The site of advanced Amerindian civilizations, Mexico came under Spanish rule for three centuries before achieving independence early in the 19th century.

A devaluation of the peso in late 1994 threw Mexico into economic turmoil, triggering the worst recession in over half a century.

The nation continues to make an impressive recovery. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely Amerindian population in the impoverished southern states.

The elections held in 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that an opposition candidate - Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) - defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).

He was succeeded in 2006 by another PAN candidate Felipe CALDERON.

Source: CIA World Fact Book

Population: 108,700,891 (July 2007 est.)

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Age structure: 0-14 years: 30.1% (male 16,696,089/female 16,011,563) 15-64 years: 64% (male 33,624,812/female 35,925,372) 65 years and over: 5.9% (male 2,917,563/female 3,525,492) (2007 est.)

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Median age: total: 25.6 years male: 24.6 years female: 26.6 years (2007 est.)

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Population growth rate: 1.153% (2007 est.)

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Birth rate: 20.36 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Death rate: 4.76 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Net migration rate: -4.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.043 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.936 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.828 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

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Infant mortality rate: total: 19.63 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 17.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

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Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.63 years male: 72.84 years female: 78.56 years (2007 est.)

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Total fertility rate: 2.39 children born/woman (2007 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (2003 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 160,000 (2003 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - deaths: 5,000 (2003 est.)

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Nationality: noun: Mexican(s) adjective: Mexican

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Ethnic groups: mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1%

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Religions: Roman Catholic 76.5%, Protestant 6.3% (Pentecostal 1.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, other 3.8%), other 0.3%, unspecified 13.8%, none 3.1% (2000 census)

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Languages: Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous languages

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Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 91% male: 92.4% female: 89.6% (2004 est.)

Mexico has a free market economy that recently entered the trillion dollar class. It contains a mixture of modern and outmoded industry and agriculture, increasingly dominated by the private sector. Recent administrations have expanded competition in seaports, railroads, telecommunications, electricity generation, natural gas distribution, and airports. Per capita income is one-fourth that of the US; income distribution remains highly unequal. Trade with the US and Canada has tripled since the implementation of NAFTA in 1994. Mexico has 12 free trade agreements with over 40 countries including, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, the European Free Trade Area, and Japan, putting more than 90% of trade under free trade agreements. The new Felipe CALDERON administration that took office in December 2006 faces many of the same challenges that former President FOX tried to tackle, including the need to upgrade infrastructure, modernize the tax system and labor laws, and allow private investment in the energy sector. CALDERON has stated that his top priorities include reducing poverty and creating jobs. The success of his economic agenda will depend on his ability to garner support from the opposition.

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GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.149 trillion (2006 est.)

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GDP (official exchange rate): $743.5 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP - real growth rate: 4.8% (2006 est.)

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GDP - per capita (PPP): $10,700 (2006 est.)

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GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.9% industry: 25.7% services: 70.5% (2006 est.)

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Labor force: 38.09 million (2006 est.)

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Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 18% industry: 24% services: 58% (2003)

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Unemployment rate: 3.2% plus underemployment of perhaps 25% (2006 est.)

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Population below poverty line: 40% (2003 est.)

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Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.6% highest 10%: 35.6% (2002)

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Distribution of family income - Gini index: 54.6 (2000)

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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.4% (2006 est.)

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Investment (gross fixed): 20% of GDP (2006 est.)

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Budget: revenues: $196.5 billion expenditures: $196.2 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)

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Public debt: 20.7% of GDP (2006 est.)

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Agriculture - products: corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruit, tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products

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Industries: food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, tourism

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Industrial production growth rate: 3.6% (2006 est.)

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Electricity - production: 242.4 billion kWh (2004)

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Electricity - consumption: 224.6 billion kWh (2004)

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Electricity - exports: 1.203 billion kWh (2004)

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Electricity - imports: 416 million kWh (2004)

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Oil - production: 3.42 million bbl/day (2005 est.)

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Oil - consumption: 1.97 million bbl/day (2004 est.)

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Oil - exports: 2.268 million bbl/day (2004)

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Oil - imports: 308,500 bbl/day (2004)

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Oil - proved reserves: 12.49 billion bbl (2006 est.)

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Natural gas - production: 41.47 billion cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - consumption: 50.45 billion cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - imports: 9.831 billion cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - proved reserves: 420.5 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

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Current account balance: -$400.1 million (2006 est.)

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Exports: $248.8 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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Exports - commodities: manufactured goods, oil and oil products, silver, fruits, vegetables, coffee, cotton

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Exports - partners: US 77.4%, Canada 5.9%, Bermuda 1.5% (2006)

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Imports: $253.1 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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Imports - commodities: metalworking machines, steel mill products, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly, repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts

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Imports - partners: US 61.5%, Japan 4.3%, China 4% (2006)

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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $85.01 billion (2006 est.)

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Debt - external: $178.3 billion (30 June 2006 est.)

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Economic aid - recipient: $1.166 billion (1995)

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Currency (code): Mexican peso (MXN)

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Exchange rates: Mexican pesos per US dollar - 10.899 (2006), 10.898 (2005), 11.286 (2004), 10.789 (2003), 9.656 (2002)

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Fiscal year: calendar year