Part 490

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

Illicit drugs: illicit cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis continues in spite of increasing government eradication; major supplier of heroin and marijuana to the US market; continues as the primary transshipment country for US-bound cocaine from South America; increasingly involved in the production and distribution of methamphetamine

Exports: $80 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.), includes in-bond industries commodities: crude oil, oil products, coffee, silver, engines, motor vehicles, cotton, consumer electronics partners: US 85%, Japan 1.6%, EU 4.6% (1994 est.)

Imports: $72 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.), includes in-bond industries commodities: metal-working machines, steel mill products, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly, repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts partners: US 69%, Japan 6%, EU 12% (1994 est.)

External debt: $155 billion (1995 est.)

Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $85 million (1993) note: US commitments, (Emergency Stabilization Fund), $13.5 billion; IMF, $13 billion (1995-96)

Currency: 1 New Mexican peso (Mex$) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates: market rate of Mexican pesos (Mex$) per US$1 - 7.6647 (December 1995), 6.4194 (1995), 3.3751 (1994), 3.1156 (1993), 3,094.9 (1992), 3,018.4 (1991) note: the new peso replaced the old peso on 1 January 1993; 1 new peso = 1,000 old pesos

Fiscal year: calendar year

Transportation --------------

Railways: total: 20,567 km standard gauge: 20,477 km 1.435-m gauge (246 km electrified) narrow gauge: 90 km 0.914-m gauge (1994)

Highways: total: 245,433 km paved: 88,601 km (including 4,286 km of expressways) unpaved: 156,832 km (1993 est.)

Waterways: 2,900 km navigable rivers and coastal canals

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

Ports: Acapulco, Altamira, Coatzacoalcos, Ensenada, Guaymas, La Paz, Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Progreso, Salina Cruz, Tampico, Topolobampo, Tuxpan, Veracruz

Merchant marine: total: 51 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 875,314 GRT/1,245,932 DWT ships by type: cargo 1, chemical tanker 4, container 4, liquefied gas tanker 7, oil tanker 29, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2, short-sea passenger 3 (1995 est.)

Airports: total: 1,411 with paved runways over 3 047 m: 9 with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 25 with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 88 with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 66 with paved runways under 914 m: 815 with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 50 with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 358 (1995 est.)

Communications --------------

Telephones: 11,890,868 (1993 est.)

Telephone system: highly developed system with extensive microwave radio relay links; privatized in December 1990 domestic: adequate telephone service for business and government, but the population is poorly served; domestic satellite system with 120 earth stations; extensive microwave radio relay network international: satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean); launched Solidaridad I satellite in November 1993 and Solidaridad II in October 1994, giving Mexico improved access to South America, Central America and much of the US as well as enhancing domestic communications; linked to Central American Microwave System of trunk connections

Radio broadcast stations: AM 679, FM 0, shortwave 22

Radios: 22.5 million (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 238

Televisions: 13.1 million (1992 est.)

Defense -------

Branches: National Defense (includes Army and Air Force), Navy (includes Naval Air and Marines)

Manpower availability: males age 15-49: 23,945,962 males fit for military service: 17,451,706 males reach military age (18) annually: 1,057,538 (1996 est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $2.24 billion, 0.9% of GDP (1996)