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Compare Maldives (2002) - Mexico (2002)

Compare Maldives (2002) z Mexico (2002)

 Maldives (2002)Mexico (2002)
 MaldivesMexico
Administrative divisions 19 atolls (atholhu, singular and plural) and 1 other first-order administrative division*; Alifu, Baa, Dhaalu, Faafu, Gaafu Alifu, Gaafu Dhaalu, Gnaviyani, Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu, Kaafu, Laamu, Lhaviyani, Maale*, Meemu, Noonu, Raa, Seenu, Shaviyani, Thaa, Vaavu 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, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacan de Ocampo, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro de Arteaga, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz-Llave, Yucatan, Zacatecas
Age structure 0-14 years: 45.3% (male 74,493; female 70,394)


15-64 years: 51.7% (male 84,548; female 81,092)


65 years and over: 3% (male 4,944; female 4,694) (2002 est.)
0-14 years: 32.8% (male 17,310,230; female 16,630,935)


15-64 years: 62.7% (male 31,552,877; female 33,246,668)


65 years and over: 4.5% (male 2,069,826; female 2,589,629) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; fish corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruit, tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products
Airports 5 (2001) 1,852 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2002)
total: 231


over 3,047 m: 11


2,438 to 3,047 m: 28


1,524 to 2,437 m: 83


914 to 1,523 m: 82


under 914 m: 27 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2002)
total: 1,592 1,617


over 3,047 m: 1 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 69 69


914 to 1,523 m: 454 461


under 914 m: 1,067 1,085 (2002)
Area total: 300 sq km


land: 300 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 1,972,550 sq km


land: 1,923,040 sq km


water: 49,510 sq km
Area - comparative about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC slightly less than three times the size of Texas
Background The Maldives were long a sultanate, first under Dutch and then under British protection. They became a republic in 1968, three years after independence. Tourism and fishing are being developed on the archipelago. The site of advanced Amerindian civilizations, Mexico came under Spanish rule for three centuries before achieving independence early in the 19th century. A devaluation of the peso in late 1994 threw Mexico into economic turmoil, triggering the worst recession in over half a century. The nation continues to make an impressive recovery. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely Amerindian population in the impoverished southern states. Elections held in July 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that the opposition defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) was sworn in on 1 December 2000 as the first chief executive elected in free and fair elections.
Birth rate 37.41 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 22.36 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues: $166 million (excluding foreign grants)


expenditures: $192 million, including capital expenditures of $80 million
revenues: $136 billion


expenditures: $140 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) (2001 est.)
Capital Male Mexico (Distrito Federal)
Climate tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August) varies from tropical to desert
Coastline 644 km 9,330 km
Constitution adopted January 1998 5 February 1917
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Maldives


conventional short form: Maldives


local long form: Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa


local short form: Dhivehi Raajje
conventional long form: United Mexican States


conventional short form: Mexico


local long form: Estados Unidos Mexicanos


local short form: Mexico
Currency rufiyaa (MVR) Mexican peso (MXN)
Death rate 7.86 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 4.99 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external $237 million (2000 est.) $191 billion (2001) (2001)
Diplomatic representation from the US the US does not have an embassy in Maldives; the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka is accredited to Maldives and makes periodic visits there chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio O. GARZA


embassy: Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico, Distrito Federal


mailing address: P. O. Box 9000, Brownsville, TX 520-9000


telephone: [52] 55 5080-2000


FAX: [52] 55 5511-9980


consulate(s) general: Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana


consulate(s): Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Nuevo Laredo, Nogales
Diplomatic representation in the US Maldives does not have an embassy in the US, but does have a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York; permanent representative is Dr. Mohamed LATHEEF chief of mission: Ambassador Juan Jose BREMER Martino


chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006


telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600


FAX: [1] (202) 728-1698


consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, Houston, Laredo (Texas), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Nogales (Arizona), Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Juan (Puerto Rico)


consulate(s): Albuquerque, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico (California), Corpus Christi, Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Douglas (Arizona), Eagle Pass (Texas), Fresno (California), Indianapolis (Indiana), Las Vegas, McAllen (Texas), Midland (Texas), Omaha, Orlando, Oxnard (California), Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), Presidio (Texas), Raleigh, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, Santa Ana (California), Seattle, Tucson, Yuma (Arizona)
Disputes - international none none
Economic aid - recipient $NA $1.166 billion (1995) (1995)
Economy - overview Tourism, Maldives largest industry, accounts for 20% of GDP and more than 60% of the Maldives' foreign exchange receipts. Over 90% of government tax revenue comes from import duties and tourism-related taxes. Almost 400,000 tourists visited the islands in 1998. Fishing is a second leading sector. The Maldivian Government began an economic reform program in 1989 initially by lifting import quotas and opening some exports to the private sector. Subsequently, it has liberalized regulations to allow more foreign investment. Agriculture and manufacturing continue to play a minor role in the economy, constrained by the limited availability of cultivable land and the shortage of domestic labor. Most staple foods must be imported. Industry, which consists mainly of garment production, boat building, and handicrafts, accounts for about 18% of GDP. Maldivian authorities worry about the impact of erosion and possible global warming on their low-lying country; 80% of the area is one meter or less above sea level. Mexico has a free market economy with a mixture of modern and outmoded industry and agriculture, increasingly dominated by the private sector. Recent administrations have expanded competition in seaports, railroads, telecommunications, electricity, natural gas distribution, and airports. Income distribution remains highly unequal. Trade with the US and Canada has tripled since the implementation of NAFTA in 1994. Following 6.9% growth in 2000, real GDP fell 0.3% in 2001, with the US slowdown the principal cause. Positive developments in 2001 included a drop in inflation to 6.5%, a sharp fall in interest rates, and a strong peso that appreciated 5% against the dollar. Mexico City implemented free trade agreements with Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and the European Free Trade Area in 2001, putting more than 90% of trade under free trade agreements. Foreign direct investment reached $25 billion in 2001, of which $12.5 billion came from the purchase of Mexico's second largest bank, Banamex, by Citigroup.
Electricity - consumption 102.3 million kWh (2000) 182.83 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2000) 77 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2000) 2.145 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production 110 million kWh (2000) 194.37 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
fossil fuel: 76%


hydro: 17%


nuclear: 4%


other: 3% (2000)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location on Wilingili island in the Addu Atoll 2.4 m
lowest point: Laguna Salada -10 m


highest point: Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m
Environment - current issues depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies; global warming and sea level rise; coral reef bleaching scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to urban migration; 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; deteriorating agricultural lands; serious air and water pollution in the national capital and urban centers along US-Mexico border; land subsidence in Valley of Mexico caused by groundwater depletion


note: the government considers the lack of clean water and deforestation national security issues
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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
Ethnic groups South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1%
Exchange rates rufiyaa per US dollar - 11.770 (fixed rate since 1995) Mexican pesos per US dollar - 9.1614 (January 2002), 9.3423 (2001), 9.4556 (2000), 9.5604 (1999), 9.1360 (1998), 7.9185 (1997)
Executive branch chief of state: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president; note - need not be members of Majlis


elections: president nominated by the Majlis and then that nomination must be ratified by a national referendum (at least a 51% approval margin is required); president elected for a five-year term; election last held 16 October 1998 (next to be held NA October 2003)


election results: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM reelected; percent of popular vote - Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM 90.9%
chief of state: President Vicente FOX Quesada (since 1 December 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Vicente FOX Quesada (since 1 December 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; note - appointment of attorney general requires consent of the Senate


elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 2 July 2000 (next to be held NA July 2006)


election results: Vicente FOX Quesada elected president; percent of vote - Vicente FOX Quesada (PAN) 42.52%, Francisco LABASTIDA Ochoa (PRI) 36.1%, Cuauhtemoc CARDENAS Solorzano (PRD) 16.64%, other 4.74%
Exports $88 million f.o.b. (2000 est.) $159 billion f.o.b. (2001)
Exports - commodities fish, clothing manufactured goods, oil and oil products, silver, fruits, vegetables, coffee, cotton
Exports - partners US, UK, Sri Lanka, Japan US 88.4%, Canada 2%, Germany 0.9%, Spain 0.8%, Netherlands Antilles 0.6%, Japan 0.4%, UK 0.4%, Venezuela 0.4%, (2001 est.)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description red with a large green rectangle in the center bearing a vertical white crescent; the closed side of the crescent is on the hoist side of the flag three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; the coat of arms (an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its beak) is centered in the white band
GDP purchasing power parity - $1.2 billion (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $920 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 20%


industry: 18%


services: 62% (2000 est.)
agriculture: 5%


industry: 26%


services: 69% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $3,870 (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $9,000 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 7% (2001 est.) -0.3% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 3 15 N, 73 00 E 23 00 N, 102 00 W
Geography - note 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls (200 inhabited islands, plus 80 islands with tourist resorts); archipelago with strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean strategic location on southern border of US; corn (maize), one of the world's major grain crops, is thought to have originated in Mexico
Heliports - 2 (2002)
Highways total: NA km


paved: NA km


unpaved: NA km; note - Male has 9.6 km of coral highways within the city (1988 est.)
total: 323,977 km


paved: 96,221 km (including 6,335 km of expressways)


unpaved: 227,756 km (1997)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 2%


highest 10%: 41% (2001) (2001)
Illicit drugs - illicit cultivation of opium poppy (cultivation in 2001 - 4,400 hectares; potential heroin production - 7 metric tons) and cannabis cultivation in 2001 - 4,100 hectares; government eradication efforts have been key in keeping illicit crop levels low; major supplier of heroin and largest foreign supplier of marijuana and methamphetamine to the US market; continues as the primary transshipment country for US-bound cocaine from South America; major drug syndicates control majority of drug trafficking throughout the country; growing producer and distributor of ecstasy; significant money-laundering center
Imports $372 million f.o.b. (2000 est.) $168 billion f.o.b. (2001)
Imports - commodities consumer goods, intermediate and capital goods, petroleum products metalworking machines, steel mill products, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly, repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts
Imports - partners Singapore, India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Canada US 68.4%, Japan 4.7%, Germany 3.6%, Canada 2.5%, China 2.2%, South Korea 2.1%, Taiwan 1.6%, Italy 1.3%, Brazil 1.1% (2001 est.)
Independence 26 July 1965 (from UK) 16 September 1810 (from Spain)
Industrial production growth rate 4.4% (1996 est.) -3.4% (2001 est.)
Industries fish processing, tourism, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand mining food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, tourism
Infant mortality rate 61.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) 24.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3% (2000 est.) 6.5% (2001 est.)
International organization participation AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO APEC, BCIE, BIS, Caricom (observer), CCC, CDB, CE (observer), EBRD, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-6, G-15, G-19, G-24, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA (observer), IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM (observer), NEA, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) 51 (2000)
Irrigated land NA sq km 65,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch High Court Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are appointed by the president with consent of the Senate)
Labor force 67,000 (1995) (1995) 39.8 million (2000) (2000)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 22%, industry 18%, services 60% (1995) (1995) agriculture 20%, industry 24%, services 56% (1998) (1998)
Land boundaries 0 km total: 4,353 km


border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km
Land use arable land: 3.33%


permanent crops: 6.67%


other: 90% (1998 est.)
arable land: 13.2%


permanent crops: 1.1%


other: 85.7% (1998 est.)
Languages Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous languages
Legal system based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch unicameral People's Council or Majlis (50 seats; 42 elected by popular vote, 8 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 20 November 1999 (next to be held NA November 2004)


election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 42
bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Union consists of the Senate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats; 96 are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms, and 32 are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote) and the Federal Chamber of Deputies or Camara Federal de Diputados (500 seats; 300 members are directly elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; remaining 200 members are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote, also for three-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 2 July 2000 for all of the seats (next to be held NA 2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 2 July 2000 (next to be held NA 2003)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRI 60, PAN 46, PRD 15, PVEM 5, PT 1, CD 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRI 211, PAN 207, PRD 50, PVEM 16, PT 8, PSN 3, PAS 2, CD 1, independents 2
Life expectancy at birth total population: 62.93 years


male: 61.72 years


female: 64.2 years (2002 est.)
total population: 72.03 years


male: 68.99 years


female: 75.21 years (2002 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 93.2%


male: 93.3%


female: 93% (1995 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 89.6%


male: 91.8%


female: 87.4% (1995 est.)
Location Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the US
Map references Asia North America
Maritime claims measured from claimed archipelagic baselines


contiguous zone: 24 NM


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
contiguous zone: 24 NM


continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine total: 14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 51,532 GRT/71,298 DWT


ships by type: cargo 13, short-sea passenger 1 (2002 est.)
total: 44 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 656,594 GRT/987,822 DWT


ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 1, chemical tanker 4, liquefied gas 3, petroleum tanker 27, roll on/roll off 3, short-sea passenger 3


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Canada 2, Denmark 1 (2002 est.)
Military branches National Security Service National Defense Secretariat (SEDENA) (including Army and Air Force), Navy Secretariat (including Naval Air and Marines)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $34.5 million (FY01) $4 billion (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 8.6% (FY01) 1% (FY99)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 74,893 (2002 est.) males age 15-49: 27,229,581 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 41,672 (2002 est.) males age 15-49: 19,761,440 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age


note: starting in 2000, females were allowed to volunteer for military service (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 1,077,536 (2002 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 26 July (1965) Independence Day, 16 September (1810)
Nationality noun: Maldivian(s)


adjective: Maldivian
noun: Mexican(s)


adjective: Mexican
Natural hazards low level of islands makes them very sensitive to sea level rise tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts
Natural resources fish petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) -2.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Pipelines - crude oil 28,200 km; petroleum products 10,150 km; natural gas 13,254 km; petrochemical 1,400 km
Political parties and leaders although political parties are not banned, none exist Convergence for Democracy or CD [Dante DELGADO Ranauro]; Institutional Revolutionary Party or PRI [Dulce Maria SAURI Riancho]; Mexican Green Ecological Party or PVEM [Jorge Emilio GONZALEZ Martinez]; National Action Party or PAN [Luis Felipe BRAVO Mena]; Party of the Democratic Revolution or PRD [Amalia GARCIA Medina]; Party of the Nationalist Society or PSN [Gustavo RIOJAS Santana]; Social Alliance Party or PAS [Guillermo CALDERON Dominguez]; Workers Party or PT [Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez]
Political pressure groups and leaders none Confederation of Employers of the Mexican Republic or COPARMEX; Confederation of Industrial Chambers or CONCAMIN; Confederation of Mexican Workers or CTM; Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce or CONCANACO; Coordinator for Foreign Trade Business Organizations or COECE; Federation of Unions Providing Goods and Services or FESEBES; National Chamber of Transformation Industries or CANACINTRA; National Peasant Confederation or CNC; National Union of Workers or UNT; Regional Confederation of Mexican Workers or CROM; Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and Peasants or CROC; Roman Catholic Church
Population 320,165 (July 2002 est.) 103,400,165 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 40% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate 2.95% (2002 est.) 1.47% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors Gan, Male Acapulco, Altamira, Coatzacoalcos, Ensenada, Guaymas, La Paz, Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Progreso, Salina Cruz, Tampico, Topolobampo, Tuxpan, Veracruz
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 851, FM 598, shortwave 16 (2000)
Radios 35,000 (1999) 31 million (1997)
Railways 0 km total: 18,000 km


standard gauge: 18,000 km 1.435-m gauge (2001)
Religions Sunni Muslim nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.05 male(s)/female


total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
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: 0.8 male(s)/female


total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage 21 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced)
Telephone system general assessment: minimal domestic and international facilities


domestic: interatoll communication through microwave links; all inhabited islands are connected with telephone and fax service


international: satellite earth station - 3 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
general assessment: low telephone density with about 12 main lines per 100 persons; privatized in December 1990; the opening to competition in January 1997 improved prospects for development


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; considerable use of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable, and mobile cellular service


international: satellite earth stations - 32 Intelsat, 2 Solidaridad (giving Mexico improved access to South America, Central America, and much of the US as well as enhancing domestic communications), numerous Inmarsat mobile earth stations; linked to Central American Microwave System of trunk connections; high capacity Columbus-2 fiber-optic submarine cable with access to the US, Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Morocco, Spain, and Italy (1997)
Telephones - main lines in use 21,000 (1999) 12.332 million (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1,290 (1997) 2.02 million (1998)
Television broadcast stations 1 (1997) 236 (plus repeaters) (1997)
Terrain flat, with white sandy beaches high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert
Total fertility rate 5.38 children born/woman (2002 est.) 2.57 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate NEGL% urban - 3% plus considerable underemployment (2001)
Waterways none 2,900 km


note: navigable rivers and coastal canals
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