ents 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: 98,552,776 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 36% (male 17,883,007; female 17,193,082)
15-64 years: 60% (male 28,932,074; female 30,511,443)
65 years and over: 4% (male 1,808,581; female 2,224,589) (July 1998
est.)

Population growth rate: 1.77% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 25.49 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 4.91 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 25.82 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.63 years
male: 68.62 years
female: 74.79 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.91 children born/woman (1998 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, Nahuatl, and other regional
indigenous languages

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

National capital: Mexico

Administrative divisions: 31 states (estados, singular-estado) and 1
federal district* (distrito federal); Aguascalientes, Baja California,
Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila de
Zaragoza, Colima, Distrito Federal*, Durango, Guanajuato, G