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Mexico - Information and FactsLearn Spanish in Mexico! Here are loads of facts on the Republic, the most populous Hispanic nation on earth, and a great place to learn Spanish 'in-house'. A period of Total Immersion is a very important part of your learning Spanish strategy and is imperative at some point for any serious student of languages. It should be combined with: • a sound grammar learning system...whether on PC, book form, classroom, online.... • an accelerated vocabulary learning system which should lay the ability for you to learn Spanish words at 200 words a day or more. • and an onsite course with a good teacher. Click to find out more about how to learn Spanish at a Mexican Total Immersion school from this list. Here are a few hundred fun facts for you to quickly study up before you race off to the sunny Republic to feast on enchiladas, fajitas, tortillas and Spanish lingo! Background information on MexicoBefore the arrival of the Spaniard advanced Amerindian civilizations developed in Mexico.After the Spanish conquest the country was ruled for 300 years by a succession of Spanish Kings before independence in 1810. Economic turmoil hit in 1994 after the currency was devalued and their worst recession in over 50 years took place, from which it has steadily recovered. Social and economic concerns revolve around low real wages, large numbers of underemployed, large income distribution disaparities, and limited advancement chances for the predominantly Amerindian population in the impoverished southern parts of the country. Elections in the year 2000 were the first since the Mexican Revolution of 1910, where an opposition defeated the incumbent governing party, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). The National Action Party’s (PAN) Vincente Fox was took office December 1, 2000 as the first chief executive of Mexico elected in free democratic elections. Geography information on MexicoGeographical Position: Central America, on the coast of the Caribbean Sea. Sits on the Gulf of Mexico, between the United States its northern neighbour and to the south, Belize (formerly British Honduras). Mexico also borders the North Pacific Ocean, between the United States and Guatemala. Latitude & Longitude: : 23 degrees 00’ North, 102 degrees 00’ West Total Area of country:Total: 1,972,600 square kilometres Land boundaries Mexico: Length of Coast: 9,330 kilometres Climate information: varies from tropical to arid, hot desert. Terrain Features: high, rugged Sierra mountains; lowland plains on the coast; elevated plateaux; arid desert Elevation highs & lows: lowest elevation: Laguna Salada -10 metres Natural resources Mexico: petroleum, silver mining, copper mining, gold mining, lead, zinc mining, natural gas,lumberLand use: Geography - note: According the CIA Factbook from whence these figures are sourced, corn (maize) is believed to have come from Mexico. People information on MexicoTotal population: 104,908,000 (July 2003 estimate) Population rate growth: 1% (2003 estimate) Life Expectancy: Racial groupings: Mestizo (Amerindian-European/Spanish) 60%, Amerindian 30%, European 9%, other 1% Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5% Languages: Spanish, Mayan dialects, Nahuatl, and numerous other indigenous languages. Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write. Total population: 92% Government MexicoCountry name: System of Government : Federal RepublicCapital City: Mexico City Independence: 16 September 1810 National holiday: Independence Day, 16 September 1810 Constitution: 5 February 1917 Legal & Law System: Mix of United States & judicial review of legislative acts. Voting systemUniversal for all over 18 years of age; compulsory. Head of State : President President then appoints Cabinet and in common with most of Latin America is both the Head of State and the Head of Government. Economy MexicoEconomy - overview: Free market economy. Increasing private sector involvement.Free trade agreements with Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and the EFTA in 2001, putting more than 90% of trade under free trade agreements Gross Domestic Product: - $USD900 billion (2002 estimate) Gross Domestic Product growth rate: 1% (2002 estimate) Gross Domestic Product per head of population: - $USD9,000 (2002 estimate) Gross Domestic Product make-up by sector: Population below level of poverty: 40% (2001 estimate) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6% (2002 estimate) Labour force: 39 million (2000) Labour force by occupation: agriculture sector 20%, industry 24%, services 56% (1998) Budget Figures: Industrial production growth rate: 4% (2002 estimate) Exports: $USD160 billion (2002 estimate) Currency: peso (MXN) Currency code: MXN CommunicationsTelephones 12 million (2000) Radio Stations : AM 851, FM 598, shortwave 16 (2000) TV Stations : 235 Internet Code : .mx Transportation, Travel MexicoRailways : Total: 20,000 kilometresRoading Total: 324,000 kilometres paved roading: 96,221 kilometres including 6,300 kilometres of motorways/freeways/highways) unpaved roading: 227,800 kilometres Navigable Waterways : 2,900 kilometres Pipeline Distances : crude oil 28,000 kilometres; petroleum & petroleum by-products 10,000 kilometres; natural gas 13,200 kilometres; petrochemical 1,400 kilometres Commercial Harbours/Ports : Acapulco, Altamira, Puerto Coatzacoalcos, Puerto Ensenada, Puerto Guaymas, Puerto La Paz, Puerto Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, Puerto Mazatlan, Progreso, Salina Cruz, Puerto Tampico, Puerto opolobampo, Puerto Tuxpan, Veracruz Airports-Aerodromes: 1,820 Mexican MilitaryMilitary groupings & departments : National Defense Secretariat (SEDENA) (which controls the Mexican Air Force & Mecxican Army), Navy Secretariat (Mexican Naval Air and Marines)International Issues MexicoOngoing and long-standing water-sharing arrangements with United States of America is the cause of some dispute. Mexican FlagClick here for the Mexican Flag and the history of the flag, information and facts.Map of of the RepublicClick here for the Mexican Map and its history and facts.Mexican HistoryClick here for the History of Mexico and historical facts.Info sourced and adapted from the CIA Factbook . Andorra | Argentina | Belize | Bolivia | Colombia | Chile | Costa Rica | Cuba | Dominican Republic | Ecuador | El Salvador | Gibraltar | Guatemala | Honduras | Nicaragua | Panama | Peru | Puerto Rico | Spain | Uruguay | Venezuela | Source: CIA Factbook. Information on Mexico - Learn Spanish Help 2011 32 Alverton, Great Linford, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom |
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