Estados Unidos Mexicanos United Mexican States
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "La Patria es Primero" (The Nation Is First)
Anthem: "Himno Nacional Mexicano" "Mexican National Anthem"
Capital (and largest city)		Mexico City 19°03′N, 99°22′W
Official languages		None at federal level. The Flag of the United Mexican States or Mexico is a vertical tricolor of Green, White, and Red with The Coat of Arms of Mexico has been an important symbol of Mexican politics and culture for centuries A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history traditions and struggles of its people recognized either by a nation's The National Anthem of Mexico ( Himno Nacional Mexicano) was officially adopted in 1943 Demographic dynamics In 1900 the Mexican population was 136 million Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México DF, México or simply Méjico) is the Capital city of Mexico An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory Spanish (de facto)
National language		Spanish, and 62 Indigenous Amerindian languages. A national language is a Language (or language variant, ie Dialect) which has some connection - de facto or de jure - with Mexico has an enormous linguistic diversity apart from Spanish, the government recognizes 62 indigenous Amerindian languages as national languages [1]
Demonym		Mexican
Government		Federal presidential republic
-	President	Felipe Calderón (PAN)
Independence		from Spain
-	Declared	September 16, 1810
-	Recognized	September 27, 1821
Area
-	Total	1,972,550 km² (15th) 761,606 sq mi
-	Water (%)	2. A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a People or the inhabitants of a place Demographic dynamics In 1900 the Mexican population was 136 million For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. A federal republic is a Federation of States with a republican form of government A presidential system is a System of government where an executive branch exists and presides (hence the term separately from the Legislature The Constitutional Citizen President of the United Mexican States (the official title in Spanish is Ciudadano Presidente Constitucional de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos This article is about the current president of Mexico For the Filipino politician and historical figure see Felipe Calderón y Roca. The National Action Party ( Spanish Partido Acción Nacional) known by the acronym PAN, is a conservative and Christian democratic The Mexican War of Independence (1810 - 1821 was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and Spanish colonial authorities which started on September 16 1810 Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Events 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr is declared Prince of Wales by his followers Year 1810 ( MDCCCX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 489 - Odoacer attacks Theodoric at the Battle of Verona and is defeated again Year 1821 ( MDCCCXXI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. To help compare Orders of magnitude of different surface Areas here is a list of areas between 1 million km² and 10 million km² This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by total area. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. In Mathematics, a percentage is a way of expressing a number as a Fraction of 100 ( per cent meaning "per hundred" 5
Population
-	2007 estimate	108,700,891 (11th)
-	2005 census	103,263,388
-	Density	55/km² (142nd) 142/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2006 estimate
-	Total	$1. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology List of countries by population in 2005|List of countries by population in 1907This is a list of countries ordered according to Population. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume List of countries and dependencies by Population density in inhabitants/km² The purchasing power parity ( PPP) theory uses the long-term equilibrium Exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their Purchasing power. 149 trillion (12th)
-	Per capita	$12. There are three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP (the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head with Per meaning 'through' or 'by' 775 (60th)
GDP (nominal)		2006 estimate
-	Total	$840. This article includes three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP at Purchasing power parity (PPP Per capita 012 billion (short scale) (14th)
-	Per capita	$8,066 (55th)
Gini (2006)		47. PLEASE NO RANDOM FIGURES THERE ARE NO FIGURES BASED ON NATIONAL STATISTICS IN THIS ARTICLE Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head with Per meaning 'through' or 'by' This article includes three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product Per capita at Nominal values, the The Gini coefficient is a measure of statistical dispersion most prominently used as a measure of inequality of income distribution or inequality of wealth 3 (high)
HDI (2007)		▲ 0. The Human Development Index ( HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of Life expectancy, Literacy, Educational attainment, and GDP 829 (high) (52nd)
Currency		Mexican peso (MXN)
Time zone		U. This is a list of countries by Human Development Index as included in the United Nations Development Program 's Human Development Report 2007 A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of Goods and/or services It is one form of Money, where money is The peso ( sign: $; code: MXN) is the currency of Mexico. The symbol used for the peso is " $ " basically ISO 4217 is the International standard describing three-letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established S Central to Western (UTC-8 to -6)
Internet TLD		.mx
Calling code		+52

The United Mexican States^[2] (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos (help·info)), or commonly Mexico (IPA: /ˈmɛksɪkoʊ/) (Spanish: México (help·info) Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmexiko]), is a federal constitutional republic in North America. A country This is a list of country calling codes defined by ITU-T recommendation E The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Political federalism is a Political philosophy in which a group of members are bound together (Latin foedus, covenant) with a governing For the revolt in Brazil, see Constitutionalist Revolution. The term Constitutionalism is a word with a variety of meanings A republic is a State or Country that is not led by a hereditary Monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people have impact on its It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the North Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions Guatemala (República de Guatemala) is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west the Pacific Ocean to the southwest Belize (bəˈliːz formerly British Honduras, is a country in Central America. For the region see Caribbean. The Caribbean Sea (kəˈrɪbiən or /ˌkærɨˈbiːən/ is a tropical Sea in the Western Hemisphere The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest Body of water in the world ^[3][4] The United Mexican States is a federation comprising thirty-one states and a federal district, the capital Mexico City, whose metropolitan area is one of the world's most populous. A federation ( Latin: foedus, covenant is a union comprising a number of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central ("federal" Federal districts are a type of Administrative division of a country under the direct control of that country's federal government Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México DF, México or simply Méjico) is the Capital city of Mexico The question of which are the World's largest cities is a complex one to which there is no single correct answer simply because there are many different ways of defining a "city"

Covering almost 2 million square kilometers,^[5] Mexico is the fifth-largest country in the Americas by total area and the 14th largest in the world. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by total area. With an estimated population of 109 million,^[6] it is the 11th most populous country and the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world. List of countries by population in 2005|List of countries by population in 1907This is a list of countries ordered according to Population.

As a regional power^[7][8] and the only Latin American member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) since 1994, Mexico is firmly established as an upper middle-income country^[9]. In International relations, a regional power is a State that has power within a geographic Region. The category of newly industrialized country ( NIC) is a socioeconomic classification applied to several countries around the world by Political scientists

Mexico is the 12th largest economy in the world by GDP by purchasing power parity. There are three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP (the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation The purchasing power parity ( PPP) theory uses the long-term equilibrium Exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their Purchasing power. The economy is strongly linked to those of its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners. Despite being considered an emerging world power,^[10] the country's social and security problems keep it from being effective.

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. Mexico held a general election on Sunday July 2 2000. At stake were the Presidency of the Republic, all 500 members of the Chamber of Deputies The Institutional Revolutionary Party ( Spanish: Partido Revolucionario Institucional or PRI) is a Mexican Political party that wielded

Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 2.1 Pre-Columbian civilizations 2.2 Colonial era and independence 2.3 20th and 21st centuries 3 Government and politics 3.1 Foreign relations 3.2 Military 3.3 Law enforcement and crime 3.4 The federation: States of Mexico and the Federal District 4 Geography and climate 4.1 Topography 4.2 Climate 4.3 Biodiversity 5 Economy 5.1 Tourism 5.2 Infrastructure 5.2.1 Energy 5.2.2 Transportation 5.2.3 Communications 6 Demographics 6.1 Immigration 6.2 Ethnography 6.3 Language 6.4 Religion 7 Culture 7.1 Cinema 7.2 Music 7.3 Fine arts 7.4 Broadcast media 7.5 Cuisine 8 Sports 9 Health Care and Education 10 Science and technology 11 See also 12 References 13 Bibliography 14 External links

Etymology

Main article: Toponymy of Mexico

After winning independence from Spain, it was decided that the new country would be named after its capital city, whose original name of foundation was México-Tenochtitlan, in reference to the Mexica tribe, the main group of people of what came to be known as the Aztec civilization. Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México DF, México or simply Méjico) is the Capital city of Mexico There are some towns in Mexico which are spelled "Tenochtitlán" like San Lorenzo The Mexica ( Nahuatl: Mēxihcah, meːˈʃiʔkaʔ or Mexicans ( Spanish: Mexicanos) were an indigenous people of the Aztec is a term used to refer to certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who achieved political The origin of the name of the Mexica is obscure and subject to diverse interpretations. Some^[11] argue that it derives from the Nahuatl 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". Nahuatl ( is a group of related languages and dialects of the Aztecan or Nahuan branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family In Aztec mythology, Mextli (also Mexitl or Tecciztecatl) was a god of war and storms and was born fully armed as a warrior In Aztec mythology, Huitzilopochtli, also spelled Uitzilopochtli (Huitzilopōchtli wi 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. Lake Texcoco (Lago de Texcoco was a natural Lake formation within the Valley of Mexico, a basin with an average Elevation of 2236 m Above 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). ^[12] Still another hypothesis suggests that it is derived from Mēctli, the goddess of maguey. The Century Plant or Maguey ( Agave americana) is an Agave originally from Mexico but cultivated worldwide as an ornamental plant ^[12]

The name of the city was transliterated to Spanish as México with the phonetic value of the x in Medieval Spanish, which represented the voiceless postalveolar fricative /ʃ/. The voiceless palato-alveolar fricative or domed postalveolar fricative ( IPA) is a type of Consonantal sound used in some spoken Languages This sound, as well as the voiced postalveolar fricative /ʒ/, represented by a j, evolved into a voiceless velar fricative /x/ during the sixteenth century. The voiced palato-alveolar fricative or domed postalveolar fricative is a type of Consonantal sound used in some spoken Languages The symbol The voiceless velar fricative, informally known as the hard ch, is a type of Consonantal sound used in some spoken Languages The symbol in the ^[13] 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. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. 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. The Real Academia Española (“Royal Spanish Academy” the RAE, is the official royal institution responsible for regulating the Spanish language Spelling is the Writing of a Word or words with the necessary letters and Diacritics present in an accepted standard order ^[14] The majority of publications in all Spanish-speaking countries now adhere to the new norm, even though the alternative variant is still occasionally used. ^[15] In English, the x in Mexico represents neither the original nor the current sound, but the consonant cluster /ks/.

History

Main article: History of Mexico

Pre-Columbian civilizations

Human presence in Mesoamerica has been shown to date back 40,000 years based upon ancient human footprints discovered in the Valley of Mexico (previous evidence substantiated indigenous inhabitants at 12,500 years ago). Mesoamerica or Meso-America (Mesoamérica is a Region extending approximately from central Mexico to Honduras and Nicaragua, defined 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 militaries. For almost three thousand years, Aridoamerica^[16] and Mesoamerica^[17] were the site of several advanced Amerindian civilizations. Aridoamerica was a broad cultural area in pre-Columbian North America used to describe the northern region of Mexico, in contrast to Mesoamerica (the south Mesoamerica or Meso-America (Mesoamérica is a Region extending approximately from central Mexico to Honduras and Nicaragua, defined For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United States.

In 1519, the native civilizations of Mesoamerica were invaded by Spain;^[18] among them the Aztecs, Mayans, Olmecs, etc. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Aztec is a term used to refer to certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who achieved political The Maya civilization is a Mesoamerican Civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the Pre-Columbian Americas The Olmec were an ancient Pre-Columbian people living in the Tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, in what are roughly the modern-day states This was one of the most important conquest campaigns in America. The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South 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 end to 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 populated of all Spanish colonies. There are some towns in Mexico which are spelled "Tenochtitlán" like San Lorenzo The Tlaxcalteca (also Tlaxcalans, Tlaxcallans) were an indigenous group of Nahua ethnicity that inhabited the Kingdom of Tlaxcala located in Aztec is a term used to refer to certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who achieved political The Viceroyalty of New Spain (Virreinato de Nueva España was a name given to the Viceroy -ruled territories of the Spanish Empire in North America, The Spanish Empire (Imperio Español was one of the largest Empires in history and one of the first Global empires In the 15th and 16th centuries

Colonial era and independence

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. Events 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr is declared Prince of Wales by his followers Year 1810 ( MDCCCX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla Gallaga Mondarte Villaseñor ( May 8 1753 &ndash July 30 1811) also known as Miguel Guanajuato is the name of a state in Mexico and that state's capital city as well as a river in the area ^[19] This was the catalyst for a long war that ended in 1821 which eventually led to the independence and creation of the ephemeral First Mexican Empire. The Mexican War of Independence (1810 - 1821 was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and Spanish colonial authorities which started on September 16 1810 The Mexican Empire was the official name of independent Mexico under a monarchical regime from 1822 to 1823 Agustín de Iturbide was the first and only emperor. Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Arámburu ( September 27, 1783 &ndash July 19, 1824) was Emperor of Mexico as Augustin Two years later, he was deposed by the republican forces. In 1824, a republican constitution was drafted creating the United Mexican States with Guadalupe Victoria as its first President. Guadalupe Victoria, born José Miguel Ramón Adaucto Fernández y Félix ( September 29, 1786 - March 21, 1843) was a Mexican

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 central authority). A unitary state is a State whose three Organs of state are governed Constitutionally as one single unit with one Constitutionally created ^[20] General Antonio López de Santa Anna was a strong influence in Mexican politics, a centralist and a two-time dictator. Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón ( February 21, 1794 &ndash June 21, 1876) often known as Santa In 1836, he approved the Siete Leyes, a radical amendment to the constitution that institutionalized the centralized form of government. The Siete Leyes (or Seven Laws) were a series of constitutional instruments that fundamentally altered the organizational structure of the young first Mexican 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. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The Republic of the Rio Grande existed briefly in North America between the Republic of Texas and Mexico, from January 17 to November The Republic of Yucatán was a separate Republic that existed briefly on Mexico 's Yucatán Peninsula during the 1840s 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. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A territorial dispute is a disagreement over the possession/control of land between two or more States or over the possession or control of land by one state after it has conquered 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. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ( Tratado de Guadalupe Hidalgo in Spanish) is the Peace treaty, largely dictated by the United States to

Dissatisfaction with Santa Anna's return to power, and his unconstitutional rule, led to the 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. Liberalism is a broad array of related ideas and theories of Government that consider individual Liberty to be the most important political goal The Plan of Ayutla was a plan aimed at removing Antonio López de Santa Anna as dictator of Mexico. La Reforma (The Reform was a period halfway through the 19th century in the History of Mexico that was characterized by liberal reforms and the transformation 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 Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico with support from the Catholic clergy and the conservative Mexicans. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Maximilian I Emperor of Mexico (Emperador Maximiliano I de México (6 July 1832 – 19 June 1867 (born Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph was a member of Austria This Second Mexican Empire was victorious for only a few years, when the previous president of the Republic, the Zapotec Indian Benito Juárez, managed to restore the republic in 1867. The Second Mexican Empire was the name of Mexico under the regime established from 1864 to 1867 The Zapotec civilization was an indigenous Pre-Columbian civilization that flourished in the Valley of Oaxaca of southern Mesoamerica. Benito Pablo Juárez García (benit̪o paβ̞lo xwaɾes gaɾsia ( March 21, 1806 – July 18, 1872) was a Zapotec Amerindian

20th and 21st centuries

Porfirio Díaz, a republican general during the French intervention, ruled Mexico from 1876–1880 and then from 1880–1911 in five consecutive reelections. José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican politician ( September 15, 1830 – 2 July 1915) that would later become the president of Mexico 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. José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican politician ( September 15, 1830 – 2 July 1915) that would later become the president of Mexico ^[21] An obvious and preposterous electoral fraud that led to his fifth reelection sparked the Mexican Revolution of 1910, initially led by Francisco I. Madero. The Mexican Revolution (Revolución Mexicana was a major armed struggle that started with an uprising led by Francisco I Francisco Indalecio Madero González ( October 30, 1873 &ndash February 22, 1913) was a politician writer and Revolutionary who served 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. José Victoriano Huerta Márquez ( Colotlán, Jalisco, December 22, 1850, &ndash January 13, 1916 in El Paso S. ambassador Henry Lane Wilson. Henry Lane Wilson (1857 &ndash 1932 was an American diplomat. This re-ignited the civil war, with participants such as Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata who formed their own forces. Doroteo Arango Arámbula ( June 5 1878 &ndash July 20 1923) better known as Francisco or " Pancho " Villa Emiliano Zapata Salazar ( August 8, 1879 – April 10, 1919) was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution, which broke out in 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 1917 Constitution. The Political Constitution of the United Mexican States of 1917 is the present Constitution of Mexico. Carranza was killed in 1920 and succeeded by another revolutionary hero, Álvaro Obregón, who in turn was succeeded by Plutarco Elías Calles. For other uses including places named after this person see Obregón. Plutarco Elías Calles ( September 25 1877 – October 19 1945) was a Mexican general and politician 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. The Institutional Revolutionary Party ( Spanish: Partido Revolucionario Institucional or PRI) is a Mexican Political party that wielded

Between 1940 and 1980, Mexico experienced substantial economic growth that some historians call "El Milagro Mexicano", the Mexican Miracle. ^[22] The assumption of mineral rights by the government, and the subsequent nationalization of the oil industry into 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. Petróleos Mexicanos ( PEMEX) is Mexico 's state-owned Petroleum company This article is about Gen Lázaro Cárdenas del Río For his grandson see Lázaro Cárdenas Batel.

Although the economy continued to flourish, social inequality remained a factor of discontent. Moreover, the PRI rule became increasingly authoritarian and at times oppressive. ^[23] An example of this is the Tlatelolco Massacre ^[24] 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. The Tlatelolco Massacre, also known as The Night of Tlatelolco (from a book title by the Mexican writer Elena Poniatowska) took place on the afternoon and night of

In the 1970s there was extreme dissatisfaction with the administration of Luis Echeverría which took missteps in both the national and international arenas. Luis Echeverría Álvarez (born January 17, 1922) served as President of Mexico from 1970 to 1976 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. ^[25][26] 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, oil prices plunged, interest rates soared, and the government defaulted on its debt. The 1980s oil glut was a surplus of crude oil caused by falling demand following the 1973 and 1979 energy crises. In an attempt to stabilize the current account balance, and given the reluctance of international lenders to return to Mexico given the previous default, President de la Madrid resorted to currency devaluations which in turn sparked inflation. Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado (born December 12, 1934) is a Mexican politician affiliated to the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI who served

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,^[27] 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. Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an Election. Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Solórzano (born May 1 1934) is a prominent Mexican politician Carlos Salinas de Gortari ( Mexico City, April 3, 1948) is a Mexican economist and politician affiliated to the Institutional Revolutionary ^[28] Salinas embarked on a program of 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. Originally coined by its critics and opponents " neoliberalism " is a label referring to the recent reemergence of Economic liberalism or Classical liberalism 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. The Zapatista Army of National Liberation ( Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional, EZLN) is an armed Revolutionary group based in Chiapas 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 Mexican economy collapsed. Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León (born December 27, 1951) is a Mexican economist and politician The 1994 economic crisis in Mexico, widely known as the Mexican peso crisis, was triggered by the sudden Devaluation of the Mexican peso in the early

With a rapid rescue packaged authorized by United States 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. William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III, August 19 1946 served as the forty-second President of the United States ^[29] 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 in 1997. Congress (formally Congreso de la Unión or Congress of the Union) is the Legislative branch of the Mexican government. In 2000, after 71 years the PRI lost a presidential election to Vicente Fox of the opposition National Action Party (PAN). Vicente Fox Quesada ( born July 2 1942) is a Mexican politician who served as President of Mexico from 2000 to 2006 and currently The National Action Party ( Spanish Partido Acción Nacional) known by the acronym PAN, is a conservative and Christian democratic 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. Events 1174 - Jocelin, Abbot of Melrose, is elected Bishop of Glasgow. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Organization The initial SPP Working Groups are the Manufacture Goods and Sectoral and Regional Competitiveness Working Group E-Commerce & ICT Working Group Energy Working 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. The Party of the Democratic Revolution (in Spanish: Partido de la Revolución Democrática, PRD is one of the three main political parties in Mexico. In the concurrent presidential elections, Felipe Calderón, from PAN was declared winner, with a razor-thin margin over Andrés Manuel López Obrador PRD. This article is about the current president of Mexico For the Filipino politician and historical figure see Felipe Calderón y Roca. Andrés Manuel López Obrador, (born November 13, 1953) is a Mexican politician who held the position of Head of Government of the Federal District López Obrador, however, contested the election and pledged to create an "alternative government". The results of the Mexican general election of July 2, 2006 were Controversial and are still being contested ^[30]

Government and politics

Main article: Politics of Mexico

The United Mexican States are a federation whose government is representative, democratic and republican based on a congressional system according to the 1917 Constitution. Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of the people's representatives Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system A republic is a State or Country that is not led by a hereditary Monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people have impact on its A presidential system is a System of government where an executive branch exists and presides (hence the term separately from the Legislature The Political Constitution of the United Mexican States of 1917 is the present Constitution of Mexico. 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 plurality voting system is a Single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation or PR is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes

The federal government is constituted by the Powers of the Union, the three separate branches of government:

• Legislative: the bicameral Congress of the Union, composed of a Senate and a Chamber of Deputies, which makes federal law, declares war, imposes taxes, approves the national budget and international treaties, and ratifies diplomatic appointments. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation Congress (formally Congreso de la Unión or Congress of the Union) is the Legislative branch of the Mexican government. The Senate ( Spanish: Cámara de Senadores or Senado) is the upper house of Mexico 's Bicameral Congress. The Chamber of Deputies (in Spanish: Cámara de Diputados) is the lower house of the Congress of the Union, Mexico 's bicameral ^[31]
• Executive: the President of the United Mexican States, who is the head of state and government, as well as the commander in chief of the Mexican military forces. In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. The Constitutional Citizen President of the United Mexican States (the official title in Spanish is Ciudadano Presidente Constitucional de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state This article focuses on the cases where the Head of Government is a separate office from the Head of State A commander-in-chief is the Commander of a nation's Military forces or significant element of those forces The President also appoints, with Senate approval, the Cabinet and other officers. The Mexican Executive Cabinet is a part of the executive branch of the Mexican government The President is responsible for executing and enforcing the law, and has the authority of vetoing bills. ^[32]
• Judiciary: The Supreme Court of Justice, comprised by eleven judges appointed by the President with Senate approval, who interpret laws and judge cases of federal competency. In Law, the judiciary or judicial system is the system of Courts which administer Justice in the name of the sovereign or State The Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación or SCJN is the highest Federal court in the United Mexican States. Other institutions of the judiciary are the Electoral Tribunal, collegiate, unitary and district tribunals, and the Council of the Federal Judiciary. ^[33]

All elected executive officials are elected by plurality (first-past-the-post). The plurality voting system is a Single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member Seats to the legislature are elected by plurality and proportional representation at the federal and state level. Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation or PR is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes ^[34] 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 party lists^[35] for which the country is divided into 5 electoral constituencies or circumscriptions. Closed list describes the variant of Party-list proportional representation where voters can (effectively only vote for political parties as a whole and thus ^[36] 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. ^[35]

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. ^[37] The other three parties have historically been the dominant parties in Mexican politics:

• National Action Party (Partido Acción Nacional, PAN): a center-right conservative party founded in 1939. The National Action Party ( Spanish Partido Acción Nacional) known by the acronym PAN, is a conservative and Christian democratic
• Institutional Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Institucional, PRI): a center party that ascribes to social democracy, founded in 1929 to unite all the factions of the Mexican Revolution. The Institutional Revolutionary Party ( Spanish: Partido Revolucionario Institucional or PRI) is a Mexican Political party that wielded Social democracy is a Political ideology of the left and centre-left The Mexican Revolution (Revolución Mexicana was a major armed struggle that started with an uprising led by Francisco I Prominent right-wing as well as left-wing Mexican politicians have been members of the party.
• 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 which had presented the candidacy of Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas in the 1988 elections. The Party of the Democratic Revolution (in Spanish: Partido de la Revolución Democrática, PRD is one of the three main political parties in Mexico. The National Democratic Front (Frente Democrático Nacional was a coalition of left-wing Mexican political parties created in 1988 presidential elections, and that is the immediate Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Solórzano (born May 1 1934) is a prominent Mexican politician

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. Vicente Fox Quesada ( born July 2 1942) is a Mexican politician who served as President of Mexico from 2000 to 2006 and currently

In 2006, Felipe Calderón of the PAN faced Andrés Manuel López Obrador of the PRD in a very close election (0. This article is about the current president of Mexico For the Filipino politician and historical figure see Felipe Calderón y Roca. Andrés Manuel López Obrador, (born November 13, 1953) is a Mexican politician who held the position of Head of Government of the Federal District For other elections in Mexico during 2006 see 2006 Mexican elections For election disputes and controversies see Mexican general election 2006 58% difference), in a system without a second-ballot. On September 6, 2006, Felipe Calderón was declared President-elect by the electoral tribunal. Events 3114 BC - According to the Proleptic Julian calendar the current era in the Maya Long Count Calendar started Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. This article is about the current president of Mexico For the Filipino politician and historical figure see Felipe Calderón y Roca. A President-elect is a Political candidate who has been elected President but who has not yet taken office as it is still occupied by the Outgoing His cabinet was sworn in at midnight on December 1, 2006 and Calderón was handed the presidential band by outgoing Vicente Fox at Los Pinos. Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Los Pinos is both Mexico 's official presidential residence and offices the home &ndash for a six-year period &ndash of the President of Mexico. He was officially sworn as President on the morning of December 1, 2006 in Congress. Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Congress (formally Congreso de la Unión or Congress of the Union) is the Legislative branch of the Mexican government.

Foreign relations

Main article: 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. Traditionally the Government of Mexico has sought to maintain its interests abroad and project its influence largely through moral persuasion

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). Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León (born December 27, 1951) is a Mexican economist and politician The Estrada Doctrine is the name of Mexico 's core Foreign Policy ideal from 1930 to 2000 Genaro Estrada (June 2 1887 – September 29 1937 was a Mexican Statesman, academic, and Writer. The Estrada Doctrine was a foreign policy guideline of an enclosed view of sovereignty. Sovereignty is the exclusive Right to control a Government, a country, a people or oneself 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. ^[38] 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 to be his Secretary of Foreign Affairs. Vicente Fox Quesada ( born July 2 1942) is a Mexican politician who served as President of Mexico from 2000 to 2006 and currently Jorge Germán Castañeda Gutman (b May 24, 1953) is a Mexican politician and academic who served as Secretary of Foreign Affairs (2000 &ndash Secretaries of Foreign Affairs Enrique Creel Cuilty 1910–1911 Francisco León de la Barra 1911 1913 Victoriano Salado Castañeda immediately broke with the Estrada Doctrine, promoting what was called by critics the "Castañeda Doctrine". The Castañeda Doctrine is a term used as reference to Mexico 's foreign policy during the presidency of Vicente Fox. ^[39] 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. ^[40]

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, Air Force or Navy to collaborate with the United Nations in peace-keeping missions, or to provide military help to countries that officially ask for it. The Mexican Army is the land branch and largest of the Mexican Military services it also is known as the National Defence Army The Mexican Air Force ( Fuerza Aérea Mexicana or FAM) is the aviation branch of the Mexican Army and depends on the National Defense Secretariat ( SEDENA The Mexican Navy ( Armada de México or SEMAR) is a branch of the Mexican Military responsible for conducting naval operations The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security

Military

Main articles: Military of Mexico, Mexican Army, Mexican Air Force, and Mexican Navy

Mexico has the second largest defence budget ($6. The Mexican military forces are composed of the Mexican Army (which includes the Mexican Air Force as a subordinate entity and the Mexican Navy The Mexican Army is the land branch and largest of the Mexican Military services it also is known as the National Defence Army The Mexican Air Force ( Fuerza Aérea Mexicana or FAM) is the aviation branch of the Mexican Army and depends on the National Defense Secretariat ( SEDENA The Mexican Navy ( Armada de México or SEMAR) is a branch of the Mexican Military responsible for conducting naval operations 07 billion USD)^[41] and armed forces^[42] in the region. Mexico's military includes 503,777 total personnel, of which around 192,770 are active in the frontline. ^[43] The Mexican Military has three branches; the Mexican Army, the Mexican Air Force, and the Mexican Navy. The Mexican Army is the land branch and largest of the Mexican Military services it also is known as the National Defence Army The Mexican Air Force ( Fuerza Aérea Mexicana or FAM) is the aviation branch of the Mexican Army and depends on the National Defense Secretariat ( SEDENA The Mexican Navy ( Armada de México or SEMAR) is a branch of the Mexican Military responsible for conducting naval operations

• Mexican Army

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

The Air Force national headquarters is embedded in the Army headquarters in Mexico City. The Mexican Air Force ( Fuerza Aérea Mexicana or FAM) is the aviation branch of the Mexican Army and depends on the National Defense Secretariat ( SEDENA 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 City. The Mexican Navy ( Armada de México or SEMAR) is a branch of the Mexican Military responsible for conducting naval operations The city of Veracruz is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. 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 Special Forces group. The Fuerzas Especiales ( Special Forces) also known as FES (the initials of their motto is a Special operations unit of the Mexican Navy officially The Navy also has an air arm with troop transport, reconnaissance, and surveillance aircraft. Surveillance aircraft are military Aircraft used for monitoring enemy activity usually carrying no armament

The Navy maintains significant infrastructure, including naval dockyards that have the capability of building ships, such as the Holzinger class gunboats. A gunboat is literally a Boat carrying one or more Guns The term is rather broad and the usual connotation has changed over the years (sometimes encompassing 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. The Federal Preventive Police ( Spanish Policía Federal Preventiva) or PFP, is the uniformed Federal police force of Mexico 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. In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. ^[44] The PGR operates the Federal Agency of Investigation (Agencia Federal de Investigación, AFI) an investigative and preventive agency. Federal Investigations Agency ( Agencia Federal de Investigación, AFI in Spanish is an elite Mexican federal agency set up on November 1 2001 to fight corruption and organized ^[45]

While the government respects the human rights of most citizens,^[46] serious abuses of power have been reported in security operations in indigenous communities and poor urban neighborhoods. ^[46] 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. ^[47] 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. ^[48] 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. ^[48] 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. ^[49]

Total crimes per capita average 12 per 1,000 people in Mexico, ranking 39 in a survey of 60 countries. ^[50] Violent crime is a critical issue in Mexico; with a rate of homicide varying from 11 to 14 per 100,000 inhabitants. ^[51] 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. ^[51] Current president, Felipe Calderón, made abating drug-trafficking one of the top priorities of his administration. This article is about the current president of Mexico For the Filipino politician and historical figure see Felipe Calderón y Roca. 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. The Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL is a part of the Department of State within the United States government that advises the . . " with "many important successes". ^[52] 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. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. The Mérida Initiative (also called Plan Mexico by critics is a security cooperation between the United States and the government of Mexico and the countries ^[53]

The federation: States of Mexico and the Federal District

Main articles: Political divisions of Mexico and Mexican state name etymologies

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. This article provides a collection of the Etymologies of the Names of the States of Mexico. Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México DF, México or simply Méjico) is the Capital city of Mexico Aguascalientes ˌaɰwaskaˈljen̪t̪es is a state of Mexico, situated in the center of the country Baja California (pronounced ˈbɑːhɑː kælɨˈfɔrnjə in English is the northernmost state of Mexico. Baja California Sur (pron BAH-hah kahl'-ee-FORE-nyah SOOR is one of the 31 States of Mexico. Campeche is the name of both a state in Mexico and its capital city Chiapas is the southernmost state of Mexico, located towards the southeast of the country Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of Mexico 's 31 component states. For the state capital of the same name see Colima Colima. There is also a volcano named Colima, and a spider genus Colima ( Zodariidae Durango (duˈɾaŋgo is one of the constituent States of Mexico. Guanajuato is the name of a state in Mexico and that state's capital city as well as a river in the area The State of Guerrero is a state in the southern meridional region of Mexico. Jalisco is a state in Mexico. The capital of Jalisco is the city of Guadalajara. Mexico State or State of Mexico (often abbreviated to " Edomex " from Estado de México in Spanish) is a state in the Michoacán formally Michoacán de Ocampo (from Nahuatl Michhuacān "place of the fishermen" is one of the 31 constituent states Morelos is one of the constituent States of Mexico. Morelos has an area of about, making it the second-smallest of the country's states Nayarit is one of Mexico’s 31 states and is located on the central west coast bordering the Pacific Ocean. Nuevo León ( Spanish for "New León " after the former kingdom in Spain) is a state located in northeastern Mexico. The Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), in Spanish phonemically /oa'xaka/ named for its largest city, is one of the Is a Mexican state located in the center east of the country to the east of Mexico City. Querétaro (former formal name Querétaro Arteaga) is a state in central Mexico. Quintana Roo (kinˈtana ˈro is a state of Mexico, on the eastern part of the Yucatán Peninsula. San Luis Potosí is the name of both a state in Mexico and that state's capital city Sinaloa is one of the 31 states of Mexico. Geography Sinaloa is bordered to the north by Sonora and Chihuahua; to the south Sonora is one of the 31 federal states of Mexico and is located in the northwest of the country Tabasco is a state in Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Veracruz to the west Chiapas to the south and Campeche to the Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states of Mexico, it is located in the northeast Tlaxcala (tlasˈkala is one of the 31 states of Mexico, located to the east of Mexico City. Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave is one of the 31 states that constitute the republic of Mexico. Yucatán is one of the 31 states of Mexico, located on the north of the Yucatán Peninsula. Zacatecas is one of the 31 constituent states of Mexico. It is located in the north-central region and it is bounded to the northwest by Durango Each state has its own constitution and congress, as well as a judiciary, and its citizens elect by direct voting, a governor (gobernador) for a six-year term, as well as representatives (diputados locales) to their respective state congresses, for three-year terms. The United Mexican States (or Mexico) is a union of 31 thirty one States and one Federal District (the Mexican Federal District, or Distrito ^[54] 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 (municipios), the smallest official political entity in the country, governed by a mayor or "municipal president" (presidente municipal), elected by its residents by plurality. Municipalities ( municipios in Spanish) are the second-level administrative division in Mexico (where the first-level administrative division is the A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government ^[55] Municipalities can be further subdivided into non-autonomous boroughs or in semi-autonomous auxiliary presidencies. In Mexico, boroughs in which some municipalities and the Federal District are divided for administrative purposes are known as delegaciones (sing

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. Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México DF, México or simply Méjico) is the Capital city of Mexico ^[56] Nonetheless, since 1987 it has progressively gained a greater degree of autonomy, and residents now elect a head of government (Jefe de Gobierno) and representatives of a Legislative Assembly directly. The Head of Government (Jefe de Gobierno wields executive power in the Mexican Federal District. 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:

Geography and climate

Main article: Geography of Mexico

Situated in southern North America^[57][58] at about 23° N and 102° W,^[59] Mexico comprises much of Middle America. Geographic coordinates: Physical features Beginning approximately 50 kilometers from the United States border the Sierra ^[60][61] Physiographically, the lands east of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec including the Yucatán Peninsula (which together comprise around 12% of the country's area) lie within Central America; geologically, the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt delimits the region on the north. The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is an Isthmus in Mexico. It represents the shortest distance between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, and The Yucatán Peninsula, in Southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico. For other topics with the same name see " Sierra Nevada " ^[62] Geopolitically, however, Mexico is commonly considered a North American country.

Mexico's total area is 1,972,550 km², making it the 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. This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by total area. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions Guadalupe Island, or Isla Guadalupe ( is a volcanic island located 241 kilometers (150 Statute miles off the west coast of Mexico 's Baja The Revillagigedo Islands (also Revillagigedo Archipelago or Islas Revillagigedo) are a group of four Volcanic islands Islands in the The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest Body of water in the world For the region see Caribbean. The Caribbean Sea (kəˈrɪbiən or /ˌkærɨˈbiːən/ is a tropical Sea in the Western Hemisphere " Sea of Cortez " redirects here For the book by John Steinbeck, see The Log from the Sea of Cortez. On its north, 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. Ciudad Juárez, also known as just Juárez, is a city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua formerly known as El Paso del Norte. 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

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. The Sierra Madre Oriental is a Mountain range in northeastern Mexico, spanning 1000 km from Coahuila south through Nuevo León, southwest The Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range in western Mexico and the extreme southwest of the United States, extending 1500 km from southeast Arizona Mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a Mountain range in western 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. For other topics with the same name see " Sierra Nevada " A fourth mountain range, the Sierra Madre del Sur, runs from Michoacán to Oaxaca. The Sierra Madre del Sur is a Mountain range in southern Mexico, extending 1000 km from southern Michoacán east through Guerrero, to the Michoacán formally Michoacán de Ocampo (from Nahuatl Michhuacān "place of the fishermen" is one of the 31 constituent states The Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), in Spanish phonemically /oa'xaka/ named for its largest city, is one of the 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). The Pico de Orizaba, or Citlaltépetl (from Nahuatl citlal(in = star and tepētl = mountain is a Stratovolcano, the highest Popocatépetl (commonly referred to as Popo, El Popo or Don Goyo) (popokaˈtepetɬ is an active Volcano and at 5426 m Iztaccíhuatl (alternative spellings include Ixtaccíhuatl, or either variant spelled without the accent (istakˈsiwatɬ or as spelled with the x, iʃtakˈsiwatɬ Nevado de Toluca is a large Stratovolcano in central Mexico, located about west of Mexico City near the city of Toluca. Three major urban agglomerations are located in the valleys between these four elevations: Toluca, Greater Mexico City and Puebla. Greater Mexico City refers to the Conurbation around Mexico City, officially called Mexico City Metropolitan Area ( Zona Metropolitana de la Ciudad The city of Puebla, officially Heroic Puebla de Zaragoza (nicknamed Angelópolis) is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Puebla.

Climate

The Tropic of Cancer effectively divides the country into temperate and tropical zones. For the novel by Henry Miller, see Tropic of Cancer (novel. The Tropic of Cancer, or Northern tropic, is one of five 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.

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. The Yucatán Peninsula, in Southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico. 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. Valley of Mexico is a highland Plateau in central Mexico roughly coterminous with the present-day Distrito Federal and the eastern half of the State 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

Mexico is one of the 17 megadiverse countries of the world. The megadiverse countries are a group of countries that harbor the majority of the earth's species and are therefore considered extremely Biodiverse. With over 200,000 different species, Mexico is home of 10–12% of the world's biodiversity. ^[63] Mexico ranks first in biodiversity in reptiles with 707 known species, second in mammals with 438 species, fourth in amphibians with 290 species, and fourth in flora, with 26,000 different species. Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia are air-breathing Cold-blooded Vertebrates that have skin covered in scales as opposed to hair or feathers Prehistoric amphibian Amphibians (class Amphibia such as Frogs Toads Salamanders Newts Gymnophiona, Sirens and ^[64] Mexico is also considered the second country in the world in ecosystems and fourth in overall species. An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants animals and micro-organisms( Biotic factors in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical ( ^[65] Approximately 2,500 species are protected by Mexican legislations. ^[65] 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). ^[63]

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, tejocote, huitlacoche, sapote, mamey sapote, and many varieties of beans. Chocolate ( pronounced or /-ˈələt/ comprises a number of raw and processed foods that are produced from the seed of the tropical Cacao tree The tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum, syn Lycopersicon lycopersicum) is a herbaceous usually sprawling plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family Maize (ˈmeɪz ( Zea mays L. ssp mays) known as corn in some countries is a cereal grain domesticated in Mesoamerica Maize (ˈmeɪz ( Zea mays L. ssp mays) known as corn in some countries is a cereal grain domesticated in Mesoamerica Vanilla is a Flavoring derived from Orchids of the genus Vanilla native to Mexico. The avocado ( Persea americana) (from Nahuatl āhuacatl) also known as aguacate ( Spanish) butter pear or Guava is a Genus of about 100 Species of Tropical Shrubs and small Trees in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. The chayote ( Sechium edule) also known as sayote, tayota, choko, chocho, chow-chow, christophine or Epazote, Wormseed, Jesuit's Tea, Mexican Tea, or Herba Sancti Mariæ ( Dysphania ambrosioides, formerly Chenopodium ambrosioides The sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas) is a Dicotyledonous plant which belongs to the family Convolvulaceae Jícama (Spanish hee -kah-mah from Nahuatl xicamatl hee -kah-mahtl also Mexican Potato and Mexican Turnip, is the name Opuntia Nopales are a Vegetable made from the young stem segments of Prickly pear, carefully peeled to remove the spines They are particularly Crataegus pubescens, known as Mexican Hawthorn or Tejocote, is a species of hawthorn native to Mexico. Corn smut is a disease of Maize caused by the pathogenic plant fungus Ustilago maydis. Sapote or tzapotl is a Nahuatl language word for a soft edible Fruit. The mamey sapote ( Pouteria sapota) is a Species of Tree that is native to southern Mexico. Bean is a common name for large plant Seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae used for human food or animal Most of these names are in indigenous languages like Nahuatl. Nahuatl ( is a group of related languages and dialects of the Aztecan or Nahuan branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family

Economy

Main articles: Economy of Mexico and Economic history of Mexico

Mexico has a free market mixed economy, and is firmly established as an upper middle-income country. ^[66] It is the 12th largest economy in the world as measured in Gross Domestic Product in purchasing power parity. The purchasing power parity ( PPP) theory uses the long-term equilibrium Exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their Purchasing power. ^[67] 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. Gross National Income (GNI comprises the total value produced within a country (i The purchasing power parity ( PPP) theory uses the long-term equilibrium Exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their Purchasing power. ^[68] After the 1994 economic debacle, Mexico has made an impressive recovery, building a modern and diversified economy. The 1994 economic crisis in Mexico, widely known as the Mexican peso crisis, was triggered by the sudden Devaluation of the Mexican peso in the early ^[66] 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. ^[69] According to Goldman Sachs BRIMC review of emerging economies, by 2050 the largest economies in the world will be as follows: China, United States, India, Japan, Brazil, and Mexico. The Goldman Sachs Group Inc, or simply Goldman Sachs ( is a large global Bank holding company that engages in Investment banking securities BRIMC is a relatively new term used to refer to the combination of Brazil, Russia, India, Mexico, and the People's Republic of China Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES The United States of America —commonly referred to as the India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld ^[70]

According to the director for Mexico at the World Bank, the population in extreme poverty has decreased from 24. The World Bank is an internationally supported Bank that provides financial and technical assistance to developing countries for development programs (e 2% to 17. 6% in the general population and from 42% to 27. 9% in rural areas from 2000-2004. ^[71] 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, a district of 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. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The Human Development Index ( HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of Life expectancy, Literacy, Educational attainment, and GDP Benito Juárez is one of the 16 delegaciones (boroughs into which Mexico 's Federal District is divided Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México DF, México or simply Méjico) is the Capital city of Mexico San Pedro Garza García, commonly referred to as either San Pedro or Garza García, is a city and a municipality of the Nuevo León ( Spanish for "New León " after the former kingdom in Spain) is a state located in northeastern Mexico. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island In contrast, Metlatonoc, in the state of Guerrero, would have an HDI similar to that of Syria. The State of Guerrero is a state in the southern meridional region of Mexico. Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية ^[72][73]

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%. ^[74] 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. ^[74] Along with Chile, Mexico has the highest rating of long-term sovereign credit in Latin America. Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the 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. ^[75]

Approximately 90% of Mexican trade has been put under free trade agreements with over 40 countries, of which the North American Free Trade Agreement remains the most significant. See also List of free trade agreements This is article is on free international trade Almost 90% of Mexican exports go to the United States and Canada^[76] and close to 65% of its imports come from these two countries. ^[76] Other major trade agreements have been signed with the European Union, Japan, Israel and many countries in Central and South America. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. 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. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in ^[77] Mexican exports roughly equal the total exports of all Mercosur members together, Venezuela inclusive. Role and potential Some South Americans see Mercosur as giving the capability to combine resources to balance the activities of other global economic powers especially the North Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the ^[77]

Ongoing economic concerns include the commercial and financial dependence on the US,^[78] 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. In Economics, the term underemployment has three different distinct meanings and applications Income inequality metrics or income distribution metrics are techniques used by economists to measure the distribution of Income and Economic inequality For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United 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 article: Tourism in Mexico

According to the World Tourism Organization, Mexico has one of the largest tourism industries in the world. The United Nations World Tourism Organization ( UNWTO) headquartered in Madrid, Spain, is a United Nations agency dealing with questions relating 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. ^[79] 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 middle/lower class typically take their vacations within Mexico, in contrast to the middle/higher class who travel worldwide, especially to Europe and the United States, and in lesser numbers to Asia and South America. In developed nations across the earth the lower middle class, is a sub-division of the greater Middle class which constitutes by far the largest socio-economic class The upper middle class is a sociological concept referring to the Social group constituted by higher-status members of the Middle class. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the 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

Energy production in Mexico is managed by State-owned companies: the Federal Commission of Electricity (Comisión Federal de Electricidad, CFE) and Pemex (Petróleos Mexicanos). Electricity Supply and Demand Installed capacity Installed electricity capacity in 2006 was 49 GW The Comisión Federal de Electricidad ( English: Federal Electricity Commission) is the Mexican state-owned electric Monopoly Petróleos Mexicanos ( PEMEX) is Mexico 's state-owned Petroleum company 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, México, Hidalgo and the Federal District, whose distribution of electricity is in charge of the State-owned Luz y Fuerza del Centro. Morelos is one of the constituent States of Mexico. Morelos has an area of about, making it the second-smallest of the country's states Mexico State or State of Mexico (often abbreviated to " Edomex " from Estado de México in Spanish) is a state in the Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México DF, México or simply Méjico) is the Capital city of Mexico Most of the electricity is generated in thermoelectrical plants, even though CFE operates several hydroelectrical plants, as well as wind power, geothermal and nuclear generators. A thermal power station is a Power plant in which the prime mover is Steam driven Hydroelectricity is electricity generated by Hydropower, ie the production of power through use of the gravitational force of falling water Nuclear Energy is released by the splitting (fission or merging together (fusion of the nuclei of Atom (s ^[80]

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. Petróleos Mexicanos ( PEMEX) is Mexico 's state-owned Petroleum company Pemex is the largest company in Latin America,^[81] and the ninth-largest oil company in the world. ^[82] In terms of total output, in 2007 it was the sixth-larger producer in the world^[83]—in 2003 it was the third-largest^[82]— producing 3. 1 million of barrels a day, way above the production of Kuwait or Venezuela. The State of Kuwait ( دولة الكويت IPA [dawlatt̪ alkuwajt̪]) is a sovereign Arab Emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the ^[83]

Transportation

Main article: Transportation in Mexico

See also: List of Mexican Federal Highways and List of Mexican railroads

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,^[84] most of which were tollways. As the third most extensive and the second most populated country in Latin America, Mexico has developed an extensive transportation network to meet the needs of the economy This is a list of numbered federal highways ( carreteras federales) in Mexico. In operation As of 2006 Suburban Ferrocarril Suburbano de la Zona Metropolitana de México Class An expressway is a Divided highway for high-speed traffic with at least partial Control of access. A toll road, (also known as a tollway, turnpike, pike, or toll highway, especially if it is constructed to Freeway standards 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. ^[85]

Being one of the first Latin American countries to promote railway development,^[85] the network, though extensive at 30,952 km,^[86] is still inefficient to meet the economic demands of transportation. ^[85] Most of the rail network is mainly used for merchandise or industrial freight and was mostly operated by National Railway of Mexico (Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, FNM), privatized in 1997. Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, (better known as N de M) was Mexico 's state owned Railroad company from 1938 to 1998

In 1999, Mexico had 1,806 airports, of which 233 had paved runways; of these, 35 carry 97% of the passenger traffic. ^[86] The Mexico City International Airport remains the largest in Latin America and the 44th largest in the world^[87] transporting 21 million passengers a year. Mexico City International Airport (Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México or AICM also called Benito Juárez International Airport is a commercial airport that ^[88] There are more than 70 domestic airline companies of which only two are known internationally: Aeromexico and Mexicana. Aerovías de México SA de CV, operating as AeroMéxico, is an Airline based in Mexico City, Mexico.

Mass transit in Mexico is modest. Most of the domestic passenger transport needs are served by an extensive bus network^[86] 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 metro, elevated and ground train, as well as a Suburban Train connecting the adjacent municipalities of Greater Mexico City—as well as at Guadalajara and Monterrey, the first served by a commuter rail and the second by an underground and elevated metro. Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México DF, México or simply Méjico) is the Capital city of Mexico The Mexico City Metro (formally Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metro or STC Metro) is a Rubber-tyred metro system that serves The Ferrocarril Suburbano de la Zona Metropolitana de México ( Suburban Railway of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area) is an electric Regional rail system in Greater Mexico City refers to the Conurbation around Mexico City, officially called Mexico City Metropolitan Area ( Zona Metropolitana de la Ciudad Guadalajara (ˌgwɑːdləˈhɑːrə Spanish pronunciation) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality This article is about the Mexican city for other uses see Monterrey (disambiguation. Guadalajara (ˌgwɑːdləˈhɑːrə Spanish pronunciation) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality The Monterrey Metro (also referred to as Metrorrey is a fully grade separated Light rail system in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

Communications

Main article: Communications in Mexico

The telecommunications industry is mostly dominated by Telmex (Teléfonos de México), privatized in 1990. Teléfonos de México SAB de CV ( better known as Telmex, is a Mexican Telecommunications Company that provides telecommunication 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. Axtel SAB de CV ( is a Mexican Telecommunications Company, headquartered in Monterrey, that provides telecommunication products and 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. Orography is the average height of land measured in geopotential meters, over a certain domain 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. ^[89] The telecommunication industry is regulated by the government through Cofetel (Comisión Federal de Telecomunicaciones).

Usage of radio, television, and Internet in Mexico is prevalent. ^[86] There are approximately 1,410 radio broadcast stations and 236 television stations (excluding repeaters). ^[89] Major players in the broadcasting industry are Televisa—the largest Spanish media company in the Spanish-speaking world^[90]— and TV Azteca. Televisa is a Mexican multimedia company and is the largest media company in the Spanish -speaking world and a major player in the international entertainment TV Azteca is the second largest Mexican Television network. It was established in 1983 as the state-owned Instituto Mexicano de la Televisión

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Mexico

According to the latest official census, which reported a population of 103 million, Mexico is the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world. Demographic dynamics In 1900 the Mexican population was 136 million ^[91] 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 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. Gdl3jpg|thumb| Guadalajara]] Metropolitan areas in Mexico have been traditionally defined as the group of municipalities that heavily interact with each other usually Greater Mexico City refers to the Conurbation around Mexico City, officially called Mexico City Metropolitan Area ( Zona Metropolitana de la Ciudad The Guadalajara Metropolitan Area ( Spanish: Área Metropolitana de Guadalajara) is the most populous metropolitan area of the Mexican state The Monterrey metropolitan area refers to the conurbation around the city of Monterrey, officially called Area Metropolitana de la Ciudad de Monterrey or AMM Metropolitan area of Puebla or Greater Puebla is the fourth largest agglomeration in Mexico with a population of 2 Greater Toluca or the Metropolitan Area of Toluca is the Conurbation formed by Toluca, as the core city and 12 adjacent municipalities of the State 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.

The following is a list of the major metropolitan areas of Mexico, as reported in the 2005 census.

Metropolitan areas by population

Rank	City proper	State	Pop.	Rank	City proper	State	Pop.	view • talk • edit Mexico City Guadalajara
1	Mexico City	Federal District	19,231,829	11	Querétaro	Querétaro	918,100
2	Guadalajara	Jalisco	4,095,853	12	Mérida	Yucatán	897,740
3	Monterrey	Nuevo Leon	3,664,331	13	Mexicali	Baja California	855,962
4	Puebla	Puebla	2,109,049	14	Aguascalientes	Aguascalientes	805,666
5	Toluca	Mexico State	1,610,786	15	Tampico	Tamaulipas	803,196
6	Tijuana	Baja California	1,483,992	16	Culiacán	Sinaloa	793,730
7	León	Guanajuato	1,425,210	17	Cuernavaca	Morelos	787,556
8	Ciudad Juárez	Chihuahua	1,313,338	18	Acapulco	Guerrero	786,830
9	Torreón	Coahuila	1,110,890	19	Chihuahua	Chihuahua	784,882
10	San Luis Potosi	San Luis Potosí	957,753	20	Morelia	Michoacán	735,624
2005 Census[92]

Immigration

Mexico is home to the largest number of U. Gdl3jpg|thumb| Guadalajara]] Metropolitan areas in Mexico have been traditionally defined as the group of municipalities that heavily interact with each other usually The major metropolitan areas of Mexico, as reported in the 2005 census Incorporated places over 100 Gdl3jpg|thumb| Guadalajara]] Metropolitan areas in Mexico have been traditionally defined as the group of municipalities that heavily interact with each other usually Gdl3jpg|thumb| Guadalajara]] Metropolitan areas in Mexico have been traditionally defined as the group of municipalities that heavily interact with each other usually The major metropolitan areas of Mexico, as reported in the 2005 census Incorporated places over 100 Gdl3jpg|thumb| Guadalajara]] Metropolitan areas in Mexico have been traditionally defined as the group of municipalities that heavily interact with each other usually Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México DF, México or simply Méjico) is the Capital city of Mexico Guadalajara (ˌgwɑːdləˈhɑːrə Spanish pronunciation) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México DF, México or simply Méjico) is the Capital city of Mexico Federal districts are a type of Administrative division of a country under the direct control of that country's federal government Querétaro (former formal name Querétaro Arteaga) is a state in central Mexico. Guadalajara (ˌgwɑːdləˈhɑːrə Spanish pronunciation) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality Jalisco is a state in Mexico. The capital of Jalisco is the city of Guadalajara. Mérida ( Tiho' in Modern Maya) is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Yucatán and the Yucatan Peninsula. Yucatán is one of the 31 states of Mexico, located on the north of the Yucatán Peninsula. This article is about the Mexican city for other uses see Monterrey (disambiguation. Nuevo León ( Spanish for "New León " after the former kingdom in Spain) is a state located in northeastern Mexico. Mexicali, is the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California. Baja California (pronounced ˈbɑːhɑː kælɨˈfɔrnjə in English is the northernmost state of Mexico. The city of Puebla, officially Heroic Puebla de Zaragoza (nicknamed Angelópolis) is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Puebla. Is a Mexican state located in the center east of the country to the east of Mexico City. The city of Aguascalientes is the capital of the state of Aguascalientes in western central Mexico. Aguascalientes ˌaɰwaskaˈljen̪t̪es is a state of Mexico, situated in the center of the country Mexico State or State of Mexico (often abbreviated to " Edomex " from Estado de México in Spanish) is a state in the Tampico, located at, is the main city in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, and is the Mexican Gulf 's main economic powerhouse Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states of Mexico, it is located in the northeast Tijuana (ˌtiːəˈwɑːnə Spanish, ti'xwana|ti'ʍana is the largest city of the Mexican state of Baja California, situated on the U Baja California (pronounced ˈbɑːhɑː kælɨˈfɔrnjə in English is the northernmost state of Mexico. Culiacán is a city in northwestern Mexico, the largest city in the state of Sinaloa as well as its capital and capital of the municipality of Culiacán Sinaloa is one of the 31 states of Mexico. Geography Sinaloa is bordered to the north by Sonora and Chihuahua; to the south The city of León, formally León de los Aldama is the fifth most populous city in Mexico and the first in the state of Guanajuato. Guanajuato is the name of a state in Mexico and that state's capital city as well as a river in the area Cuernavaca (Cuauhnāhuac|kʷaw̥'naːwak is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. Morelos is one of the constituent States of Mexico. Morelos has an area of about, making it the second-smallest of the country's states Ciudad Juárez, also known as just Juárez, is a city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua formerly known as El Paso del Norte. Acapulco (Officially Acapulco de Juárez) is a City and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast The State of Guerrero is a state in the southern meridional region of Mexico. Geography Torreón is near the southwest border of the state of Coahuila within the Laguna region of the state ( Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of Mexico 's 31 component states. Chihuahua is the name of both a state in Mexico and that state's capital city San Luis Potosí is the name of both a state in Mexico and the capital city of that state San Luis Potosí is the name of both a state in Mexico and that state's capital city Morelia is the capital of the Mexican state of Michoacán de Ocampo. Michoacán formally Michoacán de Ocampo (from Nahuatl Michhuacān "place of the fishermen" is one of the 31 constituent states S. citizens abroad (estimated at one million as of 1999),^[93] which represents 1% of the Mexican population and 25% of all U. S. citizens abroad. Other significant communities of foreigners are those of Central and South Americans, most notably from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Cuba, Venezuela, Guatemala, and Belize. South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America. The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the Guatemala (República de Guatemala) is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west the Pacific Ocean to the southwest Belize (bəˈliːz formerly British Honduras, is a country in Central America. 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). ^[94][95] 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). Chiapas is the southernmost state of Mexico, located towards the southeast of the country 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

Mexico is ethnically diverse, and the constitution defines the country to be a pluricultural nation.

• Mestizos (those of mixed Spanish and Amerindian ancestry) form the largest group, comprising up to 60-75% of the total population. Mestizo is a Spanish term that was coined during the Spanish Empire to refer to people of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry in Latin ^[60][96]

• Amerindians called indigenous peoples (indígenas) are estimated to be between 12% (pure Amerindian)^[97] and 30% (predominantly Amerindian). For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United States. Mexico, in the second article of its Constitution, is defined as a "pluricultural" nation in recognition of the diverse ethnic groups that constitute it ^[60] Indigenous peoples are considered the foundation of the Mexican pluricultural nation and therefore enjoy self-determination in certain areas. Indigenous languages are also considered "national languages" and are protected by law. Mexico has an enormous linguistic diversity apart from Spanish, the government recognizes 62 indigenous Amerindian languages as national languages

• Whites make up 9%-17%^[60][96] of the population, mostly descendants of the first Spanish settlers; although there are a minority of French, Italian, Portuguese, Basque, German, Irish, Polish, Romanian, Russian and British descents from recent contemporary migration ^[98][99] 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-Americans from the United States and Argentina. A White Mexican ( Mexicano Blanco) is any citizen of Mexico who is primarily or solely a descendant of European and/or Middle Eastern Legal residents and citizens To be French according to the first article of the Constitution is to be a citizen of France regardless of one's origin race or religion ( The' Italian people' are a Southern European Ethnic group located primarily in Italy, Switzerland, France and by virtue of a wide-ranging The Portuguese people (os Portugueses literally the Portuguese) are the Ethnic group or Nation native to the country of Portugal, in the west The Basques (Euskaldunak are a people who inhabit a region spanning over parts of north-central Spain and southwestern France. The German people (Deutsche are an Ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent and speaking the German language as The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate The Polish people, or Poles, (Polacy) are a Western Slavic Ethnic group of Central Europe, living predominantly in Poland. The Romanians (dated Rumanians or Roumanians; Romanian: români or historically and today rather seldom and only regional rumâni The Russian people (Русские— Russkie) are an East Slavic Ethnic group, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries British people, or Britons, are the native inhabitants of Great Britain and their descendants or citizens of the United Kingdom, of the A European American (Euro-American is a person who resides in the United States and is either from Europe or is the descendant of European immigrants Most are found in major cities.

Mexico also received a large number of Lebanese, Turkish,^[100] Chinese, Japanese^[98], Koreans^[101] and Filipino immigrants. Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية The Turkish people (Türk Halkı also known as " Turks " ( Türkler) are defined mainly as being speakers of Turkish as a First language Han Chinese ( are an Ethnic group native to China and by most modern definitions the largest single Ethnic group in the world. The are the dominant Ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent of these approximately 127 million are residents of Japan The Korean people are an East Asian Ethnic group. Most Koreans speak the Korean language. Mexicans of Filipino descent refers to Mexican citizens who are descendants of Filipino origin ^[102]

Afro-Mexicans, mostly of mixed ancestry, live in the coastal areas of Veracruz, Tabasco and Guerrero. Afro Mexican ( Spanish: "afromexicano" is a term used to identify Mexican people of African ancestry Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave is one of the 31 states that constitute the republic of Mexico. Tabasco is a state in Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Veracruz to the west Chiapas to the south and Campeche to the The State of Guerrero is a state in the southern meridional region of Mexico.

Language

Main article: Languages of Mexico

See also: Mexican Spanish

There is no de jure constitutional official language at the federal level in Mexico. Mexico has an enormous linguistic diversity apart from Spanish, the government recognizes 62 indigenous Amerindian languages as national languages Mexican Spanish ( español mexicano in Spanish is the Spanish language as it is spoken in Mexico. An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory ^[103] 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. ^[104] 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,^[105] and recognizes the languages of the Guatemalan Amerindian refugees. The National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples ( Spanish: Comisión Nacional para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas, CDI is a decentralized The Kickapoos ( Kickapoo: Kiikaapoa or Kiikaapoi) are one of the Algonquian speaking Native American Tribes The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Guatemala (República de Guatemala) is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west the Pacific Ocean to the southwest ^[106] 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. ^[107]

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. ^[91] Nahuatl is spoken by 1. Nahuatl ( is a group of related languages and dialects of the Aztecan or Nahuan branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family 5 million people and Yucatec Maya by 800,000. Yucatec Maya ("Maaya T'aan" in the revised Orthography of the Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala) is a Mayan language spoken in Some of the national languages are in danger of extinction; Lacandon is spoken by fewer than one hundred people. The Lacandón are one of the Maya peoples who live in the jungles of the Mexican state of Chiapas, near the southern border with

English is widely used in business, at the border cities, as well as by the one million U. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States S. citizens that live in Mexico, mostly retirees in small towns in Baja California, Guanajuato and Chiapas. Baja California (pronounced ˈbɑːhɑː kælɨˈfɔrnjə in English is the northernmost state of Mexico. Guanajuato is the name of a state in Mexico and that state's capital city as well as a river in the area Chiapas is the southernmost state of Mexico, located towards the southeast of the country Other European languages spoken by sizable communities in Mexico are Venetian, Plautdietsch, German, French and Romani. Venetian or Venetan is a Romance language spoken by over two million people mostly in the Veneto region of Italy. Plautdietsch, or Mennonite Low German, was originally a Low Prussian variety of East Low German, with Dutch influence that developed in The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people

Religion

See also: Religion in Mexico, Roman Catholicism in Mexico, and Our Lady of Guadalupe

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 Christian. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Roman Catholics are 89%^[108] of the total population, 47% percent of whom attend church services weekly. ^[109] In absolute terms, Mexico has the world's second largest number of Catholics after Brazil. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld ^[110]

About 6% of the population (more than 4. 4 million people) is Protestant,^[108] of whom Pentecostals and Charismatics (called Neo-Pentecostals in the census), are the largest group (1. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Pentecostalism is a renewalist religious movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the Baptism The term charismatic movement describes the adoption from the early twentieth century onwards of certain beliefs typical of those held by Pentecostal Christians — specifically 37 million people)^[108]. There are also a sizeable number of Seventh-day Adventists (0. The Seventh-day Adventist (abbreviated " Adventist " Church is a Christian denomination which is distinguished mainly by its observance 6 million people)^[111]. The 2000 national census counted more than one million Jehovah's Witnesses. Jehovah's Witnesses is a restorationist, millenialist Christian denomination ^[108] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims one million registered members as of 2006, about 250,000 of whom are active,^[112][113] though this is disputed. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and the largest and most well-known ^[114]

The presence of Jews in Mexico dates back to 1521, when Hernando Cortés conquered the Aztecs, accompanied by several Conversos. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Conversos ( Spanish and Portuguese for "a convert" from Latin conversus, "converted turned around" and its feminine form According to the last national census by the INEGI, there are now more than 45,000 Mexican Jews. ^[108] Almost three million people in the 2000 National Census reported having no religion. ^[108]

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. ^[115] Until recently, priests did not have the right to vote, and even now they cannot be elected to public office.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Mexico

Mexican culture reflects the complexity of the country's history through the blending of pre-Hispanic civilizations and the culture of Spain, imparted during Spain's 300-year colonization of Mexico. The Culture of Mexico is a Latin American culture that reflects the complexity of Mexico's history through the culture of pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican Mexico is a country in North America and the largest Spanish -speaking country in the world The culture of Spain is an Iberian culture marked by the period of Roman influences Exogenous cultural elements mainly from the United States have been incorporated into Mexican culture. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the As was the case in most Latin American 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. The Mexican Revolution (Revolución Mexicana was a major armed struggle that started with an uprising led by Francisco 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. José Vasconcelos Calderón ( February 28 1882, Oaxaca Oaxaca &ndash June 30 1959, Mexico City) was a Mexican ^[116] 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 article: Cinema of Mexico

Mexican films from the 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. The history of Mexican cinema goes back to the beginning of the 20th century when several enthusiasts of the new medium documented historical events &ndash most The history of Mexican cinema goes back to the beginning of the 20th century when several enthusiasts of the new medium documented historical events &ndash most The Golden Age of Mexican cinema (in Spanish: Época de oro del cine mexicano) is the name given to the period between 1935 and 1959 where the quality and 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. "El Indio" Fernández (born Emilio Fernández Romo; March 26 1904 &ndash August 6 1986) was a Mexican actor screenwriter The Palme d'Or ( English: Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded to competing films at the Cannes Film Festival. The Cannes Film Festival (le Festival de Cannes founded in 1946 is one of the world's oldest most influential and prestigious Film festivals alongside Venice, Famous actors and actresses from this period include María Félix, Pedro Infante, Dolores del Río, Jorge Negrete and the comedian Cantinflas. María Félix (April 8 1914 - April 8 2002 was a Mexican actress one of the icons of the golden era of the Cinema of Mexico. José Pedro Infante Cruz ( November 18, 1917 - April 15, 1957) better known as Pedro Infante, is perhaps the most famous actor Dolores del Río ( August 3, 1905 &ndash April 11, 1983) was a Mexican Film actress. Jorge Alberto Negrete Moreno ( November 30, 1911 &ndash December 5, 1953) is considered one of the most popular Mexican Fortino Mario Alfonso Moreno Reyes ( August 12, 1911 &ndash April 20, 1993) was a Mexican comedian and actor

More recently, films such as Como agua para chocolate (1992), Cronos (1993), Amores Perros (2000), Y tu mamá también (2001), El Crimen del Padre Amaro (2002), Pan's Labyrinth (2006) and Babel (2006) have been successful in creating universal stories about contemporary subjects, and were internationally recognised, as in the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. This is an article about the novel For the article on the 1992 film see Like Water for Chocolate (film. Cronos is a 1993 film written and directed by Mexican director Guillermo del Toro, starring veteran Argentine actor Federico Luppi Amores perros is a Mexican Film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu in 2000 Y tu mamá también (literally "And your mother too" released in English-speaking markets under the original title in Spanish) is a The Crime of Father Amaro ( El crimen del padre Amaro) is a 2002 Mexican film directed by Carlos Carrera. Pan's Labyrinth (Spanish El laberinto del fauno, literally The Labyrinth of the Faun) is a 2006 Spanish language Babel is a 2006 film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga, starring an Ensemble cast. The Cannes Film Festival (le Festival de Cannes founded in 1946 is one of the world's oldest most influential and prestigious Film festivals alongside Venice, Mexican directors Alejandro González Iñárritu (Amores Perros, Babel), Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), Guillermo del Toro, Carlos Carrera (The Crime of Father Amaro), and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga are some of the most known present-day film makers. Alejandro González Iñárritu (i'ɲaritu born August 15, 1963, to Hector González Gama and Luz María Iñárritu in Mexico City, is an Academy Amores perros is a Mexican Film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu in 2000 Babel is a 2006 film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga, starring an Ensemble cast. Alfonso Cuarón Orozco (b 28 November 1961 is an Academy Award -nominated Mexican Film director, Screenwriter and Film producer Children of Men is a 2006 dystopian Science fiction Film co-written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón. Guillermo del Toro Gómez (born October 9, 1964) is an Academy Award -nominated Mexican filmmaker Carlos Carrera (born August 18, 1962 in Mexico City) is a Mexican film director and screenwriter The Crime of Father Amaro ( El crimen del padre Amaro) is a 2002 Mexican film directed by Carlos Carrera. Guillermo Arriaga Jordán (born 13 March 1958) is a Mexican author screenwriter and producer

Music

Main article: Music of Mexico

Mexican society enjoys a vast array of music genres, showing the diversity of Mexican culture. Traditional music includes Mariachi, Banda, Norteño, Ranchera and Corridos; on an every-day basis most Mexicans listen to contemporary music such as Pop, Rock, etc. MARIACHI, the Mixed Apparatus for Radar Investigation of Cosmic-rays of High Ionization, is an apparatus for the detection of Ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECR Banda (often referred to as banda sinaloense in Spanish in order to distinguish it from other types of bands since banda simply means "band" in Spanish is a Norteño (literally meaning "northern" in Spanish; also known as norteña or conjunto) is a genre of Mexican music. The ranchera is a genre of the traditional Music of Mexico. Although closely associated with the Mariachi groups which evolved in Jalisco Corrido is also a type of song in Capoeira music. For the Italian commune see Corrido Italy. Pop is a music genre particularly intended for teenagers and young adults Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. in both English and Spanish. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Mexico has the largest media industry in Latin America, producing Mexican artists who are famous in Central and South America and parts of Europe, especially Spain. South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Some well-known Mexican singers are Thalía and Belinda. Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda de Mottola (born 26 August, 1971 in Mexico City, Mexico) commonly known as Thalía, is a Mexican singer Belinda Peregrín Schüll is an award-winning two-time Latin Grammy nominated Mexican pop/rock singer/songwriter and Actress. Popular groups are Café Tacvba, Molotov, RBD and Mana, among others. Café Tacuba (often stylized as CAFÉ TACVBA) is a Grammy Award and Latin Grammy Award -winning musical group from Naucalpan, Mexico Molotov is a two-time Latin Grammy Award -winning Mexican rock and hip hop band formed in Mexico City on September 23, RBD is a two times Latin Grammy nominated Mexican pop group that gained popularity from Televisa's teenage-oriented Telenovela Rebelde Maná is a popular Mexican pop/rock band from Guadalajara whose career has spanned almost three decades

Most states, through their Ministry of Culture or of Education, sponsor an Orquesta Sinfónica or Orquesta Filarmónica (Symphony Orchestra or Philharmonica Orchestra) so people can enjoy classical music. An orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually fairly large with string brass woodwind sections and possibly a percussion section as well Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music The Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco is the oldest in the country.

Fine arts

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. Frida Kahlo (July 6 1907 – July 13 1954 was a Mexican painter, who has achieved great international popularity Diego Rivera (December 8 1886 &ndash November 24 1957 was born Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez José Clemente Orozco ( November 23, 1883 &ndash September 7, 1949) was a Mexican social realist painter, who Rufino Tamayo ( August 25, 1899 &ndash June 24, 1991) was a Zapotecan Indian José David Alfaro Siqueiros ( December 29, 1896 in Camargo, Chihuahua, Mexico - January 6, 1974 in Cuernavaca Juan O'Gorman ( July 6, 1905 &ndash January 17, 1982) was a Mexican painter and Architect. 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. A mural is a Painting on a wall ceiling or other large permanent surface Man at the Crossroads was a Mural by Diego Rivera. The Rockefellers wanted to have a mural put on the wall in Rockefeller Center. Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering 22 acres between 48th and 51st streets in New York City. ^[117] Some of Rivera's murals are displayed at the Mexican National Palace and the Palace of Fine Arts. The National Palace is the seat of the federal executive in Mexico. Palacio de Bellas Artes (" Palace of Fine Arts " is the premier Opera house of Mexico City.

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. Mario Lavista (born April 3 1943, Mexico City) is a Mexican Composer and writer Silvestre Revueltas ( December 31, 1899 - October 5, 1940) was a Mexican Composer of classical music, Violinist José Juventino Policarpo Rosas Cadenas ( 25 January, 1868 - 9 July 1894 was a Mexican Composer, Violinist, and band leader 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. The Nobel Prize (Nobelpriset (Nobelprisen is a Swedish prize established in the 1895 will of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel; it was first awarded in Peace, Literature Octavio Peazy Paz " ( March 31, 1914 – April 19, 1998) was a Mexican Writer, Poet, and diplomat Carlos Fuentes Macías (born March 11,1928 is a Mexican writer and one of the best-known living novelists and essayists in the Spanish -speaking world Juan Rulfo ( 16 May 1917 &ndash 7 January 1986) was a Mexican Novelist, short story writer and photographer Elena Poniatowska (born May 19 1932 in Paris France as Princess Hélène Elizabeth Louise Amélie Paula Dolores Poniatowska Amor) is a Polish - Mexican José Emilio Pacheco (born June 30, 1939 in Mexico City) is a Mexican Poet, Essayist, Translator, Novelist

Broadcast media

Two of the major television networks based in Mexico are Televisa and TV Azteca. RBD is a two times Latin Grammy nominated Mexican pop group that gained popularity from Televisa's teenage-oriented Telenovela Rebelde Otro Rollo (officially Otro rollo con Adal Ramones) was a Mexican variety show broadcasted live on Televisa on Tuesday nights Adal Ramones (born Adalberto Javier Ramones Martínez, December 3, 1961 in Monterrey, Nuevo León) is a Mexican Television Televisa is a Mexican multimedia company and is the largest media company in the Spanish -speaking world and a major player in the international entertainment TV Azteca is the second largest Mexican Television network. It was established in 1983 as the state-owned Instituto Mexicano de la Televisión Televisa is also the largest producer of Spanish-language content in the world and also the world's largest Spanish-language media network. ^[118] Grupo Multimedios is another media conglomerate with Spanish-language broadcasting in Mexico, Spain, and the United States. Grupo Multimedios is the largest media conglomerate in Northern Mexico Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Soap operas (telenovelas) are translated to many languages and seen all over the world with renowned names like Verónica Castro, Lucía Méndez, Lucero, and Thalía. A soap opera is an ongoing episodic work of Fiction, usually broadcast on Television or Radio. A telenovela is a limited-run Television serial Melodrama of the type made famous in Latin America. Verónica Castro (born October 19 1952 in Mexico City) is a Mexican actress, Singer and television host Lucía Leticia Méndez Pérez (born January 26, 1955 in León, Guanajuato) is a Mexican Telenovela and film actress For the punk/country band named Lucero see Lucero (band Lucero (born Lucero Hogaza León on August 29, 1969 in Mexico Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda de Mottola (born 26 August, 1971 in Mexico City, Mexico) commonly known as Thalía, is a Mexican singer Even Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna from Y tu mamá también and current Zegna model have appeared in some of them. Gael García Bernal (IPA /ga'el gaɾ'sia beɾ'nal/ born November 30 1978 is a Mexican Actor and director. Diego Luna (born December 29, 1979) is a Mexican Actor known for his childhood Telenovela work a starring role in the film Y tu mamá también (literally "And your mother too" released in English-speaking markets under the original title in Spanish) is a Ermenegildo Zegna or Zegna (pronounced as ˈdzeɲa is an Italian fashion house that claims to be the world leader in fine men's clothing Some of their TV shows are modeled after counterparts from the U. S. like Family Feud (100 Mexicanos Dijeron or "A hundred Mexicans said" in Spanish) and Que Dice la Gente, Big Brother, American Idol, Saturday Night Live and others. ¿Qué dice la gente? is a Spanish-language game show produced in the United States, based on Family Feud and airing on Big Brother is a Reality television show where in each series a group of people live together in the Big Brother House isolated from the outside world but continuously American Idol, with the full title American Idol The Search for a Superstar for the first season only is an American reality-competition Saturday Night Live ( SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute American Sketch comedy / Variety show based in New York City Nationwide news shows like Las Noticias por Adela on Televisa resemble a hybrid between Donahue and Nightline. Las Noticias por Adela is a nightly 1 hour news show on the Televisa network from Mexico. The Phil Donahue Show, also known as Donahue, was the first Tabloid talk show. Local news shows are modeled after counterparts from the U. S. like the Eyewitness News and Action News formats. Eyewitness News is a name used by local television newscasts widely used in different markets across the United States. Action News is a local television newscast format in the United States. 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. This article is about artificial satellites For natural satellites also known as moons see Natural satellite. A cable is one or more Wires or Optical fibers bound together typically in a common protective jacket or sheath S.

Cuisine

Main article: 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 conquistadores 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, limes (limón in Mexican Spanish), sweet potato, peanut and turkey. This article is about the Spanish explorer soldiers of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuriesfor other uses see Conquistador (disambiguation A Conquistador The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences Maize (ˈmeɪz ( Zea mays L. ssp mays) known as corn in some countries is a cereal grain domesticated in Mesoamerica The tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum, syn Lycopersicon lycopersicum) is a herbaceous usually sprawling plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family Vanilla is a Flavoring derived from Orchids of the genus Vanilla native to Mexico. The avocado ( Persea americana) (from Nahuatl āhuacatl) also known as aguacate ( Spanish) butter pear or The papaya (from Carib via Spanish) is the Fruit of the Plant Carica papaya, in the genus Carica. Pineapple ( Ananas comosus) is the common name for an edible Tropical Plant and also its Fruit It is native to the southern part of Brazil The chili pepper, chilli pepper, or chili, is the fruit of the plants from the Genus Capsicum, which are members of the nightshade Bean is a common name for large plant Seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae used for human food or animal Squashes generally refer to four species of the genus Cucurbita native to the Mexico and Central America, also called marrows depending Lime is a term referring to a number of different fruits (generally Citruses, both Species and hybrids, which are typically round green to yellow Mexican Spanish ( español mexicano in Spanish is the Spanish language as it is spoken in Mexico. The sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas) is a Dicotyledonous plant which belongs to the family Convolvulaceae The peanut, or Groundnut ( Arachis hypogaea) is a species in the Legume family Fabaceae native to South America, Mexico A turkey is either of two extant Species of large Birds in the Genus Meleagris native to North America.

The most internationally recognized dishes include chocolate, tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, burritos, tamales and mole among others. Chocolate ( pronounced or /-ˈələt/ comprises a number of raw and processed foods that are produced from the seed of the tropical Cacao tree A taco ( is a traditional Mexican dish composed of a Maize or wheat Tortilla folded or rolled around a filling A quesadilla (IPA, usually anglicized as) is a dish in Mexican cuisine or Tex-Mex, which involves cooking ingredients most importantly Cheese, inside Not to be confused with Enceladus. An enchilada ( is a corn Tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a chili A burrito or taco de harina is a type of food found in Mexican and Mexican-American cuisine A tamale ( Spanish tamal, from Nahuatl tamalli) is a traditional indigenous American food consisting of steam-cooked corn Mole (ˈmole ( Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl mulli or molli, "sauce" is the generic name for several Sauces Regional dishes include mole poblano, chiles en nogada and chalupas from Puebla; cabrito and machaca from Monterrey, cochinita pibil from Yucatán, Tlayudas from Oaxaca, as well as barbacoa, chilaquiles, milanesas, and many others. Mole (ˈmole ( Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl mulli or molli, "sauce" is the generic name for several Sauces Chiles en nogada is a dish from Mexican cuisine. The name comes from the Spanish word for the Walnut tree nogal. A chalupa is a kind of Tostada platter in Mexican cuisine. It is a specialty of south-central regions of Mexico such as the states of Puebla, Is a Mexican state located in the center east of the country to the east of Mexico City. Cabrito is roast Goat Kid. It is a Regional specialty of the city of Monterrey, Mexico, and the surrounding state of Machaca which comes from the verb machacado (pounded or crushed is a dish that was prepared originally from dried spiced meat (most commonly beef that had been rehydrated This article is about the Mexican city for other uses see Monterrey (disambiguation. Cochinita Pibil (also puerco pibil) is a traditional Mexican slow-roasted Pork dish from Yucatán. Yucatán is one of the 31 states of Mexico, located on the north of the Yucatán Peninsula. Tlayudas, sometimes spelled Clayuda ( IPA /kla'ʝuð̞a/ is a part of Mexican Cuisine, consisting of a big crunchy Tortilla covered with a The Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), in Spanish phonemically /oa'xaka/ named for its largest city, is one of the Barbacoa generally refers to Meats or a whole Sheep slow cooked over an open fire or more traditionally in a hole dug in the ground covered with Maguey Chilaquiles are a traditional Mexican dish. Typically corn Tortillas cut in quarters and fried are the basis of the dish The milanesa are a common Meat Dish mostly in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay as well as in other

Sports

See also: 1968 Summer Olympics, 1970 FIFA World Cup, 1986 FIFA World Cup, and Sports in Mexico

Mexico City hosted the XIX Olympic Games in 1968, making it the only Latin American city to do so. The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event held in Mexico City The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup was held in Mexico, from May 31 to June 21. The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from May 31 to June 29. Sport in Mexico are the Recreational activities of Mexico. The game of football is regarded as the most popular sport in the country however Basketball The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event held in Mexico City ^[119] The country has also hosted the FIFA World Cup twice, in 1970 and 1986. The FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international Association football The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup was held in Mexico, from May 31 to June 21. The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from May 31 to June 29. ^[120]

Mexico’s most popular sport is football (soccer). Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered It is commonly believed that Football was introduced in Mexico by Cornish miners at the end of the 19th century. Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar By 1902 a 5 team league emerged still with a strong English influence ^[121][122]. Football became a professional sport in 1943. Since the “Era Professional” started, Mexico’s top clubs have been Guadalajara with 11 championships, América with 10 and Toluca and Cruz Azul with 8 ^[123] . Club Deportivo Guadalajara SA de CV, commonly known as Las Chivas ( The Goats) is a Mexican Association football team based in Guadalajara Club América, most commonly known as just América, is a professional Mexican football club playing in the Primera División. Club Deportivo Social y Cultural Cruz Azul, also known as Cruz Azul, is a popular Mexican professional Football (soccer club 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. Antonio Felix "Tota" Carbajal Rodríguez (born June 7, 1929 in Mexico City) is a Mexican former football Hugo Sánchez Márquez (born July 11 1958 popularly nicknamed Pentapichichi, Hugol, was the former coach of the Mexican National Football Team from February 7 CONCACAF (the Confederation of North Central American and Caribbean Association Football) is the continent-wide governing body for football in North America, Mexican’s biggest stadiums are Estadio Azteca, Estadio Olimpico Universitario and Estadio Jalisco. Estadio Azteca is a Stadium in Mexico City Mexico. It is the official home stadium of the Mexico national football team and the Mexican team Estadio Olímpico Universitario is a Stadium located in Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico City. Estadio Jalisco (Jalisco Stadium is a Stadium used primarily for football events

The national sport of Mexico is Charreria. The charreada is a style of Rodeo developed by people in Mexico interested in keeping the traditions of the Charro ( charrería) alive ^[124] Bullfighting is also a popular sport in the country, and almost all large cities have bullrings. Bullfighting or Tauromachy (from Greek ταυρομαχία - tauromachia, "bull-fight" is a traditional spectacle of Spain Plaza México in Mexico City, is the largest bullring in the world, which seats 55,000 people. The Plaza México, situated in Mexico City, is the world's largest Bullring. Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México DF, México or simply Méjico) is the Capital city of Mexico Professional wrestling (or Lucha libre in Spanish) is a major crowd draw with national promotions such as AAA, LLL, CMLL and others. Lucha libre ( Spanish for "free wrestling" is a term used in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking areas to refer to a certain form of Professional wrestling Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA (Spanish for "Assistance Consulting and Administration" is a Lucha Libre Professional wrestling promotion

Baseball, is also popular, especially in the Gulf of Mexico, Yucatan Peninsula and the Northern States. Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each 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. The Mexican Pacific League ( Liga Mexicana del Pacífico or LMP) is Mexico's most important winter Baseball league 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 Naranjeros de Hermosillo (Hermosillo Orange Growers is a baseball team in the Mexican Pacific League (LMP 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. The Caribbean Series is a Baseball tournament the brainchild of the Venezuelans Oscar "El Negro" Prieto and Pablo Morales, who devised the idea

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. Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m The Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional ( LNBP) is the top professional Basketball league in Mexico. International tournaments The Soles have represented Mexico in some renown and important international basketball competitions in such as the Harlem Week Basketball in the Netherlands In 2007 three Mexican teams will be competing in the 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), IPN (Instituto Politécnico Nacional) and UNAM. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with The Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education ( Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey ITESM) commonly shortened as Monterrey The Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education ( Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey ITESM) commonly shortened as Monterrey The Autonomous University of Nuevo León (Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León UANL is a public higher-education institution with its headquarters in the suburbs of Monterrey The Autonomous University of Nuevo León (Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León UANL is a public higher-education institution with its headquarters in the suburbs of Monterrey The Universidad de las Américas (commonly known as UDLA, English: University of the Americas is one of the most important private universities in Mexico The National Polytechnic Institute (in Spanish: Instituto Politécnico Nacional IPN) is one of the largest and finest public universities The college league in Mexico is called ONEFA. The National Student Organization of American Football, (in Spanish, ONEFA Organización Nacional Estudiantil de Fútbol Americano) is a Mexican College There is also a strong following of the NFL in Mexico with the Cowboys, Steelers, Dolphins and Raiders being the most popular teams. Rugby is played at the amateur level throughout the country with the majority of clubs in Mexico City and others in Monterrey, Guadalajara, Celaya, Guanajuato and Oaxaca. Rugby football (usually just " rugby " may refer to a number of sports through history descended from a common form of Football developed at Rugby School This article is about the Mexican city for other uses see Monterrey (disambiguation. Guadalajara (ˌgwɑːdləˈhɑːrə Spanish pronunciation) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality

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. Ice hockey, often referred to simply as hockey, is a team Sport played on Ice. 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 golfer Lorena Ochoa, who is currently ranked first in the LPGA world rankings,^[125] Ana Guevara, former world champion of the 400 metres and Olympic subchampion in Athens 2004, and Fernando Platas, a numerous Olympic medal winning diver. Childhood and amateur career Ochoa grew up next door to the Guadalajara Country Club and took up golf at the age of five The LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional Golfers The organization whose headquarters are Ana Gabriela Guevara Espinoza (born March 4, 1977, in Nogales, Sonora. Fernando Platas (born March 16, 1973 in Mexico City) is a Mexican 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. In the early 1990s Mexico showed clear signs of having entered a transitional stage in the health of its population Education stages The Mexican school system is organized into Basic Education, Secondary Education and

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. ^[126]

Health and hospital care is free and available to all Mexicans through the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) and the Security and Social Services Institute Workers for Government Workers (ISSSTE). The Mexican Social Security Institute ( Spanish: Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, IMSS a governmental organization that attends to 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. ^[127] 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. Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the 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. ^[128]

Mexico has made improvements in education in the last two decades. The Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education ( Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey ITESM) commonly shortened as Monterrey Education encompasses both the Teaching and Learning of Knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency In 2004, the literacy rate was at 91%,^[129] and the youth literacy rate (ages 15–24) was 96%, placing Mexico at the 24th place in the world rank accordingly to UNESCO. traditional definition of literacy is considered to be the ability to read and write or the ability to use Language to read, write, listen, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16 ^[130] 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 telesecundarias in Mexico. Telesecundaria is a system of Distance education programs for secondary and High school students created by the government of Mexico The Mexican distance learning secondary education is also transmitted to some Central American countries and to Colombia, and it is used in some southern regions of the United States as a method of bilingual education. Distance education, or distance learning, is a field of education that focuses on the Pedagogy and Andragogy, technology and instructional systems design The United States of America —commonly referred to as the There are approximately 30,000 telesecundarias and approximately a million telesecundaria students in the country. ^[131]

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. The National Autonomous University of Mexico (in Spanish: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México UNAM) is a Public university based Three Nobel laureates and most of Mexico's modern-day presidents are among its former students. This is a list of Nobel Prize Laureates awarded for their outstanding contributions to Humanitarian causes for Peace, work in Literature 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,^[132] 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 National Polytechnic Institute (IPN). The National Polytechnic Institute (in Spanish: Instituto Politécnico Nacional IPN) is one of the largest and finest public universities These institutions are public, and there are at least a couple of public universities per state.

One of the most prestigious private universities is Monterrey's Technological and Higher Education Institute (ITESM). The Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education ( Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey ITESM) commonly shortened as Monterrey It was ranked by the Wall Street Journal as the 7th top International Business School worldwide^[133] 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 Mexico's Autonomous Technological Institute (ITAM), Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP), the Ibero-American University (Universidad Iberoamericana). The Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (in English: Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology commonly known as ITAM, is a private research university The Universidad de las Américas (commonly known as UDLA, English: University of the Americas is one of the most important private universities in Mexico The Ibero-American University (in Spanish: Universidad Iberoamericana, abbreviated UIA but commonly known as Ibero

Science and technology

Notable Mexican technologists include Luis E. Miramontes, the co-inventor of the contraceptive pill, and Guillermo González Camarena, who invented the "Chromoscopic adapter for television equipment", the first color television transmission system. Luis Ernesto Miramontes Cárdenas ( March 16 1925, in Tepic, Nayarit &ndash September 13 2004, in Mexico City Birth control, sometimes synonymous with contraception, is a regimen of one or more actions devices or Medications followed in order to deliberately prevent Guillermo González Camarena ( February 17, 1917 &ndash April 18, 1965) was a Mexican Engineer who was an inventor of a color-wheel Dr. Rodolfo Neri Vela, an UNAM graduate, was the first Mexican in space (as part of the STS-61-B mission in 1985), and Mario J. Molina, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Rodolfo Neri Vela (born 19 February 1952) is a Mexican Scientist who flew aboard a NASA Space Shuttle mission in 1985 STS-61-B was the 23rd Space Shuttle mission using the Atlantis orbiter José Mario Molina-Pasquel Henríquez (born March 19, 1943 in Mexico City) is a Mexican -born U The Nobel Prize in Chemistry (Nobelpriset i kemi is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of Chemistry.

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. It was designed to observe regions of the space obscured by stellar dust.

Nonetheless, the government currently spends only 0. 31% of GDP in science and technology,^[134] a low percentage in comparison with other countries. Mexico has the lowest number of researchers of the OECD countries, with only 4. 8 researchers per 10,000 inhabitants. ^[134] Mexico trains only three PhDs per million inhabitants per year. ^[134] 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. ^[134]

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 Mexican Space Agency (AEXA). The Mexican Space Agency (in Spanish: Agencia Espacial Mexicana) is a proposed Space agency awaiting its approval in the Senate of Mexico It is awaiting Senate approval by the end of 2008.

See also

Main list: List of basic Mexico topics

References

Bibliography

• Krauze, Enrique (1998). Mexico: Biography of Power: A history of Modern Mexico 1810–1996. New York, NY: Harper Perennial, 896 p. ISBN 0060929170.  
• Meyer, Michael C. ; William H. Beezley, editors (2000). The Oxford History of Mexico. Oxford University Press, 736 p. ISBN 0195112288.  
• Parkes, Henry Bamford (1972). Henry Bamford Parkes (born in 1904 in Sheffield England) was an author and professor of history at New York University. A History of Mexico, 3rd edition, Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0395084105.  

External links

• The Presidency of Mexico
• Official site of the Government of Mexico
• Mexico travel guide from Wikitravel
• Wikimedia Atlas of Mexico
• Mexico at the Open Directory Project
• Wikia has a wiki on this subject: Mexico
• Viva Natura: Biodiversity of Mexico

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