rabbit, the same image that the Aztecs saw in the moon. Tenochtitlan was located at the center (or navel) of the lake (or rabbit/moon).<ref name="edomex">{{es_icon}} {{cite web|title=Nombre del Estado de México|publisher=Government of the State of Mexico|url=http://www.edomexico.gob.mx/identidad/civica/htm/NomMexico.htm|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref> Still another hypothesis suggests that it is derived from ''Mēctli,'' the goddess of [[maguey]].<ref name="edomex"/>
The name of the city was transliterated to [[Spanish language|Spanish]] as ''México'' with the phonetic value of the ''x'' in Medieval Spanish, which represented the [[voiceless postalveolar fricative]] {{IPA|/ʃ/}}. This sound, as well as the [[voiced postalveolar fricative]] {{IPA|/ʒ/}}, represented by a ''j'', evolved into a [[voiceless velar fricative]] {{IPA|/x/}} during the sixteenth century.<ref>{{cite web|title=Evolution of the pronunciation of "x"|publisher=Real Academia Española|url=http://buscon.rae.es/dpdI/SrvltGUIBusDPD?lema=x}}</ref> This led to the use of the variant ''Méjico'' in many publications in Spanish, most notably in [[Spain]], whereas in Mexico and some other Spanish–speaking countries ''México'' was the preferred spelling. In recent years the ''[[Real Academia Española]]'', which regulates the [[Spanish language]], determined that both variants are acceptable in Spanish but that the normative recommended [[spelling]] is ''México''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Diccionario Panhispánico de Dudas|publisher=Real Academia Española|url=http://buscon.rae.es/dpdI/SrvltGUIBusDPD?lema=M%E9xico}}</ref> The majority of publications in all Spanish-speaking countries now adhere to the new norm, even though the alternative variant is still occasionally used.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mexico|work=Online Dictionary|publisher=Merriam-Webster|url=http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/Mexico}}</ref> In English, the ''x'' in Mexico represents neither the original nor the current sound, but the consonant cluster {{IPA|/ks/}}.
==History==
{{main|History of Mexico}}
===Pre-Columbian civilizations===
[[Image:El Castillo Stitch 2008 Edit 2.jpg|thumb|Archaeological sites of [[Chichen Itza|Chichén-Itzá]], one of the [[New Seven Wonders of the World|New Seven Wonders]].]]
Human presence in [[Mesoamerica]] was once thought to date back 40,000 years based upon what were believed to be ancient human footprints discovered in the Valley of Mexico, but after further investigation using [[radioactive dating]], it appears this is untrue<ref>{{cite journal | author = Paul R. Renne et al. |title=Geochronology: Age of Mexican ash with alleged 'footprints' |journal=Nature|volume=438 |pages=E7–E8 |year=2005 |pmid=16319838 |doi=10.1038/nature04425 }}</ref>. It is currently unclear whether 21,000 year old [[campfire]] remains found in the [[Valley of Mexico]] are the earliest human remains found in the region<ref>[http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761570777/Native_Americans.html#s76 "Native Americans", ''Encarta'']</ref>. For thousands of years, Mesoamerica was a land of hunter-gatherers. Around 9,000 years ago, ancient indigenous peoples domesticated corn and initiated an agricultural revolution, leading to the formation of many complex civilizations.
These civilizations revolved around cities with writing, monumental architecture, astronomical studies, mathematics, and large militaries.
For almost three thousand years, [[Aridoamerica]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Aridomerica|publisher=The Language of Anthropology Dictionary|url=http://www.123exp-culture.com/t/03604393199/|accessdate=2007-09-30}}</ref> and [[Mesoamerica]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Mesoamerica|work=Online Learning Center|publisher=McGraw-Hill|url=http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/007299634x/student_view0/glossary.html|accessdate=2007-09-30}}</ref> were the site of several advanced [[Amerindian]] civilizations.
In 1519, the native civilizations of Mesoamerica were invaded by [[Spain]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Anonymous Conqueror |first=the |year=1917 |origyear=1550 |title=[[Narrative of Some Things of New Spain and of the Great City of Temestitan]] |others=Marshall Saville (trans) |Publisher=The Cortés Society |location=New York }}</ref>; among them the [[Aztecs]], [[Mayans]], etc. This was one of the most important conquest campaigns in [[Americas|America]]. Two years later, in 1521, the Aztec capital of [[Tenochtitlan]] was conquered by the Spaniards along with the [[Tlaxcaltecs]], the main enemies of the Aztecs, marking the end of the [[Aztec Empire]] and giving rise to the [[Viceroyalty of New Spain]] in 1535. It became the first and largest provider of resources for the [[Spanish Empire]] and the most populous of all Spanish colonies.
=== Colonial era and independence ===
[[Image:Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla]], the founder of the Mexican independence movement.]]
[[Image:Benito Juarez Presidente.jpg|thumb|[[Benito Juárez]], regarded as the greatest 19th Century Mexican president.]]
Almost 300 years after the New Spain was created, on [[September 16]], [[1810]], independence from Spain was declared by Priest [[Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla]], in the small town of Dolores, [[Guanajuato]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Miguel Hidalgo Biography|publisher=Catholic Encyclopedia|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/16045a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia|accessdate=2007-09-30}}</ref> This was the catalyst for a long [[Mexican War of Independence|war]] that ended in 1821 which eventually led to the independence and creation of the ephemeral [[First Mexican Empire]]. The Empire's territory encompassed the area of the current Mexican republic as well as the present-day states of [[California]], [[Nevada]], [[Utah]], [[Arizona]], [[New Mexico]], [[Texas]], parts of [[Colorado]] and [[Wyoming]], and all current Central American countries except for [[Panama]] and [[Belize]]. [[Agustín de Iturbide]] was the first and only emperor. Two years later, he was deposed by the republican forces. The Central American states separated, forming the [[Federal Republic of Central America]]. In 1824, a republican constitution was drafted creating the United Mexican States with [[Guadalupe Victoria]] as its first President.
The first four decades after the creation of the country were marked by a constant strife between ''liberales'' (those who supported the federal form of government stipulated in the 1824 constitution) and ''conservadores'' (who proposed a hierarchical form of government in which all local authorities were appointed and subject to a [[unitary state|central authority]]).<ref>{{cite web|title=The Early Republic|work=Mexico|date=2007|publisher=Microsoft Encarta|url=http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid=761576758&pn=14|accessdate=2007-09-29}}</ref> General [[Antonio López de Santa Anna]] was a strong influence in Mexican politics, a centralist and a two-time dictator. In 1836, he approved the ''[[Siete Leyes]]'', a radical amendment to the constitution that institutionalized the centralized form of government. Having suspended the Constitution of 1824, civil war spread across the country, and three new governments declared independence; the Republic of [[Texas]], the [[Republic of the Rio Grande]] (recognized by the United Kingdom) and the [[Republic of Yucatán]]. Only Texas was able to defeat Santa Anna, and later the annexation of Texas by the [[United States]] created a [[border dispute]] that would cause the [[Mexican-American War]]. Santa Anna played a big role in trying to muster Mexican forces but this war resulted in the resolute defeat of Mexico and as a result of the [[Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo]] (1848), Mexico lost one third of its surface area due to civil war with Texas, and later war with the United States.
[[Image:Mexico states evolution.gif|thumb|Evolution of the Mexican territory.]]
Dissatisfaction with Santa Anna's return to power, and his unconstitutional rule, led to the [[liberalism|liberal]] [[Revolution of Ayutla]], which initiated an era of liberal reforms, known as ''[[La Reforma]]'', after which a new constitution was drafted that reestablished federalism as the form of government and first introduced freedom of religion. In the 1860s the country again underwent a military occupation, this time by [[France]], which established the [[Habsburg]] Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria on the Mexican throne as [[Maximilian I of Mexico|Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico]] with support from the Catholic clergy and the conservative Mexicans. This [[Second Mexican Empire]] was victorious for only a few years, when the previous president of the Republic, the [[Zapotec civilization|Zapotec]] Indian [[Benito Juárez]], managed to restore the republic in 1867.
=== 20th and 21st centuries ===
[[Image:CarranzaPostcard.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Venustiano Carranza]], former president and supporter of the 1917 constitution.]]
[[Porfirio Díaz]], a republican general during the French intervention, ruled Mexico from 1876–1880 and then from 1880–1911 in five consecutive reelections. The period of his rule is known as the ''[[Porfiriato]]'', which was characterized by remarkable economic achievements, investments in art and sciences, but also of huge economic inequality and political repression.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Díaz Years|work=Mexico|date=2007|publisher=Microsoft Encarta|url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761576758_15/Mexico.html|accessdate=2007-09-30}}</ref> An obvious and preposterous electoral fraud that led to his fifth reelection sparked the [[Mexican Revolution]] of 1910, initially led by [[Francisco I. Madero]]. Díaz resigned in 1911 and Madero was elected president but overthrown and murdered in a [[coup d'état]] in 1913 led by a conservative general named [[Victoriano Huerta]] after a secret council held with the U.S. ambassador [[Henry Lane Wilson]]. This re-ignited the civil war, with participants such as [[Pancho Villa]] and [[Emiliano Zapata]] who formed their own forces. A third force, the constitutional army led by [[Venustiano Carranza]], managed to bring an end to the war, and radically amended the 1857 Constitution to include many of the social premises and demands of the revolutionaries into what was eventually called the [[Constitution of Mexico|1917 Constitution]]. Carranza was killed in 1920 and succeeded by another revolutionary hero, [[Álvaro Obregón]], who in turn was succeeded by [[Plutarco Elías Calles]]. Obregón was reelected in 1928 but assassinated before he could assume power. In 1929, Calles founded the National Revolutionary Party (PNR), later renamed the [[Institutional Revolutionary Party]] (PRI) which became the most influential party during the next 70 years.
Between 1940 and 1980, Mexico experienced substantial economic growth that some historians call "El Milagro Mexicano", the Mexican Miracle.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Mexican Miracle: 1940-1968|work=World History from 1500|publisher=Emayzine|url=http://www.emayzine.com/lectures/mex9.html|accessdate=2007-09-30}}</ref> The assumption of mineral rights by the government, and the subsequent nationalization of the oil industry into [[Pemex|PEMEX]] during the presidency of [[Lázaro Cárdenas del Río]] (1938) was a popular move, but sparked a diplomatic crisis with those countries whose citizens had lost businesses expropriated by the Cárdenas government.
Although the economy continued to flourish, social inequality remained a factor of discontent. Moreover, the PRI rule became increasingly authoritarian and at times oppressive.<ref>{{web cite|last=Krauze|first=Enrique|title=Furthering Democracy in Mexico|date=January-February 2006|publisher=Foreign Affairs|url=http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20060101faessay85106/enrique-krauze/furthering-democracy-in-mexico.html|accessdate=2007-10-07}}</ref> An example of this is the [[Tlatelolco Massacre]] <ref name=MMex>{{cite book|title=Massacre in Mexico (Original "La noche de Tlatelolco")|author=[[Elena Poniatowska]]|publisher=Viking, New York|year=1975|isbn=0-8262-0817-7}}</ref> of 1968, which according to government officials claimed the life of around 30 protesters, while according to many reputable international accounts around 250 protesters were killed.
In the 1970s there was extreme dissatisfaction with the administration of [[Luis Echeverría]] which took missteps in both the national and international arenas. Nonetheless, it was in this decade that the first substantial changes to electoral law were made, which initiated a movement of democratization of a system that had become electorally authoritarian.<ref>{{cite book|last=Schedler|first=Andreas|title=Electoral Authoritarianism: The Dynamics of Unfree Competition|year=2006|publisher=L. Rienner Publishers|isbn=1-5882-6440-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Crandall|first=R.|coauthors= Paz and Roett|title=Mexico's Democracy at Work|chapter=Mexico's Domestic Economy: Policy Options and Choices|publisher=Lynne Reinner Publishers|date=2004|pages=160|isbn=0-8018-5655-8 }}</ref> While the prices of oil were at historically high records and interest rates were low, Mexico made impressive investments in the state-owned oil company, with the intention of revitalizing the economy, but overborrowing and mismanagement of oil revenues led to inflation and exacerbated the crisis of 1982. That year, [[1980s oil glut|oil prices plunged]], interest rates soared, and the government defaulted on its debt. In an attempt to stabilize the current account balance, and given the reluctance of international lenders to return to Mexico given the previous default, [[Miguel de la Madrid|President de la Madrid]] resorted to currency devaluations which in turn sparked inflation.
[[Image:Bush-Fox-050323.jpg|thumb|Former President [[Vicente Fox]] and U.S. President George Bush at the signature of the [[Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America]].]]
The first small cracks in the political monopolistic position of PRI were seen in the late 1970s with the creation of 100 deputy seats in the Chamber of Deputies assigned through proportional representation with closed party-lists. Even though at the municipal level the first non-PRI mayor was elected in 1947,<ref>{{es_icon}} {{cite web|title=Efemérides (Important dates)|publisher=National Action Party|url=http://v2.pan.org.mx/?P=363|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref> it was not until 1989 that the first non-PRI governor of a state was elected. However, many sources claimed that in 1988 the party resorted to [[electoral fraud]] in order to prevent leftist opposition candidate [[Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas]] from winning the national presidential elections who lost to [[Carlos Salinas]], which led to massive protests in the capital.<ref>[http://www.photius.com/countries/mexico/government/mexico_government_the_1988_elections.html Photius Geographic.org, "Mexico The 1988 Elections", (Sources: The Library of the Congress Country Studies, CIA World Factbook)]</ref> Salinas embarked on a program of [[neoliberalism|neoliberal]] reforms which fixed the exchange rate, controlled inflation and culminated with the signing of the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]] (NAFTA), which came into effect in 1994. However, that very same day, the [[Zapatista Army of National Liberation]] (EZLN) started a two-week-lived armed rebellion against the federal government, and has continued as a non-violent opposition movement against neoliberalism and globalization. Being an election year, in a process that was then called the most transparent in Mexican history, authorities were reluctant to devalue the peso, a move which caused a rapid depletion of the National Reserves. In December 1994, a month after Salinas was succeeded by [[Ernesto Zedillo]], the [[1994 economic crisis in Mexico|Mexican economy collapsed]].
With a rapid rescue packaged authorized by United States [[Bill Clinton|President Bill Clinton]] and major macroeconomic reforms started by president Zedillo, the economy rapidly recovered and growth peaked at almost 7% by the end of 1999.<ref>{{es_icon}} {{cite web | last = Cruz Vasconcelos | first = Gerardo | title = Desempeño Histórico 1914–2004 | url= http://www.imef.org.mx/NR/rdonlyres/F722BEDD-A8DE-49BA-AF4F-1A00889CE618/1192/CAPITULOI1.pdf | format=PDF|accessdate = 2007-02-17}}</ref> After a comprehensive electoral reform to increase party representation during Zedillo's administration, as well as discontent with PRI after the economic crisis, led the PRI to lose its absolute majority in the [[Congress of Mexico|Congress]] in 1997. In 2000, after 71 years the PRI lost a presidential election to [[Vicente Fox]] of the opposition [[National Action Party (Mexico)|National Action Party]] (PAN). Neither party had absolute majority in the Congress.
On [[March 23]], [[2005]], the [[Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America]] was signed by Vicente Fox. During the 2006 elections, the position of PRI in the Congress was further weakened and became the third political force in number of seats in the Chamber of Deputies after PAN and the [[Party of the Democratic Revolution]] (PRD), even though the party still has the plurality of state governorships. In the concurrent presidential elections, [[Felipe Calderón]], from PAN was declared winner, with a razor-thin margin over [[Andrés Manuel López Obrador]] PRD. López Obrador, however, [[Mexican general election 2006 controversies|contested the election]] and pledged to create an "alternative government".<ref>{{es_icon}} {{Harvard reference| last=Reséndiz| first=Francisco| title=Rinde AMLO protesta como "presidente legítimo"| journal=El Universal|year=2006|url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/389114.html}}</ref>
==Government and politics==
{{main|Politics of Mexico}}<!--Please add new information to relevant articles of the series-->
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:040901 008 aperturadesesion.jpg|thumb||Palacio de San Lázaro, Chamber of Deputies, Congress of the Union.]] -->
[[Image:Felipe Calderon H.jpg|thumb|[[Felipe Calderón]], current President of Mexico.]]
The United Mexican States are a federation whose government is [[representative democracy|representative]], [[democracy|democratic]] and [[republic]]an based on a [[congressional system]] according to the [[Constitution of Mexico|1917 Constitution]]. The constitution establishes three levels of government: the federal Union, the state governments and the municipal governments. All officials at the three levels are elected by voters through [[first-past-the-post]] [[plurality]], [[proportional representation]] or are appointed by other elected officials.
The federal government is constituted by the Powers of the Union, the three separate branches of government:
* [[Legislative power|Legislative]]: the bicameral [[Congress of Mexico|Congress of the Union]], composed of a [[Senate of Mexico|Senate]] and a [[Chamber of Deputies of Mexico|Chamber of Deputies]], which makes federal law, declares war, imposes taxes, approves the national budget and international treaties, and ratifies diplomatic appointments.<ref name="congress">{{cite web|title=Articles 50 to 79|work=Political Constitution of the United Mexican States|publisher=Congress of the Union of the United Mexican States|url=http://constitucion.gob.mx/index.php?idseccion=12|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref>
* [[Executive power|Executive]]: the [[President of Mexico|President of the United Mexican States]], who is the [[head of state]] and [[head of government|government]], as well as the [[commander in chief]] of the Mexican military forces. The President also appoints, with Senate approval, the [[Cabinet of Mexico|Cabinet]] and other officers. The President is responsible for executing and enforcing the law, and has the authority of vetoing bills.<ref>{{cite web|title=Articles 80 to 93|work=Political Constitution of the United Mexican States|publisher=Congress of the Union of the United Mexican States|url=http://constitucion.gob.mx/index.php?idseccion=12|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref>
* [[Judiciary]]: The [[Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation|Supreme Court of Justice]], comprised by eleven judges appointed by the President with Senate approval, who interpret laws and judge cases of federal competency. Other institutions of the judiciary are the Electoral Tribunal, collegiate, unitary and district tribunals, and the Council of the Federal Judiciary.<ref>{{cite web|title=Articles 90 to 107|work=Political Constitution of the United Mexican States|publisher=Congress of the Union of the United Mexican States|url=http://constitucion.gob.mx/index.php?idseccion=12|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref>
All elected executive officials are elected by [[plurality voting system|plurality]] (first-past-the-post). Seats to the legislature are elected by plurality and [[proportional representation]] at the federal and state level.<ref>{{es_icon}} {{cite web|title=Third Title, First Chapter, About Electoral systems|work=Código Federal de Instituciones y Procedimientos Electorales (Federal Code of Electoral Institutions and Procedures)|date=1990-08-15|publisher=Congress of the Union of the United Mexican States|url=http://normateca.ife.org.mx/normanet/files_otros/COFIPE/cofipe.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref> The Chamber of Deputies of the Congress of the Union is conformed by 300 deputies elected by plurality and 200 deputies by proportional representation with [[closed list|closed party lists]]<ref name="COFIPE_congreso">{{es_icon}} {{cite web|title=Third Title, First Chapter, About Electoral systems, Article 11-1|work=Código Federal de Instituciones y Procedimientos Electorales (Federal Code of Electoral Institutions and Procedures)|date=1990-08-15|publisher=Congress of the Union of the United Mexican States|url=http://normateca.ife.org.mx/normanet/files_otros/COFIPE/cofipe.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref> for which the country is divided into 5 electoral constituencies or circumscriptions.<ref>{{es_icon}} {{cite web|title=Fourth Title, Second Chapter, About coalitions, Article 59-1|work=Código Federal de Instituciones y Procedimientos Electorales (Federal Code of Electoral Institutions and Procedures)|date=1990-08-15|publisher=Congress of the Union of the United Mexican States|url=http://normateca.ife.org.mx/normanet/files_otros/COFIPE/cofipe.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref> The Senate is conformed by a total of 128 senators: 64 senators, two per state and the Federal District elected by plurality in pairs; 32 senators assigned to the first minority or first-runner up (one per state and the Federal District), and 32 elected by proportional representation with closed party lists for which the country conforms a single electoral constituency.<ref name="COFIPE_congreso" />
According to the constitution, all constituent states must have a republican form of government composed of three branches: the executive, represented by a governor and an appointed cabinet, the legislative branch constituted by a unicameral congress and the judiciary, also called a Supreme Court of Justice. They also have their own civil and judicial codes.
In the 2006–2009 Congress of the Union, eight parties are therein represented; five of them, however, have not received neither in this nor in previous congresses more than 4% of the national votes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Parliamentary Groups Composition|date=2006-09-20|publisher=Chamber of Deputies of the Honorable Congress of the Union|url=http://www3.diputados.gob.mx/camara/001_diputados/005_grupos_|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref> The other three parties have historically been the dominant parties in Mexican politics:
* [[Image:PAN party.png|15px]] [[National Action Party (Mexico)|National Action Party]] (''Partido Acción Nacional'', PAN): a center-right conservative party founded in 1939.
* [[Image:PRI party.png|15px]] [[Institutional Revolutionary Party]] (''Partido Revolucionario Institucional'', PRI): a center-left party that ascribes to [[social democracy]], founded in 1929 to unite all the factions of the [[Mexican Revolution]]. Prominent left-wing Mexican politicians have been members of the party.
* [[Image:PRD party.png|15px]] [[Party of the Democratic Revolution]] (''Partido de la Revolución Democrática'', PRD): a center-left party founded in 1989 by the coalition of socialists and liberal parties, the [[National Democratic Front (Mexico)|National Democratic Front]] which had presented the candidacy of [[Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas]] in the 1988 elections.
The PRI held an almost hegemonic power in Mexican politics since 1929. Since 1977 consecutive electoral reforms allowed opposition parties to win more posts at the local and federal level. This process culminated in the 2000 presidential elections in which [[Vicente Fox]], candidate of the PAN, became the first non-PRI president to be elected in 71 years.
In 2006, [[Felipe Calderón]] of the PAN faced [[Andrés Manuel López Obrador]] of the PRD in a [[Mexican general election, 2006|very close election]] (0.58% difference), in a system without a second-ballot. On [[September 6]], [[2006]], [[Felipe Calderón]] was declared [[President-elect]] by the electoral tribunal. His cabinet was sworn in at midnight on [[December 1]], [[2006]] and Calderón was handed the presidential sash by outgoing Vicente Fox at [[Los Pinos]]. He was officially sworn as President on the morning of [[December 1]], [[2006]] in [[Congress of Mexico|Congress]].
===Foreign relations===
[[Image:North American Summit Calderon Harper.jpg|thumb|President [[Felipe Calderón|Calderón]] and Canadian Prime Minister [[Stephen Harper|Harper]] at the 2007 [[North American Leaders' Summit]].]]
{{main|Foreign relations of Mexico}}
Traditionally, the Mexican government has sought to maintain its interests abroad and project its influence largely through moral persuasion rather than through political or economical pressure.
Since the Mexican Revolution, and until the administration of President [[Ernesto Zedillo]], Mexico had been known for its foreign policy or "doctrine" known as the ''Doctrina Estrada'' ("[[Estrada Doctrine]]", named after its creator [[Genaro Estrada]]). The Estrada Doctrine was a foreign policy guideline of an enclosed view of [[sovereignty]]. It claimed that foreign governments should not judge, positively or negatively, the governments or changes in government of other nations, in that such action would imply a breach to their sovereignty.<ref>{{es_icon}} {{cite web|last=Rodríguez|first=Itzel|title=De actualidad política: ¿Qué dice la doctrina Estrada?|url=http://sepiensa.org.mx/contenidos/h_mexicanas/s.xx/estrada/estrada1.htm|accessdate=2007-10-01}}</ref> This policy was said to be based on the principles of Non-Intervention, Pacific Solution to Controversies, and Self-Determination of all nations.
During his presidency, [[Vicente Fox]] appointed [[Jorge Castañeda Gutman|Jorge Castañeda]] to be his [[Secretary of Foreign Affairs (Mexico)|Secretary of Foreign Affairs]]. Castañeda immediately broke with the Estrada Doctrine, promoting what was called by critics the "[[Castañeda Doctrine]]".<ref>{{cite web|last = Menéndez Quintero|first = Marina|title = Adiós, Castañeda| url= http://www.worldpress.org/Americas/909.cfm|accessdate = 2007-10-01}}</ref> The new foreign policy called for an openness and an acceptance of criticism from the international community, and the increase of Mexican involvement in foreign affairs.<ref>{{cite web|last = Ramírez|first = Carlos|title = Doctrina Estrada; doctrina Castañeda| url= http://mx.geocities.com/cencoalt/110901/doctrina.htm|accessdate = 2007-10-01}}</ref>
In line with this new openness in Mexico's foreign policy, some political parties have proposed an amendment of the Constitution in order to allow the [[Mexican Army]], [[Mexican Air Force|Air Force]] or [[Mexican Navy|Navy]] to collaborate with the [[United Nations]] in peace-keeping missions, or to provide military help to countries that officially ask for it.
=== Military ===
{{main|Military of Mexico|Mexican Army|Mexican Air Force|Mexican Navy}}
Mexico has the second largest defence budget ($60.07 billion USD)<ref>{{cite web|title=Military Expeditures Rank Order|work=CIA The World Factbook|publisher=CIA|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2067rank.html|accessdate=2007-09-16}}</ref> and armed forces<ref>{{cite web|title=Global Fire Power World Ranking|publisher=Global Fire Power|url=http://www.globalfirepower.com/list_avail_mil_manpower.asp|accessdate=2007-09-16}}</ref> in the region. Mexico's military includes 503,777 total personnel, of which around 192,770 are active in the frontline.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mexico Military Strength|publisher=Global Fire Power|url=http://www.globalfirepower.com/country_detail.asp?country_id=28|accessdate=2007-09-16}}</ref> The Mexican Military has three branches; the [[Mexican Army]], the [[Mexican Air Force]], and the [[Mexican Navy]].
*[[Mexican Army]]
[[Image:Ejercitomexicano-desfile.PNG|thumb|Mexican army during the Independence Day parade]]
There are three main components of the Army: a national headquarters, territorial commands, and independent units. The Minister of Defense commands the Army by means of a very centralized system and a large number of general officers. The Army uses a modified continental staff system in its headquarters. The Army is the largest branch of Mexico's armed services. At present there are 12 "Military Regions", which are further broken down into 44 subordinate "Military Zones".
*[[Mexican Air Force]]
[[Image:Northrop F-5, Fuerza Aerea Mexicana.JPG|thumb|Northrop F-5 from the [[Mexican Air Force]]]]
The Air Force national headquarters is embedded in the Army headquarters in Mexico City. It also follows the continental staff system, with the usual A1, A2, A3, and A4 sections. The tactical forces form what is loosely called an Air Division, but it is dispersed in four regions—Northeast, Northwest, Central, and Southern. The Air Force maintains a total of 18 air bases, and has the additional capability of opening temporary forward operating bases in austere conditions for some of the rotary wing and light fixed-wing assets.
*[[Mexican Navy]]
The Ministry of the Navy, the Navy’s national headquarters, is located in [[Veracruz, Veracruz|Veracruz City]]. The “Junta (or Council) of Admirals” plays a unique consultative and advisory role within the headquarters, an indication of the institutional importance placed on seniority and “year groups” that go back to the admirals’ days as cadets in the naval college. They are a very tightly knit group, and great importance is placed on consultation among the factions within these year groups.
The Navy’s operational forces are organized as two independent groups: the Gulf (East) Force and the Pacific (West) Force. Each group has its own headquarters, a destroyer group, an auxiliary vessel group, a Marine Infantry Group, and a [[Fuerzas Especiales|Special Forces]] group. The Navy also has an air arm with troop transport, reconnaissance, and [[surveillance aircraft]].
The Navy maintains significant infrastructure, including naval dockyards that have the capability of building ships, such as the Holzinger class [[gunboat]]s. These dockyards have a significant employment and economic impact in the country.
===Law enforcement and crime===
Public security is enacted at the three levels of government, each of which has different prerogatives and responsibilities. Local and state police department are primarily in charge of law enforcement, whereas the [[Federal Preventive Police]] is in charge of specialized duties. All levels report to the ''Secretaría de Seguridad Pública'' (Secretariat of Public Security). The General Attorney's Office (''Procuraduría General de la República'', PGR) is the [[executive power]]'s agency in charge of investigating and prosecuting crimes at the federal level, mainly those related to drug and arms trafficking, espionage, and bank robberies.<ref>[http://www.photius.com/countries/mexico/national_security/mexico_national_security_police_and_law_enfor~516.html Mexico Police and Law Enforcement Organizations]. Accessed: 2008-03-04</ref> The PGR operates the [[Federal Agency of Investigation]] (''Agencia Federal de Investigación'', AFI) an investigative and preventive agency.<ref>[http://www.pgr.gob.mx/Combate%20a%20la%20Delincuencia/Agencia%20Federal%20de%20Investigacion/Agencia%20Federal%20de%20Investigacion.asp Agencia Federal de Investigacion]. Procuraduría General de la República. Accessed: 2008-03-04</ref>
While the government respects the human rights of most citizens,<ref name=secubrit>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-259831/Mexico Security]. Mexico. [[Encyclopedia Britannica]]. Accessed: 2008-03-04</ref> serious abuses of power have been reported in security operations in indigenous communities and poor urban neighborhoods.<ref name=secubrit/> The National Human Rights Commission, however, has had little impact in reversing this trend, engaging mostly in documentation but failing to use its powers to issue public condemnations to the officials who ignore its recommendations.<ref>[http://www.economist.com/world/la/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10696136 Big, expensive and weirdly spineless]. [[The Economist]]. Issued: 2008-02-14. Accessed: 2008-03-04</ref> By law, all defendants have the rights that assure them fair trials and human treatment; however, the system is overburdened and overwhelmed with several problems.<ref name=justbrit>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-259829/Mexico Justice]. Mexico. [[Encyclopedia Britannica]]. Accessed: 2008-03-04</ref> Despite the efforts of the authorities to fight crime and fraud, few Mexicans have strong confidence in the police or the judicial system, and therefore, few crimes are actually reported by the citizens.<ref name=justbrit/> In 2008, president Calderón proposed a major reform of the judicial system, which was approved by the Congress of the Union, which included oral trials, the presumption of innocence for defendants, the authority of local police to investigate crime—until then a prerogative of special police units—and several other changes intended to speed up trials.<ref>McKinley, JC Jr. (7 March 2008) [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/07/world/americas/07mexico.html?_r=1&oref=slogin Mexico’s Congress Passes Overhaul of Justice Laws]. [[The New York Times]]. Accessed on: 2008-3-18</ref>
Total crimes per capita average 12 per 1,000 people in Mexico, ranking 39 in a survey of 60 countries.<ref>[http://www.nationmaster.com/country/mx-mexico/cri-crime Mexican Crime Statistics]. Accessed: 2008-03-04</ref> Violent crime is a critical issue in Mexico; with a rate of homicide varying from 11 to 14 per 100,000 inhabitants.<ref name=usaid>Sibaja, H et al. (2006). [http://www.usaid.gov/locations/latin_america_caribbean/democracy/mexico_profile.pdf Central America and Mexico Gang Assessment. Annex 4: Southern and Northern Borders of Mexico Profile]. United States Agency of International Development. Accessed: 2008-04-03</ref> Drug-traffic and narco-related activities are a major concern in Mexico. Drug cartels are active in the shared border with the US and police corruption and collusion with drug cartels is a crucial problem.<ref name=usaid/> Current president, [[Felipe Calderón]], made abating drug-trafficking one of the top priorities of his administration. In a very controversial move, Calderón deployed military personnel to cities where drug cartels operate. While this move has been criticized by the opposition parties and the National Human Rights Commission, its effects have been praised by the [[Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs]] as having obtained "unprecedented results..." with "many important successes".<ref>Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. (2008). [http://www.state.gov/p/inl/rls/nrcrpt/2008/vol1/html/100777.htm International Narcotics Control Strategy Report]. Accessed: 2008-03-04</ref> In October 2007, the president Calderón and US president [[George W. Bush]] announced the [[Mérida Initiative]] a historic plan of law enforcement cooperation between the two countries.<ref>Gómez, Natalia (2007). [http://www.el-universal.com.mx/notas/456623.html Otorgará Iniciativa Mérida 500 mdd a México en primer año]. [[El Universal (Mexico)|El Universal]]. Accessed: 2008-03-04</ref>
=== The federation: States of Mexico and the Federal District ===
{{main|Political divisions of Mexico|Mexican state name etymologies}}
{{Mexico Labelled Map small|float=right}}
The United Mexican States are a federation of thirty-one free and sovereign states which form a Union that exercises jurisdiction over the Federal District and other territories. Each state has its own constitution and congress, as well as a judiciary, and its citizens elect by direct voting, a [[List of Mexican state governors|governor]] (''gobernador'') for a six-year term, as well as representatives (''diputados locales'') to their respective state congresses, for three-year terms.<ref>{{cite web|title=Article 116|work=Political Constitution of the United Mexican States|publisher=Congress of the Union of the United Mexican States|url=http://constitucion.gob.mx/index.php?idseccion=12|accessdate=2007-10-07}}</ref> The 31 states and the Federal District are collectively called "federal entities", and all are equally represented in the Congress of the Union.
Mexican states are also divided into [[Municipalities of Mexico|municipalities]] (''municipios''), the smallest official political entity in the country, governed by a [[mayor|mayor or "municipal president"]] (''presidente municipal''), elected by its residents by plurality.<ref>{{cite web|title=Article 115|work=Political Constitution of the United Mexican States|publisher=Congress of the Union of the United Mexican States|url=http://constitucion.gob.mx/index.php?idseccion=12|accessdate=2007-10-07}}</ref> Municipalities can be further subdivided into non-autonomous [[boroughs of Mexico|boroughs]] or in semi-autonomous auxiliary presidencies.
Constitutionally, [[Mexico City]], as the capital of the federation and seat of the powers of the Union, is the Federal District, a special political division in Mexico that belongs to the federation as a whole and not to a particular state, and as such, has more limited local rule than the nation's states.<ref>{{cite web|title=Article 112|work=Political Constitution of the United Mexican States|publisher=Congress of the Union of the United Mexican States|url=http://constitucion.gob.mx/index.php?idseccion=12|accessdate=2007-10-07}}</ref> Nonetheless, since 1987 it has progressively gained a greater degree of autonomy, and residents now elect a [[Head of Government of the Federal District|head of government]] (''Jefe de Gobierno'') and representatives of a Legislative Assembly directly. Unlike the states, the Federal District does not have a constitution but a statute of government. Mexico City is ''conterminous'' and coextensive with the Federal District.
The names of the thirty-one states and the Federal district and their official postal abbreviations in parentheses are:
<div style="font-size:8pt">
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
* [[Aguascalientes]] (Ags)
* [[Baja California]] (BC)
* [[Baja California Sur]] (BCS)
* [[Chihuahua]] (Chih)
* [[Colima]] (Col)
* [[Campeche]] (Camp)
* [[Coahuila]] (Coah)
* [[Chiapas]] (Chis)
{{col-break}}
* [[Mexico City|Distrito Federal]] (DF)
* [[Durango]] (Dgo)
* [[Guerrero]] (Gro)
* [[Guanajuato]] (Gto)
* [[Hidalgo (Mexico)|Hidalgo]] (Hgo)
* [[Jalisco]] (Jal)
* [[Michoacán]] (Mich)
* [[Morelos]] (Mor)
{{col-break}}
* [[Mexico State]] (Edomex)
* [[Nayarit]] (Nay)
* [[Nuevo León]] (NL)
* [[Oaxaca]] (Oax)
* [[Puebla]] (Pue)
*[[Quintana Roo]] (Q Roo)
* [[Querétaro]] (Qro.)
* [[Sinaloa]] (Sin)
{{col-break}}
*[[San Luis Potosí]] (SLP)
*[[Sonora]] (Son)
*[[Tabasco]] (Tab)
*[[Tlaxcala]] (Tlax)
* [[Tamaulipas]] (Tamps)
*[[Veracruz]] (Ver)
*[[Yucatán]] (Yuc)
*[[Zacatecas]] (Zac)
{{col-end}}
</div>
==Geography and climate==
[[Image:Mexfromspace.PNG|thumb|left|A picture of Mexico as seen from space.]]
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Wind-turbines-Chiapas.jpg|thumb|Wind turbines on the coast of Chiapas.]] -->
{{main|Geography of Mexico}}
Mexico is located in the southern portion of [[North America]],<ref>[http://www.answers.com/topic/Mexico#Dictionary Mexico] ''[http://www.bartleby.com/am/ The American Heritage Reference Collection]'', et al.</ref><ref>[http://www.bartleby.com/69/71/M06671.html Mexico] ''[http://www.bartleby.com/65/ The Columbia Encyclopedia]''</ref>. Mexico is also the northern constituent of the region known as [[Middle America]], <ref name="cia">"[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mx.html#Geo Mexico]" ''[[The World Factbook|CIA World Factbook]]''. 2007. [[Washington, D.C.|Washington, DC]]: [[Central Intelligence Agency]]</ref><ref>[http://www.bartleby.com/65/na/NAmer.html North America] ''[http://www.bartleby.com/65/ The Columbia Encyclopedia]</ref> at about 23° N and 102° W.<ref>Francaviglia, Richard V. [http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/prelude/geo_geography_and_climate.html "Geography and climate"], ''U.S. Mexican War, 1846-1848.'' 14 March 2006: PBS / KERA</ref> Almost all of Mexico lies in the [[North American Plate]], with parts of the Baja California Peninsula in the northwest on the Pacific and Cocos Plates. [[Geophysics|Geophysically]], some geographers include the south-eastern part of the territory (around 12% of the total) in [[Central America]].<ref>Nord-Amèrica, in ''[http://www.grec.cat Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana]</ref> [[Geopolitics|Geopolitically]], however, Mexico is considered part of North America.<ref>[http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/ites/0504/ijee/larson.htm "Geopolitics Oil and Natural Gas", by Alan Larson, US Undersecretary for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs]</ref><ref>[http://nacts.asu.edu/files/u1/NQRno6.pdf "Transportation and Security in North America", NACTS North American Center for Transborder Studies, University of Arizona]</ref>
Mexico's total area is 1,972,550 km², making it the [[List of countries and outlying territories by total area|world's 14th largest country by total area]], and includes approximately 6,000 km² of islands in the [[Pacific Ocean]] (including the remote [[Guadalupe Island]] and the [[Islas Revillagigedo]]), [[Gulf of Mexico]], [[Caribbean Sea]], and [[Gulf of California]]. On its north, [[United States–Mexico border|Mexico shares a 3,141 km border with the United States]]. The meandering Río Bravo del Norte (known as the [[Rio Grande]] in the United States) defines the border from [[Ciudad Juárez]] east to the Gulf of Mexico. A series of natural and artificial markers delineate the United States-Mexican border west from Ciudad Juárez to the Pacific Ocean. On its south, Mexico shares an 871 km border with Guatemala and a 251 km border with Belize.
=== Topography ===
[[Image:Mexico topo.jpg|thumb|Topographic map of Mexico.]]
Mexico is crossed from north to south by two mountain ranges known as [[Sierra Madre Oriental]] and [[Sierra Madre Occidental]], which are the extension of the [[Rocky Mountains]] from northern North America. From east to west at the center, the country is crossed by the [[Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt]] also known as the ''Sierra Nevada''. A fourth mountain range, the [[Sierra Madre del Sur]], runs from [[Michoacán]] to [[Oaxaca]]. As such, the majority of the Mexican central and northern territories are located at high altitudes, and the highest elevations are found at the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt: [[Pico de Orizaba]] (5,700 m), [[Popocatépetl]] (5,462 m) and [[Iztaccíhuatl]] (5,286 m) and the [[Nevado de Toluca]] (4,577 m). Three major urban agglomerations are located in the valleys between these four elevations: [[Toluca]], [[Greater Mexico City]] and [[Puebla, Puebla|Puebla]].
=== Climate ===
[[Image:MexicoSnowandSunshine.jpg|thumb|Annual snowfall in [[Chihuahua]] and an isolated beach in [[Cabo San Lucas|Cabo]]]]
The [[Tropic of Cancer]] effectively divides the country into temperate and tropical zones. Land north of the twenty-fourth parallel experiences cooler temperatures during the winter months. South of the twenty-fourth parallel, temperatures are fairly constant year round and vary solely as a function of elevation.This gives Mexico one of the worlds most diverse weather systems in the world.
Areas south of the twenty-fourth parallel with elevations up to 1,000 meters (the southern parts of both coastal plains as well as the [[Yucatán Peninsula]]), have a yearly median temperature between 24 and 28 °C. Temperatures here remain high throughout the year, with only a 5 °C difference between winter and summer median temperatures. Although low-lying areas north of the twentieth-fourth parallel are hot and humid during the summer, they generally have lower yearly temperature averages (from 20 to 24 °C) because of more moderate conditions during the winter.
Many large cities in Mexico are located in the [[Valley of Mexico]] or in adjacent valleys with altitudes generally above 2,000 m, this gives them a year-round temperate climate with yearly temperature averages (from 16 to 18 °C) and cool nighttime temperatures throughout the year.
Many parts of Mexico, particularly the north, have a dry climate with sporadic rainfall while parts of the tropical lowlands in the south average more than 200 cm of annual precipitation.
=== Biodiversity ===
[[Image:Kaimanfische (Lepisosteus).jpg|left|thumb|A "[[Lepisosteus]]", one of the endemic species of Mexico.]]
Mexico is one of the 18 [[megadiverse countries]] of the world. With over 200,000 different species, Mexico is home of 10–12% of the world's biodiversity.<ref name="SEMARNAT">{{cite web|title=Biodiversidad de México|publisher=SEMARNAT|url=http://cruzadabosquesagua.semarnat.gob.mx/iii.html|accessdate=2007-10-07}}</ref> Mexico ranks first in biodiversity in [[reptile]]s with 707 known species, second in mammals with 438 species, fourth in [[amphibian]]s with 290 species, and fourth in flora, with 26,000 different species.<ref>{{cite web|title=Biodiversidad en México|publisher=CONEVYT|url=http://oregon.conevyt.org.mx/actividades/diversidad/lectura_biodiversidad.htm|accessdate=2007-10-07}}</ref> Mexico is also considered the second country in the world in [[ecosystem]]s and fourth in overall species.<ref name="SNIB"/> Approximately 2,500 species are protected by Mexican legislations.<ref name="SNIB">{{cite web|title=Sistema Nacional sobre la Biodiversidad en México|publisher=CONABIO|url=http://www.conabio.gob.mx/institucion/snib/doctos/acerca.html|accessdate=2007-10-07}}</ref> The Mexican government created the National System of Information about Biodiversity, in order to study and promote the sustainable use of ecosystems.
In Mexico, 170,000 square kilometres are considered "Protected Natural Areas." These include 34 reserve biospheres (unaltered ecosystems), 64 national parks, 4 natural monuments (protected in perpetuity for their aesthetic, scientific or historical value), 26 areas of protected flora and fauna, 4 areas for natural resource protection (conservation of soil, hydrological basins and forests) and 17 sanctuaries (zones rich in diverse species).<ref name="SEMARNAT"/>
The discovery of the Americas brought to the rest of the world many widely used ingredients. Some of Mexico's native ingredients include: [[chocolate]], [[tomato]], [[maize]] and [[corn]], [[vanilla]], [[avocado]], [[guava]], [[chayote]], [[epazote]], [[camote]], [[jícama]], [[nopal]], [[Crataegus pubescens|tejocote]], [[Corn smut|huitlacoche]], [[sapote]], [[mamey sapote]], and many varieties of [[bean]]s. Most of these names are in indigenous languages like [[Nahuatl]].
==Economy==
{{main|Economy of Mexico|Economic history of Mexico}}
[[Image:Mexico.DF.Chapultepec.02.jpg|thumb|upright|left|View from Paseo de la Reforma Mexico City]]
[[Image:Santa feconj.jpg|thumb|[[Santa Fe (Mexico City)|Santa Fe]], business district.]]
Mexico has a free market mixed economy, and is firmly established as an upper middle-income country.<ref name="World Bank">{{cite web|title=List of upper middle-income countries|publisher=The World Bank|url=http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/DATASTATISTICS/0,,contentMDK:20421402~pagePK:64133150~piPK:64133175~theSitePK:239419,00.html#Upper_middle_income|accessdate=2007-10-02}}</ref> It is the 12th largest economy in the world as measured in [[Gross Domestic Product]] in [[purchasing power parity]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Countries Ranked by GDP|work=World Bank Report|date=2007-04|publisher=The World Bank|url=http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DATASTATISTICS/Resources/GDP_PPP.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-02}}</ref> According to the latest information available from the World Bank, Mexico had the highest [[Gross National Income]] per capita in [[Latin America]], both in nominal terms and in [[purchasing power parity]](PPP), at $7,830 and $11,990 respectively in 2006.<ref>[http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DATASTATISTICS/Resources/GNIPC.pdf GNI Per capita Atlas Method and PPP]. The World Bank. Accessed: 2008-04-25</ref> After the [[1994 economic crisis in Mexico|1994 economic debacle]], Mexico has made an impressive recovery, building a modern and diversified economy.<ref name="World Bank"/> Recent administrations have also improved infrastructure and opened competition in seaports, railroads, telecommunications, electricity generation, natural gas distribution and airports. Oil is Mexico's largest source of foreign income.<ref>{{cite web|title="Mexico" (Economy, Mining)|publisher=Microsoft Encarta Online|url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761576758_7/Mexico.html|accessdate=2007-10-02}}</ref> According to [[Goldman Sachs]] [[BRIMC]] review of emerging economies, by 2050 the largest economies in the world will be as follows: [[People's Republic of China|China]], [[United States]], [[India]], [[Japan]], [[Brazil]], and Mexico.<ref>[http://www2.goldmansachs.com/hkchina/insight/research/pdf/BRICs_3_12-1-05.pdf Goldman Sachs Paper No.134 Relevant Emerging Markets ]</ref>
According to the director for Mexico at the [[World Bank]], the population in extreme poverty has decreased from 24.2% to 17.6% in the general population and from 42% to 27.9% in rural areas from 2000-2004.<ref>{{es_icon}} {{Harvard reference|title=Baja pobreza en México de 24.2 a 17.6%: Banco Mundial| journal=El Universal|year=2005|date=2005-08-24|url=http://estadis.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/301198.html}}</ref> Nonetheless, income inequality remains a problem, and huge gaps remain not only between rich and poor but also between the north and the south, and between urban and rural areas. Sharp contrasts in income and Human Development are also a grave problem in Mexico. The 2004 [[United Nations]] [[Human Development Index]] report for Mexico states that [[Benito Juárez, D.F.|Benito Juárez]], a district of [[Mexican Federal District|the Distrito Federal]], and [[San Pedro Garza García]], in the State of [[Nuevo León]], would have a similar level of economic, educational and life expectancy development to [[Germany]] or [[New Zealand]]. In contrast, Metlatonoc, in the state of [[Guerrero]], would have an HDI similar to that of [[Syria]].<ref>{{cite web|title=UNPD Mexico Report on HDI|date=2004|publisher=United Nations|url=http://hdr.undp.org/docs/reports/national/MEX_Mexico/Mexico_2004_sp.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-02}}</ref><ref>{{es_icon}} {{Harvard reference|title=Sobresale Nuevo León por su alto nivel de vida|journal=El Norte|year=2006|url=http://busquedas.gruporeforma.com/utilerias/imdservicios3w.dll?JPrintS&file=mty/norte01/00393/00393608.htm&palabra=}}</ref>
Many of the positive effects in poverty reduction and the increase in purchasing power of the middle class are attributed to the macroeconomic stability pursued by the last two administrations. GDP annual average growth for the period of 1995–2002 was 5.1%.<ref name="Crandall">{{cite book|last=Crandall|first=R.|coauthors= Paz and Roett|title=Mexico's Democracy at Work|chapter=Mexico's Domestic Economy: Policy Options and Choices|publisher=Lynne Reinner Publishers|date=2004|pages=160|isbn=0-8018-5655-8 }}</ref> The economic downturn in the United States also caused a similar pattern in Mexico, from which it rapidly recovered to grow 4.1% in 2005 and 3% in 2005. Inflation has reached a record low of 3.3% in 2005, and interest rates are low, which have spurred credit-consumption in the middle class. The Fox administration also provided monetary stability: the budget deficit was further reduced and foreign debt was decreased to less than 20% of GDP.<ref name="Crandall"/> Along with [[Chile]], Mexico has the highest rating of long-term sovereign credit in Latin America. Poverty in Mexico is further reduced by remittances from Mexican citizens working in the United States of America, which reaches US$20 billion dollars per year and is the second largest source of foreign income after oil exports.<ref>{{Harvard reference|title=Mexico opposed to U.S. border wall|journal=USA Today|year=2006|date=2006-09-28|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-09-28-mexico-us-border_x.htm}}</ref>
Approximately 90% of Mexican trade has been put under [[free trade agreement]]s with over 40 countries, of which the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]] remains the most significant. Almost 90% of Mexican exports go to the United States and Canada<ref name=CIA_econ>{{cite web|title = CIA The World Factbook, "Mexico - Economy"|publisher = CIA|url = https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mx.html#Econ|accessdate= 2007-10-01}}</ref> and close to 65% of its imports come from these two countries.<ref name=CIA_econ /> Other major trade agreements have been signed with the [[European Union]], [[Japan]], [[Israel]] and many countries in Central and South America. As such, Mexico has become a major player in international trade and an export power. Measured in the dollar value of exports, Mexico was the 15th largest exporter in the world—tenth if the [[European Union]] is treated as a single entity.<ref name=ciaexports>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2078rank.html Rank Order of Total Value of Exports] CIA Factbook</ref> Mexican exports roughly equal the total exports of all [[Mercosur]] members together, [[Venezuela]] inclusive.<ref name=ciaexports/>
Ongoing economic concerns include the commercial and financial dependence on the US,<ref>{{Harvard reference|last=Thompson|first=Adam|title=Mexico, Economics: The US cast a long shadow|journal=Financial Times|date=2006-06-20|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/f53c9268-005a-11db-8078-0000779e2340,dwp_uuid=bfb8911e-ff83-11da-93a0-0000779e2340.html}}</ref> low real wages, [[underemployment]] for a large segment of the population, inequitable [[income distribution]] (the top 20% of income earners account for 55% of income), and few advancement opportunities for the largely [[Amerindian]] population in the impoverished southern states. Lack of structural reform is further exacerbated by an ever increasing outflow of the population into the United States, decreasing domestic pressure for reform.
=== Tourism ===
{{main|Tourism in Mexico}}
<!--[[Image:Cabosanlucas hotel 005p.jpg|thumb|left|Mexicos fair weather has made it a popular travel destination.]]-->
[[Image:Acapulco,guerrero.jpg|thumb|Coastal Skyline of [[Acapulco]], [[Guerrero]]]]
According to the [[World Tourism Organization]], Mexico has one of the largest tourism industries in the world. In 2005 it was the seventh most popular tourist destination worldwide, receiving over 20 million tourists per year; it is the only country in [[Latin America]] to be within the top 25. Tourism is also the third largest sector in the country's industrial GDP.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tourism Industry in Mexico|publisher=New Mexico State University|date=2006-09-01|url=http://www.nmsu.edu/~frontera/old_1996/sep96/996mxtur.htm|accessdate= 2007-10-01}}</ref> The most notable tourist draws are the ancient Meso-American ruins, and popular beach resorts. The coastal climate and unique culture – a fusion of European (particularly Spanish) and Meso-American cultures; also make Mexico attractive. The peak tourist seasons in Mexico are during December and during July and August, with brief surges during the week before Easter and during spring break at many of the beach resort sites which are popular among vacationing college students from the United States.
Mexico's [[lower middle class|middle/lower]] class typically take their vacations within Mexico, in contrast to the [[upper middle class|middle/higher]] class who travel worldwide, especially to Europe and the [[United States]], and in lesser numbers to Asia and South America. Mexico is the twenty-third highest tourism spender in the world, and the highest in Latin America.
===Infrastructure===
====Energy====
:''See also: [[Electricity sector in Mexico]]
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:NuevoPemex06.jpg|thumb|left|A Pemex oil Refinery.]] -->
Energy production in Mexico is managed by State-owned companies: the [[Comisión Federal de Electricidad|Federal Commission of Electricity]] (''Comisión Federal de Electricidad'', CFE) and [[Pemex]] (''Petróleos Mexicanos''). The CFE is in charge of the operation of electricity-generating plants and its distribution all across the territory, with the exception of the states of [[Morelos]], [[state of México|México]], [[Hidalgo]] and the [[Mexico City|Federal District]], whose distribution of electricity is in charge of the State-owned ''Luz y Fuerza del Centro''. Most of the electricity is generated in [[Thermal power station|thermoelectrical]] plants, even though CFE operates several [[hydroelectricity|hydroelectrical]] plants, as well as wind power, geothermal and [[nuclear energy|nuclear generators]].<ref>[http://www.cfe.gob.mx/es/LaEmpresa/generacionelectricidad/ Generación de electricidad]. Comisión Federal de Electricidad.</ref>
[[Pemex]] is in charge of the exploration, extraction, transportation and marketing of crude oil and natural gas, as well as the refining and distribution of petroleum products and petrochemicals. Pemex is the largest company in [[Latin America]],<ref>Rodríguez, Isabel. [http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2007/08/19/index.php?section=economia&article=026n1eco Disminuye inversión física en Pemex, pero aumenta la deuda vía Pidiregas]. La Joranda. [[16 August]] [[2007]]</ref> and the ninth-largest oil company in the world.<ref name=pemex>[http://www.pemex.com/index.cfm?action=content§ionID=11&catID=117 Frequently Asked Questions]. Pemex.</ref> In terms of total output, in 2007 it was the sixth-larger producer in the world<ref name=econpemex>[http://www.economist.com/world/la/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10328190 Running just to stand still] The Economist] [[19 December]] [[2007]]</ref>—in 2003 it was the third-largest<ref name=pemex/>— producing 3.1 million of barrels a day, way above the production of [[Kuwait]] or [[Venezuela]].<ref name=econpemex/>
====Transportation====
{{main|Transportation in Mexico}}
:''See also: [[List of Mexican Federal Highways]] and [[List of Mexican railroads]]''
[[Image:Metrobús Set Dominguez.jpg|thumb|left|A Metrobús in Santa Fe.]]
[[Image:Aeromexico B762 XA-JBC 20060608 STR 800x533.jpg|thumb|An Aeromexico plane landing at [[Mexico City International Airport]]]]
The paved-roadway network in Mexico is the most extensive in Latin America at 116,802 km in 2005; 10,474 km were multi-lane [[freeways]] or [[expressways]],<ref>[http://dgaf.sct.gob.mx/fileadmin/EST_BASICA/EST_BASICA_2005/EST2005_12INFRA.pdf Infraestructura Carretera]. Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes</ref> most of which were [[tollways]]. Nonetheless, Mexico's diverse orography—most of the territory is crossed by high-altitude ranges of mountains—as well as economic challenges have led to difficulties in creating an integrated transportation network and even though the network has improved, it still cannot meet national needs adequately.<ref name=britinfra>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-27400/Mexico Transportation and Telecommunications]. [[Encyclopedia Britannica]]</ref>
Being one of the first Latin American countries to promote railway development,<ref name=britinfra/> the network, though extensive at 30,952 km,<ref name=encnations>[http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Americas/Mexico-INFRASTRUCTURE-POWER-AND-COMMUNICATIONS.html Intrasturcture, Power and Communications, Mexico]. Encyclopedia of the Nations</ref> is still inefficient to meet the economic demands of transportation.<ref name=britinfra/> Most of the rail network is mainly used for merchandise or industrial freight and was mostly operated by [[Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México|National Railway of Mexico]] (''Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México'', FNM), privatized in 1997.
In 1999, Mexico had 1,806 airports, of which 233 had paved runways; of these, 35 carry 97% of the passenger traffic.<ref name=encnations/> The [[Mexico City International Airport]] remains the largest in Latin America and the 44th largest in the world<ref>[http://www.aicm.com.mx/acercadelaicm/Estadisticas/index.php?Publicacion=169 Acerca del AICM. Posicionamiento del Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México (AICM) con los 50 aeropuertos más importantes del mundo</ref> transporting 21 million passengers a year.<ref>[http://www.aicm.com.mx/acercadelaicm/Estadisticas/index.php?Publicacion=168 Acerca del AICM, Pasajeros]</ref> There are more than 30 domestic airline companies of which only two are known internationally: [[Aeromexico]] and [[Mexicana]].
Mass transit in Mexico is modest. Most of the domestic passenger transport needs are served by an extensive bus network<ref name=encnations/> with several dozen companies operating by regions. Train passenger transportation between cities is limited. Inner-city rail mass transit is available at [[Mexico City]]—with the operation of the [[Mexico City metro|metro]], elevated and ground train, as well as a [[Ferrocarril Suburbano de la Zona Metropolitana de México|Suburban Train]] connecting the adjacent municipalities of [[Greater Mexico City]]—as well as at [[Guadalajara, Jalisco|Guadalajara]] and [[Monterrey]], the first served by a [[Guadalajara, Jalisco|commuter rail]] and the second by an [[Monterrey Metro|underground and elevated metro]].
====Communications====
{{main|Communications in Mexico}}
[[Image:Telmexstore.jpg|thumb|A [[Telmex]] retail store in [[Puerto Vallarta]], [[Jalisco]]]]
The telecommunications industry is mostly dominated by [[Telmex]] (''Teléfonos de México''), privatized in 1990. As of 2006, Telmex had expanded its operations to Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay and the United States. Other players in the domestic industry are [[Axtel]] and [[Maxcom]]. Due to Mexican [[orography]], providing landline telephone service at remote mountainous areas is expensive, and the penetration of line-phones per capita is low compared to other Latin American countries, at twenty-percent. Mobile telephony has the advantage of reaching all areas at a lower cost, and the total number of mobile lines is almost three times that of landlines, with an estimation of 57 million lines.<ref name=ciacom>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mx.html#Comm Communications] CIA Factbook</ref> The telecommunication industry is regulated by the government through [[Cofetel]] (''Comisión Federal de Telecomunicaciones'').
Usage of radio, television, and Internet in Mexico is prevalent.<ref name=encnations/> There are approximately 1,410 radio broadcast stations and 236 television stations (excluding repeaters).<ref name=ciacom/> Major players in the broadcasting industry are [[Televisa]]—the largest Spanish media company in the Spanish-speaking world<ref>[http://www.snellwilcox.com/news_events/press_releases/203 Televisa Brings 2006 FIFA World Cup to Mexico in HD With Snell & Wilcox Kahuna SD/HD Production Switcher]</ref>— and [[TV Azteca]].
==Demographics==
{{main|Demographics of Mexico}}
According to the latest official census, which reported a population of 103 million, Mexico is the most populous [[Spanish language|Spanish]]-speaking country in the world.<ref name=Spanishhistory>{{cite web|title=Spanish Language History| publisher=Today Translations|url=http://www.todaytranslations.com/index.asp-Q-Page-E-Spanish-Language-History--13053095|accessdate=2007-10-01}}</ref> Mexican annual population growth has drastically decreased from a peak of 3.5% in 1965 to 0.99% in 2005. Life expectancy in 2006 was estimated to be at 75.4 years (72.6 male and 78.3 female). The states with the highest life expectancy are Baja California (75.9 years) and Nuevo Leon (75.6 years). The Federal District has a life expectancy of the same level as Baja California. The lowest levels are found in Chiapas (72.9), Oaxaca (73.2) and Guerrero (73.2 years). The mortality rate in 1970 was 9.7 per 1000 people; by 2001, the rate had dropped to 4.9 men per 1000 men and 3.8 women per 1000 women. The most common reasons for death in 2001 were heart problems (14.6% for men 17.6% for women) and cancer (11% for men and 15.8% for women).
Mexican population is increasingly urban, with close to 75% living in cities. The five largest [[list of metropolitan areas of Mexico|urban areas in Mexico]] ([[Greater Mexico City]], [[Greater Guadalajara]], [[Greater Monterrey]], [[Greater Puebla]] and [[Greater Toluca]]) are home to 30% of the country's population. Migration patterns within the country show positive migration to north-western and south-eastern states, and a negative rate of migration for the Federal District. While the annual population growth is still positive, the national net migration rate is negative (-4.7/1000), attributable to the emigration phenomenon of people from rural communities to the United States.
===Metropolitan areas of Mexico===
[[Image:MexicoAngelDeLaIndependencia2.jpg|thumb|left|The Angel of Independence in Mexico City.]]
Metropolitan areas in Mexico have been traditionally defined as the group of municipalities that heavily interact with each other, usually around a core city.<ref name="CONAPO">[http://www.inegi.gob.mx/est/contenidos/espanol/metodologias/otras/zonas_met.pdf CONAPO Áreas Metropolitanas]</ref> In [[2004]], a joint effort between CONAPO, [[INEGI]] and the Ministry of Social Development (SEDESOL) agreed to define metropolitan areas as either:<ref name="CONAPO"/>
* the group of two or more municipalities in which a city with a population of at least 50,000 is located whose urban area extends over the limit of the municipality that originally contained the core city incorporating either physically or under its area of direct influence other adjacent predominantly urban municipalities all of which have a high degree of social and economic integration or are relevant for urban politics and administration; or
* a single municipality in which a city of a population of at least one million is located and fully contained, (that is, it does not transcend the limits of a single municipality); or
* a city with a population of at least 250,000 which forms a conurbation with other cities in the [[United States]].
It should be noted, however, that northwestern and southeastern states are divided into a small number of large municipalities whereas central states are divided into a large number of smaller municipalities. As such, metropolitan areas in the northwest usually do not extend over more than one municipality (and figures usually report population for the entire municipality) whereas metropolitan areas in the center extend over many municipalities.
Few metropolitan areas extend beyond the limits of one state, namely: [[Greater Mexico City]] (Federal District, Mexico and Hidalgo), [[Metropolitan area of Puebla|Puebla-Tlaxcala]] (Puebla and Tlaxcala, but excludes the city of [[Tlaxcala]]), [[Comarca Lagunera]] (Coahuila and Durango), and Tampico (Tamaulipas and Veracruz).
The following is a list of the major metropolitan areas of Mexico, as reported in the 2005 census.
{{Largest metropolitan areas in Mexico}}
===Immigration===
Mexico is home to the largest number of U.S. citizens abroad (estimated at one million as of 1999),<ref>{{cite web|title=American Citizens Living Abroad By Country|date=1999|publisher=US State Department|url=http://www.aca.ch/amabroad.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref> which represents 1% of the Mexican population and 25% of all U.S. citizens abroad. Other significant communities of foreigners are those of [[Central America|Central]] and [[South American]]s, most notably from [[Argentina]], [[Brazil]], [[Chile]], [[Colombia]], [[Peru]], [[Cuba]], [[Venezuela]], [[Guatemala]], and [[Belize]]. Though estimations vary, the Argentine community is considered to be the second largest foreign community in the country (estimated somewhere between 30,000 and 150,000).<ref>{{cite web|last=Gutiérrez Vega|firt=Mario|title=Migrantes, votos, remesas: La apuesta política de los ausentes|date=2005-10-16|publisher=Institute of Mexicans Abroad (IME)|url=http://www.ime.gob.mx/investigaciones/bibliografias/apuesta_politica_gutierrez.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Especial Argentinos en el exterior, Mexico|date=2007|publisher=La Nación|url=http://www.lanacion.com.ar/coberturaespecial/argentinos/mexico/index.asp|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref> Throughout the 20th century, the country followed a policy of granting asylum to fellow Latin Americans and Europeans (mostly Spaniards in the 1940s) fleeing political persecution in their home countries.
Discrepancies between the figures for official legal aliens and those of all foreign-born residents regardless of their immigration status are quite large. The official figure for foreign-born legal residents in Mexico is 493,000 (since 2004), with a majority (86.9%) of these born in the United States (except [[Chiapas]], where the majority of immigrants are from Central America). The five states with the most immigrants are Baja California (12.1% of total immigrants), Mexico City (the ''Federal District''; 11.4%), Jalisco (9.9%), Chihuahua (9%) and Tamaulipas (7.3%). More than 54.6% of the immigrant population are fifteen years old or younger, while 9% are fifty or older.
===Ethnography===
:''See also: [[Demographics of Mexico]] and [[Indigenous peoples in Mexico]]''
[[Image:Inukshuk Monterrey 1.jpg|thumb|right|School children, from [[Monterrey]], [[Nuevo León]].]]
Mexico is ethnically diverse, and the constitution defines the country to be a pluricultural nation.
* [[Mestizos]] (those of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry) form the largest group, comprising up to 60-75% of the total population.<ref name="cia"/><ref name=britethnos/>
* [[Amerindian]]s called [[indigenous peoples of Mexico|indigenous peoples]] (''indígenas'') are estimated to be between 12% (pure Amerindian)<ref>{{es_icon}} {{cite web|title=Diversidad etnolingüística|work=Lenguas indígenas|publisher=National Commission for the Development of the Indigenous Peoples (CDI)|url=http://www.cdi.gob.mx/index.php?id_seccion=90|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref> and 30% (predominantly Amerindian).<ref name="cia"/> Indigenous peoples are considered the foundation of the Mexican pluricultural nation and therefore enjoy self-determination in certain areas. [[Languages of Mexico|Indigenous languages]] are also considered "national languages" and are protected by law.
* [[White Mexican|Whites]] make up 9%-17%<ref name="cia"/><ref name=britethnos>{{cite web|title=Ethnic groups|work=Mexico|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-27384|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref> of the population, mostly descendants of the first [[Spanish people|Spanish]] settlers; although there are a minority of [[French people|French]], [[Italian people|Italian]], [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]], [[Basque people|Basque]], [[German people|German]], [[Irish people|Irish]], [[Poles|Polish]], [[Romanians|Romanian]], [[Russian people|Russian]] and [[British people|British]] descents from recent contemporary migration <ref name="extranjeros">{{cite web|last=Palma Mora|first=Mónica|title=Asociaciones de Inmigrantes Extranjeros en la Ciudad de México. Una Mirada a Fines del Siglo XX|date=2005|publisher=Colegio de la Frontera Norte|url=http://redalyc.uaemex.mx/redalyc/pdf/151/15103202.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Alanís Enciso|first=Fernando S.|title=Los Extranjeros en México, La inmigración y el gobierno ¿Tolerancia o intolerancia religiosa?, 1821-1830|date=2003|publisher=The Michoacán College|url=http://historiamexicana.colmex.mx/pdf/13/art_13_1938_16335.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref> after the waves of immigration that brought many Europeans at the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, along with some Canadians and [[Euro-American]]s from the United States and Argentina. Most are found in major cities.
Mexico also received a large number of [[Lebanon|Lebanese]], [[Turkish People|Turkish]],<ref>{{cite web|last=García Ita|first=Rosa E.|title=Los árabes de México. Asimilación y herencia cultural|date=2005|publisher=ITESM|url=http://confines.mty.itesm.mx/articulos2/GarciaRE.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref> [[Han Chinese|Chinese]], [[Japanese People|Japanese]]<ref name="extranjeros"/>, [[Koreans]]<ref>{{Harvard reference|last=Mendoza|first=Azucena|title=Conmemoran 100 años de inmigración coreana|date=2005-05-02|url=http://www.esmas.com/noticierostelevisa/mexico/443030.html|journal=Noticieros Televisa}}</ref> and [[Mexicans of Filipino descent|Filipino]] immigrants.<ref>{{Harvard reference|last=Mercene|first=Floro L.|title=Filipinos in Mexican History|date=2005-01-28|url=http://www.ezilon.com/information/article_476.shtml|journal=Ezilon Infobase|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref>
[[Afro-Mexican]]s, mostly of mixed ancestry, live in the coastal areas of [[Veracruz]], [[Tabasco]] and [[Guerrero]].
=== Language ===
{{main|Languages of Mexico}}
{{seealso|Mexican Spanish}}
There is no ''de jure'' constitutional [[official language]] at the federal level in Mexico.<ref>{{es_icon}} {{cite web|title=Título Primero, Capítulo I, De las garantías individuales|work=Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos|date=2007-06-19|publisher=Congress of the Union of the United Mexican States|url=http://www.normateca.gob.mx/Archivos/34_D_1247_22-06-2007.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-02}}</ref> [[Spanish language|Spanish]], spoken by 97% of the population, is considered a national language by The General Law of Linguistic Rights of the Indigenous Peoples, which also grants all indigenous minority languages spoken in Mexico, regardless of the number of speakers, the same validity as Spanish in all territories in which they are spoken, and indigenous peoples are entitled to request some public services and documents in their native languages.<ref>{{es_icon}} {{cite web|title=Ley General de Derechos Lingüísticos de los Pueblos Indígenas (General Law of the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples)|publisher=CDI México|url=http://cdi.gob.mx/derechos/vigencia/2006_ley_general_derechos_linguisticos_pueblos_indigenas.pdf|accessdate=2007-10-02|format=PDF}}</ref> Along with Spanish, the law has granted them –more than 60 languages– the status of "national languages". The law includes all Amerindian languages regardless of origin; that is, it includes the Amerindian languages of ethnic groups non-native to the territory. As such the [[National Commission for the Development of the Indigenous Peoples]] recognizes the language of the [[Kickapoo]], who immigrated from the [[United States]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Kikapúes - Kikaapoa|publisher=CDI México|url=http://www.cdi.gob.mx/index.php?id_seccion=291|accessdate=2007-10-02}}</ref> and recognizes the languages of the [[Guatemalan]] Amerindian refugees.<ref>{{cite web|title=Aguacatecos, cakchiqueles, ixiles, kekchíes, tecos y quichés|publisher=CDI México|url=http://cdi.gob.mx/index.php?id_seccion=1378|accessdate=2007-10-02}}</ref> The Mexican government has promoted and established bilingual primary and secondary education in some indigenous rural communities. Approximately 7.1% of the population speaks an indigenous language and 1.2% do not speak Spanish.<ref>{{cite web|title=POBLACIÓN DE 5 AÑOS Y MÁS POR ENTIDAD FEDERATIVA, SEXO Y GRUPOS LENGUA INDÍGENA QUINQUENALES DE EDAD, Y SU DISTRIBUCIÓN SEGÚN CONDICIÓN DE HABLA INDÍGENA Y HABLA ESPAÑOLA|publisher=INEGI, México|url=http://www.inegi.gob.mx/prod_serv/contenidos/espanol/bvinegi/productos/censos/poblacion/2000/definitivos/Nal/tabulados/00li01.pdf|accessdate=2007-12-13|format=PDF}}</ref>
Mexico has the largest Spanish-speaking population in the world with more than twice as many as the second largest Spanish-speaking country. Almost a third of all Spanish native speakers in the world live in Mexico.<ref name=Spanishhistory /> [[Nahuatl]] is spoken by 1.5 million people and [[Yucatec Maya]] by 800,000. Some of the national languages are in danger of extinction; [[Lacandon]] is spoken by fewer than one hundred people.
[[English language|English]] is widely used in business, at the border cities, as well as by the one million U.S. citizens that live in Mexico, mostly retirees in small towns in [[Baja California]], [[Guanajuato]] and [[Chiapas]]. Other European languages spoken by sizable communities in Mexico are [[Venetian language|Venetian]], [[Plautdietsch]], [[German language|German]], [[French language|French]] and [[Romani language|Romani]].
===Religion===
{{seealso|Religion in Mexico|Roman Catholicism in Mexico|Our Lady of Guadalupe}}
[[Image:Plazadeliberacion1.jpg|thumb|Metropolitan Cathedral of [[Guadalajara, Jalisco]].]]
Unlike some other Latin American countries, Mexico has no official religion, and the Constitution of 1917 and the anti-clerical laws imposed limitations on the church and sometimes codified state intrusion into church matters. The government does not provide any financial contributions to the church, and the church does not participate in public education.
The last census reported, by self-ascription, that 95% of the population is [[Christianity|Christian]]. [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]]s are 89%<ref name="tabulados">{{cite web|title=Religión|work=Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda 2000|date=2000|publisher=[[INEGI]]|url=http://www.inegi.gob.mx/prod_serv/contenidos/espanol/bvinegi/productos/censos/poblacion/2000/definitivos/Nal/tabulados/00re01.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-04}}</ref> of the total population, 47% percent of whom attend church services weekly.<ref>{{cite web|title=Church attendance|work=Study of worldwide rates of religiosity|date=1997|publisher=University of Michigan|url=http://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/print.php?Releases/1997/Dec97/chr121097a|accessdate=2007-01-03}}</ref> In absolute terms, Mexico has the world's second largest number of Catholics after [[Brazil]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_romcath.html |title=The Largest Catholic Communities |accessdate=2007-11-10 |work=Adherents.com}}</ref>
About 6% of the population (more than 4.4 million people) is [[Protestantism|Protestant]],<ref name="tabulados"/> of whom [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostals]] and [[Charismatic movement|Charismatics]] (called Neo-Pentecostals in the census), are the largest group (1.37 million people)<ref name="tabulados"/>. There are also a sizeable number of [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh-day Adventists]] (0.6 million people)<ref>[http://news.adventist.org/data/2006/1158328154/index.html.en Religious Liberty Thriving, Government Official Tells Adventist Leaders]</ref>. The 2000 national census counted more than one million [[Jehovah's Witnesses]].<ref name="tabulados"/>
[[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] claims one million registered members as of 2006, about 250,000 of whom are active,<ref name="lds-Mexico">{{cite web|title=Mexico, Country profile|publisher=The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Days Saints Newsroom|url=http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=063cbebe4538f010VgnVCM100000176f620aRCRD&vgnextchannel=d10511154963d010VgnVCM1000004e94610aRCRD|accessdate=2007-10-04}}</ref><ref name="encyclopedia-mormonism">{{cite book|last=Ludlow|first=Daniel H.|title=Encyclopedia of Mormonism|year=1994|pages=4:1527}}</ref> though this is disputed.<ref name="Arizona republic">{{Harvard reference|date=2001-07-10|journal=Arizona Republic}}</ref>
The presence of [[Jews]] in Mexico dates back to 1521, when Hernando Cortés conquered the Aztecs, accompanied by several [[Conversos]]. According to the last national census by the INEGI, there are now more than 45,000 Mexican Jews.<ref name="tabulados"/> Almost three million people in the 2000 National Census reported having no religion.<ref name="tabulados"/>
In 1992, Mexico lifted almost all restrictions on the Catholic Church and other religions, including granting all religious groups legal status, conceding them limited property rights, and lifting restrictions on the number of priests in the country.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mexico|work=International Religious Report|date=2003|publisher=U.S. Department of State|url=http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2003/24499.htm|accessdate=2007-10-04}}</ref> Until recently, priests did not have the right to vote, and even now they cannot be elected to public office.
== Culture ==
{{main|Culture of Mexico}}
[[Image:Tradicionalranchero.JPG|thumb|A type of traditional Mexican dance and costumes.]]
Mexican culture reflects the complexity of the [[History of Mexico|country's history]] through the blending of pre-Hispanic civilizations and the [[culture of Spain]], imparted during Spain's 300-year colonization of Mexico. Exogenous cultural elements mainly from the [[United States]] have been incorporated into Mexican culture. As was the case in most [[Latin America]]n countries, when Mexico became an independent nation, it had to slowly create a national identity, being an ethnically diverse country in which, for the most part, the only connecting element amongst the newly independent inhabitants was Catholicism.
The Porfirian era (''el Porfiriato''), in the last quarter of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth century, was marked by economic progress and peace. After four decades of civil unrest and war, Mexico saw the development of philosophy and the arts, promoted by President Díaz himself. Since that time, though accentuated during the [[Mexican Revolution]], cultural identity had its foundation in the ''mestizaje'', of which the indigenous (i.e. Amerindian) element was the core. In light of the various ethnicities that formed the Mexican people, [[José Vasconcelos]] in his publication ''La Raza Cósmica'' (The Cosmic Race) (1925) defined Mexico to be the melting pot of all races (thus extending the definition of the ''mestizo'') not only biologically but culturally as well.<ref>{{cite book|last=Vasconcelos|first=José|coauthors=Didier T. Jaén (translator)|title=La Raza Cósmica (The Cosmic Race)|publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press|date=1997|pages=160|isbn=0-8018-5655-8 }}</ref> This exalting of ''mestizaje'' was a revolutionary idea that sharply contrasted with the idea of a superior pure race prevalent in Europe at the time.
=== Cinema ===
{{main|Cinema of Mexico}}
[[Cinema of Mexico|Mexican films]] from the [[Golden age of the cinema of Mexico|Golden Era]] in the 1940s and 1950s are the greatest examples of Latin American cinema, with a huge industry comparable to the [[Hollywood]] of those years. Mexican films were exported and exhibited in all of Latin America and Europe. ''Maria Candelaria'' (1944) by [[Emilio Fernández]], was one of the first films awarded a [[Palme d'Or]] at the [[Cannes Film Festival]] in 1946, the first time the event was held after World War II. Famous actors and actresses from this period include [[María Félix]], [[Pedro Infante]], [[Dolores del Río]], [[Jorge Negrete]] and the comedian [[Cantinflas]].
More recently, films such as ''[[Como agua para chocolate]]'' (1992), ''[[Cronos (film)|Cronos]]'' (1993), ''[[Amores Perros]]'' (2000), ''[[Y tu mamá también]]'' (2001), ''[[El Crimen del Padre Amaro]]'' (2002), ''[[Pan's Labyrinth]]'' (2006) and ''[[Babel (film)|Babel]]'' (2006) have been successful in creating universal stories about contemporary subjects, and were internationally recognised, as in the prestigious [[Cannes Film Festival]]. Mexican directors [[Alejandro González Iñárritu]] (''[[Amores Perros]]'', ''[[Babel (film)|Babel]]''), [[Alfonso Cuarón]] (''[[Children of Men]]'', ''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]''), [[Guillermo del Toro]], [[Carlos Carrera]] (''[[El crimen del Padre Amaro|The Crime of Father Amaro]]''), and screenwriter [[Guillermo Arriaga]] are some of the most known present-day film makers.
=== Music ===
{{Main|Music of Mexico}}
[[Image:Orquesta Filarmonica de Jalisco.jpg|thumb|left|Jalisco Symphony Orchestra.]]
Mexican society enjoys a vast array of music genres, showing the diversity of Mexican culture. Traditional music includes [[Mariachi]], [[banda music|Banda]], [[norteño music|Norteño]], [[Ranchera]] and [[Corrido]]s; on an every-day basis most Mexicans listen to contemporary music such as [[Mexican pop music|Pop]], [[rock music|Rock]], etc. in both [[english language|English]] and [[spanish language|Spanish]]. Mexico has the largest media industry in [[Latin America]], producing Mexican artists who are famous in [[central america|Central]] and [[South America]] and parts of Europe, especially [[Spain]]. Some well-known Mexican singers are [[Thalía]] and [[Luis Miguel]]. Popular groups are [[Café Tacvba]], [[Molotov (band)|Molotov]], [[RBD]] and [[Mana (band)| Mana]], among others.
Most states, through their Ministry of Culture or of Education, sponsor an ''Orquesta Sinfónica'' or ''Orquesta Filarmónica'' ([[Orchestra|Symphony Orchestra or Philharmonica Orchestra]]) so people can enjoy [[Classical Music|classical music]]. The ''Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco'' is the oldest in the country.{{Fact|date=June 2008}}
=== Fine arts ===
[[Image:Palacio de las Bellas Artes (Mexico City).jpg|thumb|[[Palacio de Bellas Artes|Palace of Fine Arts]] in Mexico City.]]
Post-revolutionary art in Mexico had its expression in the works of renowned artists such as [[Frida Kahlo]], [[Diego Rivera]], [[José Clemente Orozco]], [[Rufino Tamayo]], [[David Alfaro Siqueiros]] and [[Juan O'Gorman]]. Diego Rivera, the most well-known figure of Mexican [[muralism]], painted the ''[[Man at the Crossroads]]'' at the [[Rockefeller Center]] in New York City, a huge mural that was destroyed the next year due to the inclusion of a portrait of Russian communist leader [[Lenin]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Rockefeller Controversy|publisher=Diego Rivera Prints|url=http://www.diego-rivera.org/rockefellercontroversy.html|accessdate=2007-10-02}}</ref> Some of Rivera's murals are displayed at the Mexican [[National Palace (Mexico)|National Palace]] and the [[Palacio de Bellas Artes|Palace of Fine Arts]].
Academic music composers of Mexico include [[Manuel M. Ponce]], [[Mario Lavista]], [[Silvestre Revueltas]], Arturo Marquez, and [[Juventino Rosas]], many of whom incorporated traditional elements into their music. [[Nobel Prize]] winner [[Octavio Paz]], [[Carlos Fuentes]], [[Juan Rulfo]], [[Elena Poniatowska]], and [[José Emilio Pacheco]], are some of the most recognized authors of Mexican literature.
=== Broadcast media ===
[[Image:RBDatotrorolloshow.PNG|thumb|left|[[RBD]] at the [[Otro Rollo]] show with [[Adal Ramones]]]]
Two of the major television networks based in Mexico are [[Televisa]] and [[TV Azteca]]. Televisa is also the largest producer of Spanish-language content in the world and also the world's largest Spanish-language media network.<ref>{{cite web|title=Televisa Brings 2006 FIFA World Cup to Mexico in HD With Snell & Wilcox Kahuna SD/HD Production Switcher|work=Press release|date=2006-06-27|publisher=Snell & Wilcox|url=http://www.snellwilcox.com/news_events/press_releases/203|accessdate=2007-09-30}}</ref> [[Grupo Multimedios]] is another media conglomerate with Spanish-language broadcasting in Mexico, [[Spain]], and the [[United States]]. [[Soap opera]]s ([[telenovela]]s) are translated to many languages and seen all over the world with renowned names like [[Verónica Castro]], [[Lucía Méndez]], [[Lucero]], and [[Thalía]]. Even [[Gael García Bernal]] and [[Diego Luna]] from [[Y tu mamá también]] and current [[Zegna]] model have appeared in some of them. Some of their TV shows are modeled after counterparts from the U.S. like ''[[100 Mexicanos Dijeron|Family Feud]]'' (''100 Mexicanos Dijeron'' or "A hundred Mexicans said" in Spanish) and [[Que Dice la Gente]], ''[[Big Brother (TV series)|Big Brother]]'', ''[[American Idol]]'', ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' and others. Nationwide news shows like ''[[Las Noticias por Adela]]'' on Televisa resemble a hybrid between ''[[The Phil Donahue Show|Donahue]]'' and ''[[Nightline]]''. Local news shows are modeled after counterparts from the U.S. like the ''[[Eyewitness News]]'' and ''[[Action News]]'' formats. Border cities receive television and radio stations from the U.S., while [[satellite]] and [[cable]] subscription is common for the upper-classes in major cities, often watch movies and TV shows from the U.S.
=== Cuisine ===
[[Image:Enchiladasmexicanas.jpg|thumb|Enchiladas, a traditional [[Mexican cuisine|Mexican dish]]]]
{{main|Mexican cuisine}}
Mexican cuisine is known for its intense and varied flavors, colorful decoration, and variety of spices. Most of today's Mexican food is based on pre-hispanic traditions, including the Aztecs and Maya, combined with culinary trends introduced by Spanish colonists. The ''[[conquistador]]es'' eventually combined their imported diet of rice, beef, pork, chicken, wine, garlic and onions with the native [[pre-Columbian]] food, including [[maize]], [[tomato]], [[vanilla]], [[avocado]], [[papaya]], [[pineapple]], [[chile pepper]], [[beans]], [[Squash (fruit)|squash]], [[Lime (fruit)|limes]] (''limón'' in [[Mexican Spanish]]), [[sweet potato]], [[peanut]] and [[Turkey (bird)|turkey]].
The most internationally recognized dishes include [[chocolate]], [[taco]]s, [[quesadillas]], [[enchilada]]s, [[burrito]]s, [[tamales]] and [[mole (sauce)|mole]] among others. Regional dishes include [[mole poblano]], [[chiles en nogada]] and [[chalupa]]s from [[Puebla]]; [[cabrito]] and [[machaca]] from [[Monterrey]], [[cochinita pibil]] from [[Yucatán]], [[Tlayuda]]s from [[Oaxaca]], as well as [[barbacoa]], [[chilaquiles]], [[milanesa]]s, and many others.
==Sports==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Mexico FIFA 1970 1986.png|thumb|left|[[FIFA World Cup]] Mexico 1970, 1986]] -->
[[Image:Azteca 008.gif|thumb|The Estadio Azteca (Aztec Stadium) is the official home stadium of the [[Mexico national football team]].]]
[[Image:Estadio de beisbol en Monterrey.jpg|thumb|Baseball stadium in Monterrey, home to Monterrey Sultans.]]
{{main article|Sports in Mexico}}
{{see also|1968 Summer Olympics|1970 FIFA World Cup|1986 FIFA World Cup}}
Mexico City hosted the [[1968 Summer Olympics|XIX Olympic Games]] in 1968, making it the only Latin American city to do so.<ref>{{cite web|title=2016 Binational Olympics|date=December 2003|publisher=San Diego Metropolitan|url=http://www.sandiegometro.com/2003/dec/coverstory2.html|accessdate=2007-10-07}}</ref> The country has also hosted the [[FIFA World Cup]] twice, in [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]] and [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]].<ref>{{cite web|title=About CONCACAF|publisher=The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF)|url=http://www.concacaf.com/about.asp|accessdate=2007-10-07}}</ref>
Mexico’s most popular sport is [[football (soccer)]]. It is commonly believed that Football was introduced in Mexico by [[Cornwall|Cornish]] miners at the end of the 19th century. By 1902 a 5 team league emerged still with a strong English influence <ref>> {{cite web|title= Introduction|publisher=Federacion Mexicana de Futbol|url=http://www.femexfut.org.mx/portalv2/(hjfqs545niz5yh55yipntw55)/default.aspx?s=135}} </ref><ref>{{cite web|title= Mexico - List of Final Tables|publisher=Rec.Sports.Soccer Statistics Foundation|url=http://www.rsssf.com/tablesm/mexhist.html}}</ref>. Football became a professional sport in 1943. Since the “Era Professional” started, Mexico’s top clubs have been [[Club Deportivo Guadalajara|Guadalajara]] with 11 championships, [[Club América|América]] with 10 and [[Toluca]] and [[Cruz Azul]] with 8 <ref>{{cite web|title= Mexico - List of Champions|publisher=Rec.Sports.Soccer Statistics Foundation|url=http://www.rsssf.com/tablesm/mexchamp.html}}</ref> . In Mexican Football many players have been raised to the level of legend, but two of them have received international recognition above others. [[Antonio Carbajal]] was the first player to appear in 5 World Cups, and [[Hugo Sanchez]] was named best [[CONCACAF]] player of the 20th Century by IFFHS. Mexican’s biggest stadiums are [[Estadio Azteca]], [[Estadio Olimpico Universitario]] and [[Estadio Jalisco]].
The national sport of Mexico is [[Charreria]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Charrería|work=The Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=University of Texas at Austin|url=http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/CC/llc4.html|accessdate=2007-09-30}}</ref> [[Bullfighting]] is also a popular sport in the country, and almost all large cities have bullrings. ''[[Plaza México]]'' in [[Mexico City]], is the largest bullring in the world, which seats 55,000 people. Professional wrestling (or ''[[Lucha libre]]'' in Spanish) is a major crowd draw with national promotions such as [[Asistencia Asesoría y Administración|AAA]], LLL, [[CMLL]] and others.
[[Baseball]], is also popular, especially in the Gulf of Mexico, Yucatan Peninsula and the Northern States. The season runs from March to July with playoffs held in August. The Mexican professional league is named the [[Liga Mexicana de Beisbol]]. Current champions (2007) are Sultanes de Monterrey who defeated in a tight series Leones de Yucatán. However the best level of baseball is played in [[Liga Mexicana del Pacífico]], played in Sinaloa, Sonora and Baja California. Given that it is played during the MLB off-season, some of its players are signed to play with the league 8 teams. Current champions (2007) are [[Naranjeros de Hermosillo]]. The league champion participates in the [[Caribbean Series]], a tournament between the Champions of Winter Leagues of Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
[[Image:Lorena Ochoa Mobile Ala.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Lorena Ochoa]], world's number one woman golfer according to the [[LPGA]].]]
The most important professional [[basketball]] league is the [[Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional]] and covers the whole Mexican territory, where the [[Soles de Mexicali]] are the current champions. In 2007 three Mexican teams will be competing in the [[American Basketball Association (2000-)|American Basketball Association]]. In the northwestern states is the CIBACOPA Competition, with professional basketball players from Mexico and the U.S. Universities and some teams from the NBA.
[[American football]] is played at the major universities like [[ITESM]] ([[Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey]]), [[UANL]] ([[Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León]]), [[UDLA]] (University of the Americas), [[National Polytechnic Institute|IPN]] (Instituto Politécnico Nacional) and [[UNAM]]. The college league in Mexico is called [[ONEFA]]. There is also a strong following of the NFL in Mexico with the Cowboys, Steelers, Dolphins and Raiders being the most popular teams. [[Rugby football|Rugby]] is played at the amateur level throughout the country with the majority of clubs in Mexico City and others in [[Monterrey]], [[Guadalajara, Jalisco|Guadalajara]], Celaya, Guanajuato and Oaxaca.
[[Car racing]] is very popular in Mexico. Throughout the years, Mexico has hosted races for some of the most important international championships such as [[Formula 1]], [[NASCAR]], [[Champ Car]], [[A1 Grand Prix]], among others. Mexico also has its own [[NASCAR]]-sanctioned stock car series, the [[NASCAR Corona Series]], which runs 14 events in different cities, drawing large crowds. Other forms of racing include [[Formula Renault]], [[Formula Vee]], touring cars, Pick-up trucks, endurance racing, rallying, and off-road.
[[Ice Hockey]] is played in larger cities like Monterrey, Guadalajara, Villahermosa, Culiacan and of course Mexico City, with teams like: Galerias Pumas, Gran Sur Wolves, Lomas Verdes Falcons, Metepec Tigres, Monterrey Toros, San Jeronimo Bears, Villahermosa Garrobos and as independent teams: Bosques, Cuatitlan Izcally, Jalapa, Jalisco, Leon, Merida, Puebla, Jurasicos. The IIHF or Federación Deportiva de Mexico de Hockey Sobre Hielo A.C. is the Official Mexico National Ice Hockey Federation and regulates all tournaments in Mexico.
Other notable Mexican athletes include [[golf]]er [[Lorena Ochoa]], who is currently ranked first in the [[LPGA]] world rankings,<ref>{{cite web|title=LPGA Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings|date=2007-10-01|url=http://www.lpga.com/content/RolexRankings10-1-2007.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-07}}</ref> [[Ana Guevara]], former world champion of the 400 metres and Olympic subchampion in Athens 2004, and [[Fernando Platas]], a numerous Olympic medal winning diver.
Sport fishing is popular in Baja California and the big Pacific coast resorts, while freshwater bass fishing is growing in popularity too. The gentler arts of diving and snorkeling are big around the Caribbean, with famous dive sites at Cozumel and on the reefs further south. The Pacific coast is becoming something of a center for surfing, with few facilities as yet; all these sports attract tourists to Mexico.
==Health Care and Education==
:''Main articles: [[Health care in Mexico]] & [[Education in Mexico]]''.
[[Image:ITESM-Biotechnology-Center.jpg|thumb|Biotechnology center, ITESM Campus Monterrey]]
[[Image:Hospitalvillahermosa.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Hospital Angeles in [[Villahermosa]], [[Tabasco]].]]
In the 1990s, Mexico entered a transitional stage in the overall health of the population; in the 1990s Mexico exhibited mortality patterns similar to those found in developed societies.<ref>[http://countrystudies.us/mexico/63.htm Mexico - Health Care and Social Security<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
Health and hospital care is free and available to all Mexicans through the [[Mexican Social Security Institute]] (IMSS) and the [[Institute for Social Security and Services for State Workers]] (ISSSTE). Overall, health services are adequate; though exceptional cases are mostly centralized in large cities and offered by private hospitals. Residents of small towns have to travel to large urban centers to get specialized attention. Disparities between large cities, urban and rural are quite noticeable; health coverage in rural and indigenous communities is poor.<ref name=healthbrit>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-27404/Mexico]. Health and welfare. Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed on 2008-03-02</ref> Medical training is done mostly at public universities with specializations abroad. Some public universities in Mexico, most notably the University of Guadalajara, have signed agreements with the US to receive and train American students in [[Medicine]]. Health care costs in private institutions and prescription drugs in Mexico are on average lower than that of its North American economic partners; drugs manufactured in Mexico are 50% less costly on average than those manufactured in the US.<ref>[http://www.expatforum.com/articles/health/health-care-in-mexico.html Health Care in Mexico<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
In 2004, the literacy rate was at 97%<ref>{{cite web|title=INEGI literacy report -14, 2005|url=http://www.inegi.gob.mx/est/contenidos/espanol/rutinas/ept.asp?t=medu15&s=est&c=3283}}</ref> for youth under the age of 14 and 91% for people over 15<ref>{{cite web|title=INEGI literacy report 15+, 2005|http://www.inegi.gob.mx/est/contenidos/espanol/rutinas/ept.asp?t=medu16&s=est&c=3284}}</ref>, placing Mexico at the 24th place in the world rank accordingly to [[UNESCO]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Mexico: Youth Literacy Rate|publisher=Global Virtual University|url=http://globalis.gvu.unu.edu/indicator_detail.cfm?IndicatorID=41&Country=MX|accessdate=2007-10-02}}</ref> Primary and secondary education (9 years) is free and mandatory. Even though different bilingual education programs have existed since the 1960s for the indigenous communities, after a constitutional reform in the late 1990s, these programs have had a new thrust, and free text books are produced in more than a dozen indigenous languages.
In the 1970s, Mexico established a system of "distance-learning" through satellite communications to reach otherwise inaccessible small rural and indigenous communities. Schools that use this system are known as ''[[telesecundaria]]s'' in Mexico. The Mexican [[distance education|distance learning]] secondary education is also transmitted to some [[Central America]]n countries and to Colombia, and it is used in some southern regions of the [[United States]] as a method of bilingual education. There are approximately 30,000 ''telesecundarias'' and approximately a million ''telesecundaria'' students in the country.<ref>{{cite web|title=Current Trends in Telesecundarias|publisher=Secretariat of Public Education (SEP)|url=http://www.sep.gob.mx/wb2/sep/sep_5033_edusat}}</ref>
The largest and most prestigious public university in Mexico, today numbering over 269,000 students, is the [[National Autonomous University of Mexico]] (''Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México'', UNAM) founded in 1551. Three [[Nobel laureate]]s and most of Mexico's modern-day presidents are among its former students. UNAM conducts 50% of Mexico's scientific research and has presence all across the country with satellite campuses and research centers. The National Autonomous University of Mexico ranks 192th place in the Top 200 World University Ranking published by The Times Higher Education Supplement in 2007,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Times Higher Awards 2007|publisher=The Times Higher Education Supplement |url=http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/hybrid.asp?typeCode=142&pubCode=1&navcode=105}}</ref> making it the highest ranked Spanish-speaking university in the world and the third highest ranked in Latin America. The second largest university is the [[Instituto Politécnico Nacional|National Polytechnic Institute]] (IPN). These institutions are public, and there are at least a couple of public universities per state.
One of the most prestigious private universities is [[Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey|Monterrey's Technological and Higher Education Institute]] (ITESM). It was ranked by the ''Wall Street Journal'' as the 7th top International Business School worldwide<ref>{{cite web|title=Recruiter's scoreboard Highlights|work=The Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive survey of corporate recruiters on business schools|publisher=The Wall Street Journal|url=http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/MB_06_Scoreboard.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-04}}</ref> and 74th among the world's top arts and humanities universities ranking of ''The Times Higher Education Supplement'', published in 2005. ITESM has thirty-two secondary campuses, apart from its Monterrey Campus. Other important private universities include [[Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México|Mexico's Autonomous Technological Institute]] (ITAM), ranked as the best economics school in Latin America, [[UDLAP|Universidad de las Américas Puebla]] (UDLAP) and the Ibero-American University ([[Universidad Iberoamericana]]).
==Science and technology==
[[Image:LMT GTM.jpg|thumb|left|A photograph of the [[Large Millimeter Telescope]] in [[Puebla]].]]
[[Image:Mexico.RodolfoNeriVela.01.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Rodolfo Neri Vela]], the first Mexican in space.]]
Notable Mexican technologists include [[Luis E. Miramontes]], the co-inventor of the [[Contraceptive|contraceptive pill]], [[Guillermo González Camarena]], who invented the "Chromoscopic adapter for television equipment", an early color television transmission system, and [[Mario J. Molina]], who won the [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]]. [[Rodolfo Neri Vela]], an [[UNAM]] graduate, was the first Mexican to enter space (as part of the [[STS-61-B]] mission in 1985.)
In recent years, the biggest scientific project being developed in Mexico was the construction of the [[Large Millimeter Telescope]] (Gran Telescopio Milimétrico, GMT), the world's largest and most sensitive single-aperture telescope in its frequency range.<ref>Unravelling unidentified γ-ray sources with the large millimeter telescope, Alberto Carramiñana and the LMT-GTM collaboration, in ''The Multi-Messenger Approach to High-Energy Gamma-Ray Sources'', Josep M. Paredes, Olaf Reimer, and Diego F. Torres, eds., Springer Netherlands, 2007. ISBN 978-1-4020-6117-2.</ref> It was designed to observe regions of space obscured by stellar dust.
Nonetheless, the government currently spends only 4.16% of GDP in science and technology,<ref name="Science">{{cite web|title=Science and Technology in Mexico|work=International Scientific Co-operation Policies|publisher=European Union|url=http://ec.europa.eu/research/iscp/countries/mexico/mx-doc2.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-04}}</ref> a low percentage in comparison with other countries, although Mexico has shown outstanding scientific success with such a small budget. Mexico has a low number of researchers compared to other OECD countries, with only 19.7 researchers per 10,000 inhabitants.<ref name="Science"/> Mexico trains sixty-five PhDs per million inhabitants per year.<ref name="Science"/> Moreover, there is a regional disparity in the allocation of scientific resources; 75% of all doctorate degrees are awarded from institutions in Mexico City area.<ref name="Science"/>
In 1962, the National Commission of Outer Space (''Comisión Nacional del Espacio Exterior'', CONNE) was established, but was dismantled in 1977. In 2007, a project was presented to re-open a new [[Agencia Espacial Mexicana|Mexican Space Agency (AEXA)]]. It is awaiting Senate approval by the end of 2008.
== See also ==
:''Main list: [[List of basic Mexico topics]]''
{{Mexico topics}}
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==References==
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</div>
==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|first=Enrique| last=Krauze| authorlink=Enrique Krauze| title=Mexico: Biography of Power: A history of Modern Mexico 1810–1996| pages=896 p| publisher=Harper Perennial| location=New York, NY| date=1998| isbn=0060929170}}
* {{cite book| first=Michael C.| last=Meyer| coauthors=William H. Beezley, editors| title=The Oxford History of Mexico| pages=736 p| publisher=Oxford University Press| date=2000| isbn=0195112288}}
* {{cite book| last=Parkes| first=Henry Bamford| authorlink=Henry Bamford Parkes| title=A History of Mexico| isbn=0395084105| publisher=Houghton Mifflin| location=Boston| date=1972| edition=3rd edition}}
==External links==
{{portal|Mexico|Flag of Mexico.svg}}
{{sisterlinks}}
* [http://www.presidencia.gob.mx/en The Presidency of Mexico]
* [http://www.gob.mx/wb/egobierno/egob_General_Information Official site of the Government of Mexico]
* {{wikitravel}}
* {{wikiatlas|Mexico}}
* {{dmoz|Regional/North_America/Mexico}}
* {{wikia|world:Mexico|Mexico}}
* [http://www.vivanatura.org/ Viva Natura: Biodiversity of Mexico]
* [http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/country/country_energy_data.cfm?fips=MX Energy Information Administration] - Energy Statistics for Mexico
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[[Category:Mexico| ]]
[[Category:G15 nations]]
[[Category:Federal countries]]
[[Category:Former Spanish colonies]]
[[Category:Liberal democracies]]
[[Category:Nahuatl words and phrases]]
[[Category:Spanish-speaking countries]]
{{Link FA|es}}
{{Link FA|nah}}
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[[af:Mexiko]]
[[als:Mexiko]]
[[ar:المكسيك]]
[[an:Mexico]]
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[[ay:Mïxiku]]
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[[zh-min-nan:Be̍k-se-ko]]
[[be-x-old:Мэксыка]]
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[[th:ประเทศเม็กซิโก]]
[[vi:Mexico]]
[[tg:Мексика]]
[[tr:Meksika]]
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[[ur:میکسیکو]]
[[vec:Mèsico]]
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[[wo:Meksik]]
[[wuu:曼克西口]]
[[yi:מעקסיקא]]
[[zh-yue:墨西哥]]
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[[zh:墨西哥]]