World Country Guide

Area
1,959,248 sq km (758,449 sq miles).

Population
101,965,000 (UN estimate 2002).

Population Density
51.9 per sq km.

Capital
Mexico City. Population: 8,605,239 (2000).

Geography
Mexico is at the southern extremity of North America and is bordered to the north by the USA, northwest by the Gulf of California, west by the Pacific, south by Guatemala and Belize, and east by the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Mexico’s geographical features range from swamp to desert, and from tropical lowland jungle to high alpine vegetation. Over half the country has an altitude above 1000m (3300ft). The central land mass is a plateau flanked by ranges of mountains to the east and west that lie roughly parallel to the coast. The northern area of this plateau is arid and thinly populated, and occupies 40 per cent of the total area of Mexico. The southern area is crossed by a range of volcanic mountains running from Cape Corrientes in the west through the Valley of Mexico to Veracruz in the east, and includes the magnificent volcanoes of Cofre de Perote, Ixtacchuatl, Matlalcueyetl, Nevado de Toluca, Orizaba and Popocatpetl. This is the heart of Mexico and where almost half of the population lives. To the south, the land falls away to the sparsely populated Isthmus of Tehuantepec whose slopes and flatlands support both commercial and subsistence agriculture. In the east, the Gulf Coast and the Yucatn peninsula are flat and receive over 75 per cent of Mexico’s rain. The most productive agricultural region in Mexico is the northwest, while the Gulf Coast produces most of Mexico’s oil and sulphur. Along the northwest coast, opposite the peninsula of Baja California, and to the southeast along the coast of Baha de Campeche and the Yucatn peninsula, the lowlands are swampy with coastal lagoons.

Government
Republic since 1917. Gained independence from Spain in 1821. Head of State and Government: President Vicente Fox Quesada since 2000.

Language
Spanish is the official language (spoken by more than 90 per cent). English is widely spoken. 8 per cent speak indigenous languages, of which Ntinate is most widely spoken.

Religion
90 per cent Roman Catholic.

Time
Mexico spans three different time zones:
South, Central and Eastern Mexico: GMT - 6 (Central Standard Time). (GMT - 5 from first Sunday in April to Saturday before last Sunday in October.)
Nayarit, Sonora, Sinaloa and Baja California Sur: GMT - 7 (Mountain Time). (GMT - 6 from first Sunday in April to Saturday before last Sunday in October.)
Baja California Norte (Pacific Time): GMT - 8 (GMT - 7 from first Sunday in April to Saturday before last Sunday in October).

Electricity
110 volts AC, 60Hz. US two-pin (flat) plugs are usual.

Communications

Telephone
IDD is available. Country code: 52. Outgoing international code: 00. Long-distance calls are very expensive.

Mobile telephone
AMPS network is operated by IUSACELL. GSM 1900 network operated by Movistar GSM. The main network provider is Telcel (website: www.telcel.com). Handsets can be hired.

Fax
Major hotels have facilities.

Internet
ISPs include Internet Mexico (website: www.internet.com.mx) and Red Internet (website: www.redinternet.com.mx). Internet cafes exist in all regions, particularly the main tourist areas.

Telegram
Services are operated by Telgrafos Nacionales and international telegrams should be handed in to their offices.

Post
Airmail to Europe takes about six days. Surface mail is slow. Within the capital, there is an immediate delivery (Entrega Inmediata) service, which usually takes two or three days.

Press
The major daily newspapers published in Spanish are Esto, Exclsior, EL Financiero, El Heraldo de Mxico, Le Jornada, La Prensa and El Universal. The English-language papers available are Mexico City Times, New York Times, The News and USA Today.

Radio
BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.