Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the US.
Area in total
1,972,550 sq km
Land boundaries in total
4,353 km
Border countries
Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km
Coastline
9,330 km
Climate
varies from tropical to desert
Terrain
high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert.
Elevation extremes
Lowest point : Laguna Salada -10 m
highest point : Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m
tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts.
Geography - note
strategic location on southern border of US; corn (maize), one of the world's major grain crops, is thought to have originated in Mexico.
Population
108,700,891 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure
Median age:
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.)
total:25.6%
male : 24.6 years
female : 26.6 years (2007 est.)
Ethnic groups
mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1%
Religions
Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5%
Language
Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous languages
Independence
16 September 1810 (declared); 27 September 1821 (recognized by Spain)
National holiday
Independence Day, 16 September (1810)
GDP
4.8% (2006 est.)
GDP per capita
$10,700 (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate
3.2% plus underemployment of perhaps 25% (2006 est.)
Government
federal republic
Capital
Mexico (Distrito Federal)
Head of State
President Felipe de Jesus Calderon Hinojosa (since 1 December 2006);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
