|RConstitution:|N Federal republic with strong central government.
|RNational holiday:|N Independence Day, September 16.
|RNature and climate:|N Mountainous country between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea in the southern part of North America.
Along the Pacific coast is the mountainchain Sierra Madre Occidental and along the Caribbean coast the Sierra Madre Oriental. Between there chains is a vast highland plateau at an elevation between 1500 and 2500 m.a..s.l. highest in the south. The town mountainchains join south of this plateau. Highest peak is Citaltepetl reaching 5700 m.a.s.l.
Mainly half-deserts in the northern parts with forests along the mountainslopes.
Narrow and dry coastal strips.
In southeast the Yucatan peninsula with bush savannahs in north and rainforests in the south.
Puma and jaguars are frequent as are many tropical birds.
Average temperature in January between 15 and 20°C in the northern mountainous area and between 20 and 25°C in the southern parts. Average temperature in July between 20 and 30°C.
Percipitation between 100 and 800 mm in the northern dry parts of the country and between 1000 and 3000 mm in the southern parts.
|RPeople:|N 60% Mestizos, 29% Indians and 9% Caucasians. The Indians are of many different tribes, most important are Olmecs, Mayas, Toltecs and Aztecs.
|REconomy:|N 31% of the labour force is occupied in services, 26% in agriculture, forestry and fishing, 14% in commerce, 13% in manufacturing and 10% in construction.
The Mexican economy is at large controlled by the government. Prices are controlled as are export and import. The banks are nationalized and foreign influence in companies may not exceed 49%.
The exportaimed plantations are mechanized and effective and their most important crops are cotton, coffee and sugar canes. Agriculture for domestic consumption though is by large undeveloped and much foodstuff must be imported. Most important crops are wheat, rice, vegetables and corn.
Extensive stockraising with export of meat, and fishing of sardines, shrimps, oysters and tuna.
Forestry is also extensive.
Mexico have rich mineral resources such as oil, natural gas, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, iron ore, coal, mercury and manganese.
Mexico is one of the world's largest producers of silver and copper.
Manufacturing is based on these vast resources and more than 40% of the export revenues comes from processed raw materials.
There is an extensive chemical industry, food processing and engineering industry, manufacturing of tractors, railway equipment, textile-machinery, TV:s and household machinery. There are several car assembly plants.
Traditional handicrafts in leather, silver and clay as well as weaving are also important industries.
Tourism is a very important source of income.
|RHistory:|N Mexico was a place of early civilization. From about 3400 BC there are traces of peasants cultivating maize. At about 2000 BC the population started to use ceramics and at about 1000 BC the people started to artificially irrigate their fields.
Best known of the early highly developed civilizations in Mexico is the Teotihuacan-culture in the Mexico valley 300 BC to 300 AD. Their sun-pyramids are famous and a "must" for todays tourists in Mexico.
Besides this culture the Maya civilization developed and had a time of prosperity from 300 to 800 AD. Many architectural masterpieces are left, but in the 9th century the Mayas left all their towns and the culture was dissolved. It is unknown why.
The Mayas were religious and had wide knowledge in astronomy and used a script language for notation of astronomical facts.
The Mayas were followed by the Toltecs in the 10th century and they were in turn defeated by the Aztecs in 1160.
The Aztecs in 1325 founded the capital Tenochtitlan which is now buried under Mexico City and they expanded their empire from the Pacific Ocean in the west to Guatemala in the south.
In 1519 the Spaniard Herman Cortes seized the Aztec ruler and half-God and the people became so perplexed over what had happened to their divine emperor that they could organize no resistance.
This made it possible for the Spaniards to rapidly conquer this military superpower.
The Spanish conquest put an end to the developed Indian cultures. The area was called New Spain and from 1535 governed by a viceroy. The colony expanded and comprised the whole central America as well as California and Texas.
In 18109 the people rose and after a series of wars Mexico was recognised as an independent empire in 1821. It was transformed to a federal republic in 1823, but several states revolted. In 1836 Texas revolted and was annexed by the USA in 1845. This started a war between Mexico and USA and at the peace in 1848 Mexico lost all territories north of Rio Grande and was forced to sell California, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico to the USA.
A reform government was installed in 1855. The judicial system was reformed, slavery forbidden, the land of the church nationalized and a new constitution passed. But the conservatives opposed and started the War of Reforms 1858. This war came to an end when Mexico in 1861 stopped paying their international debts and France, Spain and Great Britain intervened to protect their assets in Mexico. Britain and Spain soon withdrew their troops, but the French installed the Austrian archduke Maximiliam as emperor in 1864 and Mexico became a French vassal-state.
The Mexican resistance to this and after threats from the USA France withdrew their troops and in 1967 Maximiliam was captured and executed.
In 1876 the general Porfirio Diaz seized powers and ruled as a dictator. In 1910 he arrested a competitor in the presidential elections which started the Mexican revolution. In 1917 a new constitution was passed and the turmoil cooled.
In 1929 the ruling president Calles founded the Partido Revolucionario Institicional, PRI, that since then have dominated the political scene.
Many industries were nationalized and the economics were controlled by the government.
Mexico participated on the allied side in World War II and since the war the political development towards democracy has been stable with a fast industrialization and steady growth in economics.
In the 1980:s inflation and drop in oilprices caused economic problems, and in 1992 Mexico, Canada and USA signed an agreement of free trade, NAFTA, as an answer to the European Union.
