Mexico

Statistics

• Capital: Mexico City
• Largest City: Mexico City
• Official Language: Spanish
• Government: Federal Republic
• President: Vicente Fox Guezada
• Declared Independence: September 16, 1810
• Independence Recognized: September 27, 1821
• Area: 1,964,375 km
• Percent of Area is Water: 2.5%
• Population (2005): 103,088,021
• Population Density: 54.3/km
• GDP (2005): $1.066 trillion
• GDP Per Capita: $10,000
• Currency: Peso
• Time Zone: UTC-6 to UTC-8
• Internet TLD: .mx
• Calling Code: +52
• Major Universities:

Geography

Just below the United States, Mexico stands at over 3,000 kilometers long. It also borders Belize and Guatemala to the south. It is the northernmost and westernmost country in Latin America, and also the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world. In the east are the Gulf of Mexico and the Bay of Campeche, which is formed by Mexico's other peninsula, the Yucatan. The center of Mexico is a great, high plateau, open to the north, with mountain chains on the east and west and with ocean-front lowlands lying outside of them. The terrain and climate vary from rocky deserts in the north to tropical rain forest in the south. Mexico's major rivers include the Rio Bravo del Norte (Rio Grande) and the Usumacinta on its northern and southern borders, respectively, together with the Grijalva, Balsas, Punuco, and Yaqui in the interior. The Tropic of Cancer effectively divides the country into temperate and tropical zones.

Culture

The Mexican dialect of Spanish has been influenced by its native population, especially Nahuatl, lending words that are not found in the Spanish of Spain or the rest of Latin America. Mexico is known worldwide for its folk art traditions, mostly derived from a combination of the indigenous and Spanish crafts. Particularly notable among handicrafts are the clay pottery made in the valley of Oaxaca and the bird and animal figures made in the village of Tomala. Colorfully embroidered cotton garments, cotton or wool shawls and outer garments, and colorful baskets and rugs are seen everywhere. Mexican television is also popular and well known throughout the world and the most popular shows have been translated into many languages. Also popular in Mexico is sports, especially soccer although baseball is still popular in some areas. Exhibitions like bull fighting are still practiced and professional wrestling as shown on shows like Lucha Libre. American football is practiced at the major universities like UNAM.

Religion

Roman Catholicism was established as the dominant religion of Mexico, and today, about 89% of Mexicans identify themselves with that division of Christianity. Evangelical denominations have grown in recent years, to about 6% of the population, after being introduced by missionaries and settlers from Europe and the United States in the 19th century. Other religions make up the remaining 5%, with the most notable growth among The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Jehovah's Witnesses.

History

Spain invaded Mexico on 1519; by 1521 the powerful Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) was conquered. Contrary to popular opinion, Spain did not conquer all of Mexico when Cortes conquered Tenochtitlan in 1521. It would take another two centuries after the Siege of Tenochtitlan before the conquest of Mexico would be complete. In 1810 Mexico declared its independence that resulted in war that lasted until 1821 when Spain would acknowledge it. War and poverty struck Mexico for much of its history, from the war with the United States to the War of Reform to the war with France. In 1876 Porfirio Diaz fought against the standing government and was elected, a reign that lasted until 1911. His actions resulted in a stronger economy and relative peace with outside nations. The populace was unhappy, however, as they weren't given part of the newborn economy and starved as usual. This welcomed in a period of socialism. Currently Vicente Fox has served as president since December 1, 2000 and is a member of National Action Party.

Economy

According to the World Bank, Mexico has the highest per capita income in its region; it is established as an upper middle-income country. Following a 4.1% growth in 2004, real GDP grew 3% in 2005. According to the Bank of Mexico recent economic developments include a record-low inflation of 3.3% in 2005, low interest rates, a lower External debt to GDP ratio (8.9%) and a strong peso. Trade with the United States and Canada has tripled since NAFTA was implemented in 1994. Mexico has a free-market economy that consists of agriculture and industries, largely privatized, which recently entered the trillion dollar class. Mexico still needs to overcome many structural problems as it strives to modernize its economy and raise living standards. Ongoing economic concerns include low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitable income, and few advancement opportunities for the largely Amerindian population in the impoverished southern states.

Study Abroad

• Language & Culture in Mexico
• Architecture in Mexico
• Language & Culture in Guanajuato
• ISA Butler - Mexico" target="_blank">
• Universidad Internacional
• Study Spanish In Mexico
• Projects Abroad: Mexico
• ProWorld Mexico
• CSA Studying Abroad in Mexico
• Guadalajara, Mexico
• Spanish Cultural Immersion Program, Cuernavaca
• Volunteer and Study Abroad in Mexico
• USAC Mexico
• Study in Guanajuato
• CIEE Mexico
• CIEE Guantajuato, Mexico
• API Mexico