| Area: 1,923,040 sq km (land), 49,510 sq km (water), 1,972,550 sq km (total)
Population: 109,955,400 (July 2008 est.)
Government: federal republic
Capital City: Mexico
People: Mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1%
Languages: Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous languages
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)
Currency: Mexican peso (MXN)
In the past few years Mexico has had a higher level of foreign direct investment than any other Latin American country. It has signed more free trade agreements with more countries than any other nation, and it is this economic physiology that has led to Mexico's now perpetually strong economy and free flowing investment.
The background for this success story arose in 2000 when Vincente Fox came to power. Fox made a commitment to boost the economy focusing on four key areas: To enhance foreign trade investment; Reform fiscal policies; Attack corruption and crime; Improve infrastructure in the form of roads ports, telecoms and privatisation. The current president Felipe Calderon is continuing this focus.
The last decade has seen a number of improvements in the Mexican economy: a stable environment, low inflation, flexible and varied labour force, a greatly improved and strengthened banking system, successful poverty reduction programmes and liberalization of property ownership laws.
|