Part 552

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% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 39% forests and woodland: 26% other: 22% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 61,000 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Gulf and Caribbean coasts

Environment - current issues: 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; serious air pollution in the national capital and urban centers along US-Mexico border

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, 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

@Mexico:People

Population: 97,563,374 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years : 36% (male 17,849,251; female 17,236,639) 15-64 years: 60% (male 28,241,361; female 29,883,766) 65 years and over: 4% (male 1,982,329; female 2,370,028) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.84% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 25.8 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 4.52 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 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 : 0.97 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 23.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74 years male: 70.39 years female: 77.78 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.97 children born/woman (1997 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%

Languages: Spanish, various Mayan dialects

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 89.6% male : 91.8% female: 87.4% (1995 est.)

@Mexico:Government

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

Data code: MX

Government type: federal republic operating under a centralized government