Chapter XXXVIII: Front Matter (38)

Legislative branch:
unicameral General Council or Conseil General (45 seats; members
are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a
unicameral Regional Assembly or Conseil Regional (41 seats; members
are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held NA March 2000 (next to be
held NA 2006); Regional Assembly - last held on 28 March 2004 (next
to be held by March 2010)
election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - left-wing candidates 13, PPM 11, RPR 6, right-wing
candidates 5, PCM 3, UDF 3, PMS 2, independents 2; note - the PPM
won a plurality; Regional Assembly (second round) - percent of vote
by party - MIM 53.8%, PPM 30.6%; seats by party - MIM 28, PPM 9,
other 4
note: Martinique elects 2 seats to the French Senate; elections last
held NA September 2001 (next to be held September 2004); results -
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPM 2; Martinique
also elects 4 seats to the French National Assembly; elections last
held, first round - 9 June 2002, second round - 16 June 2002 (next
to be held not later than June 2007); results - percent of vote by
party - NA; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1, PS 1, MIM 1, left-wing
candidate 1 (candidacy of the left-wing candidate was found invalid
by the Constitutional Council; new elections will be called)

Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel

Political parties and leaders:
Martinique Communist Party or PCM [Georges ERICHOT]; Martinique
Independence Movement or MIM [Alfred MARIE-JEANNE]; Martinique
Progressive Party or PPM [Pierre SUEDILE]; Martinique Socialist
Party or PMS [Ernest WAN-AJOUHU]; Movement of Democrats and
Ecologists for a Sovereign Martinique or Modemas [Garcin MALSA];
Rally for the Republic or RPR [Michel CHARLONE]; Socialist
Revolution Group or GRS [Philippe PIERRE-CHARLES]; Union for French
Democracy or UDF [Jean MAREN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Caribbean Revolutionary Alliance or ARC; Central Union for
Martinique Workers or CSTM [Marc PULVAR]; Frantz Fanon Circle;
League of Workers and Peasants; Proletarian Action Group or GAP

International organization participation:
UPU, WCL, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas department of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas department of France)

Flag description:
a light blue background is divided into four quadrants by a white
cross; in the center of each rectangle is a white snake; the flag of
France is used for official occasions

Economy Martinique

Economy - overview:
The economy is based on sugarcane, bananas, tourism, and light
industry. Agriculture accounts for about 6% of GDP and the small
industrial sector for 11%. Sugar production has declined, with most
of the sugarcane now used for the production of rum. Banana exports
are increasing, going mostly to France. The bulk of meat, vegetable,
and grain requirements must be imported, contributing to a chronic
trade deficit that requires large annual transfers of aid from
France. Tourism, which employs more than 11,000 people, has become
more important than agricultural exports as a source of foreign
exchange.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $6.117 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
NA

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $14,400 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 6%
industry: 11%
services: 83% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.9% (1990)

Labor force:
165,900 (1998)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 10%, industry 17%, services 73% (1997)

Unemployment rate:
27.2% (1998)

Budget:
revenues: $900 million
expenditures: $2.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $140
million (1996)

Agriculture - products:
pineapples, avocados, bananas, flowers, vegetables, sugarcane

Industries:
construction, rum, cement, oil refining, sugar, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
1.151 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
1.07 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
13,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Exports:
$250 million f.o.b. (1997)

Exports - commodities:
refined petroleum products, bananas, rum, pineapples (2001 est.)

Exports - partners:
France 45%, Guadeloupe 28% (2000)

Imports:
$2 billion c.i.f. (1997)

Imports - commodities:
petroleum products, crude oil, foodstuffs, construction materials,
vehicles, clothing and other consumer goods

Imports - partners:
France 62%, Venezuela 6%, Germany 4%, Italy 4%, US 3% (2000)

Debt - external:
$180 million (1994)

Economic aid - recipient:
$NA; note - substantial annual aid from France (1998)

Currency:
euro (EUR)

Currency code:
EUR

Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar - 0.8860 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001),
1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995
(1998)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Martinique

Telephones - main lines in use:
172,000 est (2001)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
319,900 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: domestic facilities are adequate
domestic: NA
international: country code - 596; microwave radio relay to
Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Saint Lucia; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 14, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
82,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
11 (plus nine repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
66,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.mq

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)

Internet users:
40,000 (2002)

Transportation Martinique

Highways:
total: 2,105 km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km (2000)

Ports and harbors:
Fort-de-France, La Trinite

Merchant marine:
none

Airports:
2 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Military Martinique

Military branches:
no regular military forces; Gendarmerie

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues Martinique

Disputes - international:
none

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for the US and
Europe

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

======================================================================

@Mauritania

Introduction Mauritania

Background:
Independent from France in 1960, Mauritania annexed the southern
third of the former Spanish Sahara (now Western Sahara) in 1976, but
relinquished it after three years of raids by the Polisario
guerrilla front seeking independence for the territory. Opposition
parties were legalized and a new constitution approved in 1991. Two
multiparty presidential elections since then were widely seen as
flawed, but October 2001 legislative and municipal elections were
generally free and open. Mauritania remains, in reality, a one-party
state. The country continues to experience ethnic tensions between
its black population and the dominant Moor (Arab-Berber) populace.

Geography Mauritania

Location:
Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
Senegal and Western Sahara

Geographic coordinates:
20 00 N, 12 00 W

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 1,030,700 sq km
land: 1,030,400 sq km
water: 300 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico

Land boundaries:
total: 5,074 km
border countries: Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km,
Western Sahara 1,561 km

Coastline:
754 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty

Terrain:
mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m
highest point: Kediet Ijill 915 m

Natural resources:
iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish

Land use:
arable land: 0.48%
permanent crops: 0.01%
other: 99.51% (2001)

Irrigated land:
490 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and
April; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:
overgrazing, deforestation, and soil erosion aggravated by drought
are contributing to desertification; very limited natural fresh
water resources away from the Senegal, which is the only perennial
river; locust infestation

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
most of the population concentrated in the cities of Nouakchott and
Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River in the southern part of the
country

People Mauritania

Population:
2,998,563 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 45.9% (male 689,371; female 686,486)
15-64 years: 51.9% (male 767,551; female 788,520)
65 years and over: 2.2% (male 27,106; female 39,529) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 16.9 years
male: 16.7 years
female: 17.2 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.91% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
41.79 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
12.74 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 72.35 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 69.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 75.22 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 52.32 years
male: 50.15 years
female: 54.56 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
6.01 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.6% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
9,500 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 500 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
typhoid fever, malaria, Rift Valley fever
overall degree of risk: very high (2004)

Nationality:
noun: Mauritanian(s)
adjective: Mauritanian

Ethnic groups:
mixed Maur/black 40%, Moor 30%, black 30%

Religions:
Muslim 100%

Languages:
Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, French, Hassaniya, Wolof

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 41.7%
male: 51.8%
female: 31.9% (2003 est.)

Government Mauritania

Country name:
conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Mauritania
conventional short form: Mauritania
local short form: Muritaniyah
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Nouakchott

Administrative divisions:
12 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 capital district*;
Adrar, Assaba, Brakna, Dakhlet Nouadhibou, Gorgol, Guidimaka, Hodh
Ech Chargui, Hodh El Gharbi, Inchiri, Nouakchott*, Tagant, Tiris
Zemmour, Trarza

Independence:
28 November 1960 (from France)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 28 November (1960)

Constitution:
12 July 1991

Legal system:
a combination of Shari'a (Islamic law) and French civil law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA (since 12
December 1984)
head of government: Prime Minister Sghair Ould M'BARECK (since 6
July 2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 7 November 2003 (next to be held NA 2009); prime
minister appointed by the president
election results: President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA reelected
for a third term with 60.8% of the vote

Legislative branch:
bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or Majlis al-Shuyukh
(56 seats, a part of the seats up for election every two years;
members elected by municipal leaders to serve six-year terms) and
the National Assembly or Majlis al-Watani (81 seats; members elected
by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 12 April 2002 (next to be held NA
April 2004); National Assembly - last held 19 and 26 October 2001
(next to be held NA 2006)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - PRDS 54, RFD 1, UNDD 1; National Assembly - percent of vote
by party - PRDS 79%, RDU 3.5%, UDP 3.5%, AC 5%, UFP 3.5%, FP 1.5%;
seats by party - PRDS 64, UDP 3, RDU 3, AC 4, RFD 3, UFP 3, and FP 1

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower courts

Political parties and leaders:
Action for Change or AC [Messoud Ould BOULKHEIR]; Alliance for
Justice and Democracy or AJD [Kebe ABDOULAYE]; Democratic and Social
Republican Party or PRDS (ruling party) [President Maaouya Ould Sid
Ahmed TAYA]; Mauritanian Party for Renewal and Concorde or PMRC
[Molaye El Hassen Ould JIYID]; National Union for Democracy and
Development or UNDD [Tidjane KOITA]; Party for Liberty, Equality and
Justice or PLEJ [Daouda M'BAGNIGA]; Popular Front or FP [Ch'bih Ould
CHEIKH MALAININE]; Popular Progress Alliance or APP [Messoud Ould
BOULKHEIR]; Popular Social and Democratic Union or UPSD [Mohamed
Mahmoud Ould MAH]; Progress Force Union or UFP [Mohamed Ould
MAOULOUD]; Rally of Democratic Forces or RFD [Ahmed Ould DADDAH];
Rally for Democracy and Unity or RDU [Ahmed Ould SIDI BABA]; Union
for Democracy and Progress or UDP [Naha Mint MOUKNASS]
note: the Action for Change party was banned in January 2002
although its members were permitted to keep their seats in the
National Assembly; parties legalized by constitution ratified 12
July 1991, however, politics continue to be tribally based

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Arab nationalists; Ba'athists; General Confederation of Mauritanian
Workers or CGTM [Abdallahi Ould MOHAMED, secretary general];
Independent Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CLTM [Samory
Ould BEYE]; Islamists; Mauritanian Workers Union or UTM [Mohamed Ely
Ould BRAHIM, secretary general]

International organization participation:
ABEDA, ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IBRD,
ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member),
ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Tijani Ould KERIM
chancery: 2129 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
FAX: [1] (202) 319-2623
telephone: [1] (202) 232-5700, 5701

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph E. LEBARON
embassy: 288 Rue Abdallaye (between Presidency building and Spanish
Embassy), Nouakchott
mailing address: BP 222, Nouakchott
telephone: [222] 525-2660/525-2663
FAX: [222] 25-25-92

Flag description:
green with a yellow five-pointed star above a yellow, horizontal
crescent; the closed side of the crescent is down; the crescent,
star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam

Economy Mauritania

Economy - overview:
Half the population still depends on agriculture and livestock for
a livelihood, even though many of the nomads and subsistence farmers
were forced into the cities by recurrent droughts in the 1970s and
1980s. Mauritania has extensive deposits of iron ore, which account
for nearly 40% of total exports. The decline in world demand for
this ore, however, has led to cutbacks in production. The nation's
coastal waters are among the richest fishing areas in the world, but
overexploitation by foreigners threatens this key source of revenue.
The country's first deepwater port opened near Nouakchott in 1986.
In the past, drought and economic mismanagement resulted in a
buildup of foreign debt. In February 2000, Mauritania qualified for
debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)
initiative and in December 2001 received strong support from donor
and lending countries at a triennial Consultative Group review. In
2001, exploratory oil wells in tracts 80 km offshore indicated
potential extraction at current world oil prices. A new investment
code approved in December 2001 improved the opportunities for direct
foreign investment. Ongoing negotiations with the IMF involve
problems of economic reforms and fiscal discipline. Substantial oil
production and exports probably will not begin until 2005. Meantime
the government emphasizes reduction of poverty, improvement of
health and education, and promoting privatization of the economy.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $5.195 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.5% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,800 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 25%
industry: 29%
services: 46% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
50% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.5%
highest 10%: 30.2% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
37.3 (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
786,000 (2001)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 50%, industry 10%, services 40% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:
21% (1999 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $421 million
expenditures: $378 million, including capital expenditures of $154
million (2002 est.)

Agriculture - products:
dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn, dates; cattle, sheep

Industries:
fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum

Industrial production growth rate:
2% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:
157.4 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
146.3 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
24,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Exports:
$541 million f.o.b. (2002)

Exports - commodities:
iron ore, fish and fish products, gold

Exports - partners:
Japan 12.5%, France 12.1%, Spain 11.4%, Italy 10.4%, Belgium 7.8%,
Germany 7.4%, Russia 5%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.2%, Netherlands 4% (2003)

Imports:
$860 million f.o.b. (2002)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods,
foodstuffs, consumer goods

Imports - partners:
France 16.8%, Spain 7.7%, China 6.3%, Belgium 5.1%, Germany 4.9%,
Japan 4.3%, UK 4.1%, US 4% (2003)

Debt - external:
$2.5 billion (2000)

Economic aid - recipient:
$220 million (2000)

Currency:
ouguiya (MRO)

Currency code:
MRO

Exchange rates:
ouguiyas per US dollar - NA (2003), 271.739 (2002), 255.629 (2001)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Mauritania

Telephones - main lines in use:
31,500 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
300,000 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: limited system of cable and open-wire lines,
minor microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephone communications
stations (improvements being made)
domestic: mostly cable and open-wire lines; a recently completed
domestic satellite telecommunications system links Nouakchott with
regional capitals
international: country code - 222; satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 2 Arabsat

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 14, shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:
410,000 (2001)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (2002)

Televisions:
98,000 (2001)

Internet country code:
.mr

Internet hosts:
25 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
5 (2001)

Internet users:
10,000 (2002)

Transportation Mauritania

Railways:
717 km
standard gauge: 717 km 1.435-m gauge (2003)

Highways:
total: 7,720 km
paved: 830 km
unpaved: 6,890 km (2000)

Waterways:
some ferry traffic on Senegal River (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Bogue, Kaedi, Nouadhibou, Nouakchott, Rosso

Merchant marine:
none

Airports:
24 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 16
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Military Mauritania

Military branches:
Army, Navy (including Naval Infantry), Air Force, National
Gendarmerie, National Guard, National Police, Presidential Guard
(BSSP)

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.); conscript service obligation - 2 years
(2004)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 686,629 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 332,633 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$40.8 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.7% (2003)

Transnational Issues Mauritania

Disputes - international:
Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara have been dormant in recent
years

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

======================================================================

@Mauritius

Introduction Mauritius

Background:
Discovered by the Portuguese in 1505, Mauritius was subsequently
held by the Dutch, French, and British before independence was
attained in 1968. A stable democracy with regular free elections and
a positive human rights record, the country has attracted
considerable foreign investment and has earned one of Africa's
highest per capita incomes. Recent poor weather and declining sugar
prices have slowed economic growth, leading to some protests over
standards of living in the Creole community.

Geography Mauritius

Location:
Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar

Geographic coordinates:
20 17 S, 57 33 E

Map references:
Political Map of the World

Area:
total: 2,040 sq km
note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint
Brandon), and Rodrigues
water: 10 sq km
land: 2,030 sq km

Area - comparative:
almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
177 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May
to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)

Terrain:
small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling
central plateau

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Piton 828 m

Natural resources:
arable land, fish

Land use:
arable land: 49.26%
permanent crops: 2.96%
other: 47.78% (2001)

Irrigated land:
200 sq km (2000 est.)

Natural hazards:
cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs
that may pose maritime hazards

Environment - current issues:
water pollution, degradation of coral reefs

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life
Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
the main island, from which the country derives its name, is of
volcanic origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs

People Mauritius

Population:
1,220,481 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 24.8% (male 152,424; female 149,908)
15-64 years: 68.8% (male 418,836; female 420,411)
65 years and over: 6.5% (male 31,104; female 47,798) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 30.1 years
male: 29.3 years
female: 31.1 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.81% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
15.85 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
6.82 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
-0.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 15.57 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 12.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 18.36 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.09 years
male: 68.11 years
female: 76.13 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.97 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
700 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Mauritian(s)
adjective: Mauritian

Ethnic groups:
Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian
2%

Religions:
Hindu 52%, Christian 28.3% (Roman Catholic 26%, Protestant 2.3%),
Muslim 16.6%, other 3.1%

Languages:
English (official), Creole, French (official), Hindi, Urdu, Hakka,
Bhojpuri

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 85.6%
male: 88.6%
female: 82.7% (2003 est.)

Government Mauritius

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Mauritius
conventional short form: Mauritius

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
Port Louis

Administrative divisions:
9 districts and 3 dependencies*; Agalega Islands*, Black River,
Cargados Carajos Shoals*, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses,
Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis, Riviere du Rempart, Rodrigues*, Savanne

Independence:
12 March 1968 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 March (1968)

Constitution:
12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992

Legal system:
based on French civil law system with elements of English common
law in certain areas

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH (since 7 October
2003) and Vice President Abdool Raouf BUNDHUN (since 25 February
2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Paul BERENGER (since 30 September
2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president and vice president elected by the National
Assembly for five-year terms; election last held 25 February 2002
(next to be held NA 2007); prime minister and deputy prime minister
appointed by the president, responsible to the National Assembly
election results: Karl OFFMANN elected president and Raouf BUNDHUN
elected vice president; percent of vote by the National Assembly -
NA; note - Karl OFFMANN stepped down on 30 September 2003

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (66 seats; 62 elected by popular vote,
4 appointed by the election commission from the losing political
parties to give representation to various ethnic minorities; members
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 11 September 2000 (next to be held NA
September 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - MSM/MMM 52.3%, MLP/PMSD
36.9%, OPR 10.8%; seats by party - MSM/MMM 54, MLP/PMSD 6, OPR 2

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:
Hizbullah [Cehl Mohamed FAKEEMEEAH]; Mauritian Labor Party or MLP
[Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM]; Mauritian Militant Movement or MMM [Paul
BERENGER] - in coalition with MSM; Mauritian Social Democrat Party
or PMSD [Charles Xavier-Luc DUVAL]; Militant Socialist Movement or
MSM [Pravind JUGNAUTH] - governing party; Rodrigues Movement or MR
[Joseph (Nicholas) Von MALLY]; Rodrigues Peoples Organization or OPR
[Serge CLAIR]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
various labor unions

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC,
ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Usha JEETAH
FAX: [1] (202) 966-0983
telephone: [1] (202) 244-1491, 1492
chancery: 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 441, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John PRICE
embassy: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Street, Port Louis
mailing address: international mail: P. O. Box 544, Port Louis; US
mail: American Embassy, Port Louis, Department of State, Washington,
DC 20521-2450
telephone: [230] 202-4400
FAX: [230] 208-9534

Flag description:
four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green

Economy Mauritius

Economy - overview:
Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a
low-income, agriculturally based economy to a middle-income
diversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist
sectors. For most of the period, annual growth has been in the order
of 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in more
equitable income distribution, increased life expectancy, lowered
infant mortality, and a much-improved infrastructure. Sugarcane is
grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 25%
of export earnings. The government's development strategy centers on
expanding local financial institutions and building a domestic
information telecommunications industry. Mauritius has attracted
more than 9,000 offshore entities, many aimed at commerce in India
and South Africa, and investment in the banking sector alone has
reached over $1 billion. Mauritius, with its strong textile sector
and responsible fiscal management, has been well poised to take
advantage of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $13.85 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.1% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $11,400 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 6.1%
industry: 30.3%
services: 63.6% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
22.9% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
10% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
37 (1987 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.2% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
560,000 (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture and fishing 14%, construction and industry 36%,
transportation and communication 7%, trade, restaurants, hotels 16%,
finance 3%, other services 24% (1995)

Unemployment rate:
9.8% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $1.122 billion
expenditures: $1.461 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2003)

Public debt:
31.9% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish

Industries:
food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing;
chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical
machinery; tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
8% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:
1.311 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
1.219 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
21,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Current account balance:
$289 million (2003)

Exports:
$1.965 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses

Exports - partners:
UK 31%, France 21.3%, US 17.6%, Madagascar 6.3% (2003)

Imports:
$2.136 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum
products, chemicals

Imports - partners:
South Africa 12.1%, France 12%, China 8.4%, India 8.2% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$1.598 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$1.75 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$42 million (1997)

Currency:
Mauritian rupee (MUR)

Currency code:
MUR

Exchange rates:
Mauritian rupees per US dollar - 27.9015 (2003), 29.962 (2002),
29.1293 (2001), 26.2496 (2000), 25.1858 (1999)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Mauritius

Telephones - main lines in use:
348,200 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
462,400 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: small system with good service
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay trunk system
international: country code - 230; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Indian Ocean); new microwave link to Reunion; HF
radiotelephone links to several countries; fiber optic submarine
cable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 4, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2002)

Radios:
420,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
2 (plus several repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
258,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.mu

Internet hosts:
3,985 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)

Internet users:
150,000 (2003)

Transportation Mauritius

Highways:
total: 1,926 km
paved: 1,868 km (including 44 km of expressways)
unpaved: 58 km (2000)

Ports and harbors:
Port Louis

Merchant marine:
total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 22,946 GRT/27,102 DWT
foreign-owned: Belgium 1, India 4, Switzerland 2 (2004 est.)
by type: cargo 1, combination bulk 4, passenger/cargo 1,
refrigerated cargo 2

Airports:
5 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Military Mauritius

Military branches:
National Police Force (includes the paramilitary Special Mobile
Force or SMF and National Coast Guard)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 342,482 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 172,157 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$11.2 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.2% (2003)

Transnational Issues Mauritius

Disputes - international:
Mauritius claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British
Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants, who reside
chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship and the right to
repatriation in 2001; claims French-administered Tromelin Island

Illicit drugs:
minor consumer and transshipment point for heroin from South Asia;
small amounts of cannabis produced and consumed locally; significant
offshore financial industry creates potential for money laundering,
but corruption levels are relatively low and the government appears
generally to be committed to regulating its banking industry

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

======================================================================

@Mayotte

Introduction Mayotte

Background:
Mayotte was ceded to France along with the other islands of the
Comoros group in 1843. It was the only island in the archipelago
that voted in 1974 to retain its link with France and forego
independence.

Geography Mayotte

Location:
Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-half
of the way from northern Madagascar to northern Mozambique

Geographic coordinates:
12 50 S, 45 10 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 374 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 374 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
185.2 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern
monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November)

Terrain:
generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Benara 660 m

Natural resources:
NEGL

Land use:
arable land: NA
permanent crops: NA
other: NA (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
cyclones during rainy season

Environment - current issues:
NA

Geography - note:
part of Comoro Archipelago; 18 islands

People Mayotte

Population:
186,026 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 46.4% (male 43,301; female 42,934)
15-64 years: 51.9% (male 52,534; female 44,100)
65 years and over: 1.7% (male 1,579; female 1,578) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 16.9 years
male: 18.1 years
female: 15.8 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
4.09% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
42.19 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
8.11 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
6.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.19 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female
total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 64.19 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 57.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 70.42 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 60.99 years
male: 58.85 years
female: 63.2 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
5.98 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Mahorais (singular and plural)
adjective: Mahoran

Ethnic groups:
NA

Religions:
Muslim 97%, Christian (mostly Roman Catholic)

Languages:
Mahorian (a Swahili dialect), French (official language) spoken by
35% of the population

Literacy:
definition: NA
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA

Government Mayotte

Country name:
conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Mayotte
conventional short form: Mayotte

Dependency status:
territorial collectivity of France

Government type:
NA

Capital:
Mamoutzou

Administrative divisions:
none (territorial collectivity of France)

Independence:
none (territorial collectivity of France)

National holiday:
Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Constitution:
28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system:
French law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May
1995), represented by Prefect Jean-Paul KIHL (since 17 January 2005)
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year
term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the
French Ministry of the Interior; president of the General Council
elected by the members of the General Council for a six-year term
head of government: President of the General Council Younoussa
BAMANA (since NA 1977)
cabinet: NA

Legislative branch:
unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats; members
are elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 7 October 2000 (next to be held NA 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA
note: Mayotte elects one member of the French Senate; elections last
held 24 September 2001 (next to be held NA September 2007); results
- percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Mayotte also
elects one member to the French National Assembly; elections last
held 16 June 2002 (next to be held as a special election on NA June
2005); results - percent of vote by party - UMP-RPR 55.08%, UDF
44.92%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Front or FD [Youssouf MOUSSA]; Mahoran Popular Movement
or MPM [Ahmed MADI]; Federation of Mahorans or RPR [Mansour
KAMARDINE]; Movement for Department Status Mayotte or MDM [Mouhoutar
SALIM]; Socialist Party or PS (local branch of French Parti
Socialiste) [Ibrahim ABUBACAR]; Union for French Democracy or UDF
[Henri JEAN-BAPTISTE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (territorial collectivity of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (territorial collectivity of France)

Flag description:
the flag of France is used

Economy Mayotte

Economy - overview:
Economic activity is based primarily on the agricultural sector,
including fishing and livestock raising. Mayotte is not
self-sufficient and must import a large portion of its food
requirements, mainly from France. The economy and future development
of the island are heavily dependent on French financial assistance,
an important supplement to GDP. Mayotte's remote location is an
obstacle to the development of tourism.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $466.8 million (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
NA

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $2,600 (1998 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA
industry: NA
services: NA (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA

Labor force:
48,800 (2000)

Unemployment rate:
38% (1999)

Budget:
revenues: NA
expenditures: $73 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(1991 est.)

Agriculture - products:
vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), coffee, copra

Industries:
newly created lobster and shrimp industry, construction

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
NA kWh

Electricity - consumption:
NA kWh

Exports:
$3.44 million f.o.b. (1997)

Exports - commodities:
ylang-ylang (perfume essence), vanilla, copra, coconuts, coffee,
cinnamon

Exports - partners:
France 80%, Comoros 15%, Reunion (2000)

Imports:
$141.3 million f.o.b. (1997)

Imports - commodities:
food, machinery and equipment, transportation equipment, metals,
chemicals

Imports - partners:
France 66%, Africa 14%, Southeast Asia 11% (2000 est.)

Debt - external:
NA

Economic aid - recipient:
$107.7 million; note - extensive French financial assistance (1995)

Currency:
euro (EUR)

Currency code:
EUR

Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar - 0.8860 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001),
1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Mayotte

Telephones - main lines in use:
10,000 (2001)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
21,700 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: small system administered by French Department
of Posts and Telecommunications
domestic: NA
international: country code - 269; microwave radio relay and HF
radiotelephone communications to Comoros (2001)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2001)

Radios:
NA

Television broadcast stations:
3 (2001)

Televisions:
3,500 (1994)

Internet country code:
.yt

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
NA

Internet users:
NA

Transportation Mayotte

Highways:
total: 93 km
paved: 72 km
unpaved: 21 km

Ports and harbors:
Dzaoudzi

Merchant marine:
none

Airports:
1 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Military Mayotte

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of France; small contingent of French
forces stationed on the island

Transnational Issues Mayotte

Disputes - international:
claimed by Comoros

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

======================================================================

@Mexico

Introduction Mexico

Background:
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.
Elections held in July 2000 marked the first time since the 1910
Mexican Revolution that the opposition defeated the party in
government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Vicente FOX
of the National Action Party (PAN) was sworn in on 1 December 2000
as the first chief executive elected in free and fair elections.

Geography Mexico

Location:
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

Geographic coordinates:
23 00 N, 102 00 W

Map references:
North America

Area:
total: 1,972,550 sq km
land: 1,923,040 sq km
water: 49,510 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Land boundaries:
total: 4,353 km
border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km

Coastline:
9,330 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm

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

Natural resources:
petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber

Land use:
arable land: 12.99%
permanent crops: 1.31%
other: 85.7% (2001)

Irrigated land:
65,000 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
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

Environment - current issues:
scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to urban
migration; natural fresh water resources scarce and polluted in
north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme
southeast; raw sewage and industrial effluents polluting rivers in
urban areas; deforestation; widespread erosion; desertification;
deteriorating agricultural lands; serious air and water pollution in
the national capital and urban centers along US-Mexico border; land
subsidence in Valley of Mexico caused by groundwater depletion
note: the government considers the lack of clean water and
deforestation national security issues

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

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

People Mexico

Population:
104,959,594 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 31.6% (male 16,913,290; female 16,228,552)
15-64 years: 62.9% (male 31,975,391; female 34,090,440)
65 years and over: 5.5% (male 2,618,713; female 3,133,208) (2004
est.)

Median age:
total: 24.6 years
male: 23.7 years
female: 25.5 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.18% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
21.44 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
4.73 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
-4.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 21.69 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 19.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 23.63 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.94 years
male: 72.18 years
female: 77.83 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.49 children born/woman (2004 est.)

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

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

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

Nationality:
noun: Mexican(s)
adjective: Mexican

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

Religions:
nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5%

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

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.2%
male: 94%
female: 90.5% (2003 est.)

Government Mexico

Country name:
conventional long form: United Mexican States
conventional short form: Mexico
local short form: Mexico
local long form: Estados Unidos Mexicanos

Government type:
federal republic

Capital:
Mexico (Distrito Federal)

Administrative divisions:
31 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district*
(distrito federal); Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California
Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Colima,
Distrito Federal*, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco,
Mexico, Michoacan de Ocampo, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca,
Puebla, Queretaro de Arteaga, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi,
Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz-Llave,
Yucatan, Zacatecas

Independence:
16 September 1810 (from Spain)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 16 September (1810)

Constitution:
5 February 1917

Legal system:
mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system; judicial
review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced)

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Vicente FOX Quesada (since 1 December
2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
election results: Vicente FOX Quesada elected president; percent of
vote - Vicente FOX Quesada (PAN) 42.52%, Francisco LABASTIDA Ochoa
(PRI) 36.1%, Cuauhtemoc CARDENAS Solorzano (PRD) 16.64%, other 4.74%
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 2 July 2000 (next to be held 2 July 2006)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; note - appointment of
attorney general requires consent of the Senate
head of government: President Vicente FOX Quesada (since 1 December
2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government

Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Union consists of the
Senate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats; 96 are elected by popular
vote to serve six-year terms, and 32 are allocated on the basis of
each party's popular vote) and the Federal Chamber of Deputies or
Camara Federal de Diputados (500 seats; 300 members are directly
elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; remaining 200
members are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote,
also for three-year terms)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - PRI 60, PAN 46, PRD 16, PVEM 5, unassigned 1; Chamber of
Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRI 222,
PAN 151, PRD 95, PVEM 17, PT 6, CD 5, unassigned 4; note - special
elections were held in December 2003; the PRI and the PRD each won
one seat and were each assigned one additional proportional
representation seat
elections: Senate - last held 2 July 2000 for all of the seats (next
to be held 2 July 2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 6 July 2003
(next to be held 2 July 2006)

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice or Suprema Corte de Justicia Nacional
(justices or ministros are appointed by the president with consent
of the Senate)

Political parties and leaders:
Convergence for Democracy or CD [Dante DELGADO Ranauro];
Institutional Revolutionary Party or PRI [Roberto MADRAZO Pintado];
Mexican Green Ecological Party or PVEM [Jorge Emilio GONZALEZ
Martinez]; National Action Party or PAN [Luis Felipe BRAVO Mena];
Party of the Democratic Revolution or PRD [Leonel GODOY]; Workers
Party or PT [Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Confederation of Employers of the Mexican Republic or COPARMEX;
Confederation of Industrial Chambers or CONCAMIN; Confederation of
Mexican Workers or CTM; Confederation of National Chambers of
Commerce or CONCANACO; Coordinator for Foreign Trade Business
Organizations or COECE; Federation of Unions Providing Goods and
Services or FESEBES; National Chamber of Transformation Industries
or CANACINTRA; National Peasant Confederation or CNC; National Union
of Workers or UNT; Regional Confederation of Mexican Workers or
CROM; Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and Peasants or CROC;
Roman Catholic Church

International organization participation:
APEC, BCIE, BIS, CDB, CE (observer), EBRD, FAO, G-3, G-6, G-15,
G-19, G-24, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM (observer), NEA, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW,
PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOVIC, UPU,
WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Carlos Alberto de ICAZA
Gonzalez
FAX: [1] (202) 728-1698
consulate(s): Albuquerque, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico
(California), Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Douglas (Arizona), Eagle
Pass (Texas), Fresno (California), Indianapolis (Indiana), Kansas
City (Missouri), Las Vegas, McAllen (Texas), Omaha, Orlando, Oxnard
(California), Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), Presidio (Texas),
Raleigh, Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, Santa Ana (California),
Seattle, Tucson, Yuma (Arizona)
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas,
Denver, El Paso, Houston, Laredo (Texas), Los Angeles, Miami, New
Orleans, New York, Nogales (Arizona), Phoenix, Sacramento, San
Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006
telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio O. GARZA
embassy: Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico,
Distrito Federal
mailing address: P. O. Box 9000, Brownsville, TX 78520-0900
telephone: [52] (55) 5080-2000
FAX: [52] (55) 5525-5040
consulate(s) general: Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana
consulate(s): Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Nogales, Nuevo, Laredo

Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red;
the coat of arms (an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its
beak) is centered in the white band

Economy Mexico

Economy - overview:
Mexico has a free market economy with 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. Real GDP growth was a weak -0.3% in
2001, 0.9% in 2002, and 1.2% in 2003, with the US slowdown the
principal cause. Mexico implemented free trade agreements with
Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and the European Free Trade Area
in 2001, putting more than 90% of trade under free trade agreements.
The government is cognizant of the need to upgrade infrastructure,
modernize the tax system and labor laws, and provide incentives to
invest in the energy sector, but progress is slow.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $941.2 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.3% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $9,000 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 4%
industry: 26.4%
services: 69.6% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
19.3% of GDP (2003)

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

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

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
53.1 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.5% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
34.11 million (2003)

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

Unemployment rate:
3.3% plus underemployment of perhaps 25% (2003)

Budget:
revenues: $148.3 billion
expenditures: $152.4 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)

Public debt:
23.1% of GDP (2003)

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

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

Industrial production growth rate:
-0.7% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
198.6 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
186.7 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
77 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
2.068 billion kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
3.59 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
1.507 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
1.881 million bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
374,700 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
15.11 billion bbl (1 January 2003)

Natural gas - production:
36.87 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
38.84 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
254 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
2.967 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
969.2 billion cu m (1 January 2003)

Current account balance:
$-9.15 billion (2003)

Exports:
$164.8 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

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

Exports - partners:
US 87.6%, Canada 1.8%, Germany 1.2% (2003)

Imports:
$168.9 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

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

Imports - partners:
US 61.8%, China 5.5%, Japan 4.5% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$59.02 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$159.8 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$1.166 billion (1995)

Currency:
Mexican peso (MXN)

Currency code:
MXN

Exchange rates:
Mexican pesos per US dollar - 10.789 (2003), 9.656 (2002), 9.3423
(2001), 9.4556 (2000), 9.5604 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Mexico

Telephones - main lines in use:
15,958,700 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
28.125 million (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: low telephone density with about 15.2 main
lines per 100 persons; privatized in December 1990; the opening to
competition in January 1997 improved prospects for development, but
Telemex remains dominant
domestic: adequate telephone service for business and government,
but the population is poorly served; mobile subscribers far
outnumber fixed-line subscribers; domestic satellite system with 120
earth stations; extensive microwave radio relay network;
considerable use of fiber-optic cable and coaxial cable
international: country code - 52; satellite earth stations - 32
Intelsat, 2 Solidaridad (giving Mexico improved access to South
America, Central America, and much of the US as well as enhancing
domestic communications), numerous Inmarsat mobile earth stations;
linked to Central American Microwave System of trunk connections;
high capacity Columbus-2 fiber-optic submarine cable with access to
the US, Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Morocco, Spain, and Italy
(1997)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 850, FM 545, shortwave 15 (2003)

Radios:
31 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
236 (plus repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
25.6 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.mx

Internet hosts:
1,333,406 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
51 (2000)

Internet users:
10.033 million (2002)

Transportation Mexico

Railways:
total: 19,510 km
standard gauge: 19,510 km 1.435-m gauge (2003)

Highways:
total: 329,532 km
paved: 108,087 km (including 6,429 km of expressways)
unpaved: 221,445 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
2,900 km
note: navigable rivers and coastal canals (2004)

Pipelines:
crude oil 28,200 km; petroleum products 10,150 km; natural gas
13,254 km; petrochemical 1,400 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Acapulco, Altamira, Bahias de Huatulco, Cabo San Lucas,
Coatzacoalcos, Dos Bocas, Ensenada, Guaymas, Lazaro Cardenas,
Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Puerto Progreso, Puerto Madero, Puerto
Vallarta, Salina Cruz, Tampico, Topolobampo, Tuxpan, Veracruz (2003)

Merchant marine:
total: 50 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 649,389 GRT/942,766 DWT
by type: bulk 1, cargo 3, chemical tanker 3, combination ore/oil 1,
liquefied gas 5, petroleum tanker 25, roll on/roll off 9,
short-sea/passenger 3
foreign-owned: Denmark 1, Germany 1, Greece 1, Marshall Islands 1,
Netherlands 2
registered in other countries: 13 (2004 est.)

Airports:
1,827 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 233
over 3,047 m: 12
2,438 to 3,047 m: 28
914 to 1,523 m: 80
under 914 m: 29 (2004 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 84

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1,600
under 914 m: 1,075 (2004 est.)
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 454
1,524 to 2,437 m: 69

Heliports:
2 (2003 est.)

Military Mexico

Military branches:
National Defense Secretariat (Sedena) (including Army and Air
Force), Navy Secretariat (including Naval Air and Marines)

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service
obligation - 12 months; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary
enlistment (2004)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 27,374,153 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 19,755,614 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 1,055,368 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$5,168.3 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.9% (2003)

Transnational Issues Mexico