Area:
1,953,162 sq km (761,603 sq miles).
Population:
95,831,000 (1998).
Population Density: 49.1 per
sq km.
Capital:
Mexico City. Population: 18,000,000 (1998).
Geography:
Mexico is at the southern extremity of North America and
is bounded 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% 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 Orizaba, Popocatépetl,
Ixtaccíhuatl, Nevado de Toluca, Matlalcueyetl and
Cofre de Perote. 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 Yucatán peninsula are flat and receive over
75% 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 Bahía de Campeche
and the Yucatán 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 since 2000.
Language:
Spanish is the official language. English is widely spoken.
Religion:
90% 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 2-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.
No GSM network exists at present. Handsets can be hired.
Fax: Major hotels have facilities.
Internet/E-mail:
ISPs include Infosel (web site: http://www.infosel.net.mx),
DSICom Internet (web site: http://www.dsi.com.mx) and
Internet Mexico (web site: http://www.internet.com.mx).
Cybercafés exist in all regions, particularly the
main tourist areas.
Telegram:
Services are operated by Telegrafos Nacionales and international
telegrams should be handed in to their offices. The main
office is situated in Balderas y Colón, México
1DF.
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 Excélsior,
El Universal, La Prensa and El Día. The English-language
papers available are New York Times, The News, Mexico City
Times, and USA Today. BBC World Service and Voice of America
frequencies: From time to time these change. BBC: MHz 15.22
9.590 6.195 5.975 Voice of America: MHz 15.80 11.70 9.775
6.130