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Compare Mexico (2001) - South Africa (2003)

Compare Mexico (2001) z South Africa (2003)

 Mexico (2001)South Africa (2003)
 MexicoSouth Africa
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, 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 9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West, Northern Cape, Western Cape
Age structure 0-14 years:
33.32% (male 17,312,220; female 16,635,438)

15-64 years:
62.28% (male 30,888,015; female 32,558,359)

65 years and over:
4.4% (male 1,997,219; female 2,487,920) (2001 est.)
0-14 years: 30% (male 6,460,273; female 6,377,090)


15-64 years: 65% (male 13,807,922; female 13,970,088)


65 years and over: 5% (male 864,441; female 1,288,864) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruit, tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products
Airports 1,848 (2000 est.) 727 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total:
238

over 3,047 m:
11

2,438 to 3,047 m:
28

1,524 to 2,437 m:
90

914 to 1,523 m:
82

under 914 m:
27 (2000 est.)
total: 143


over 3,047 m: 10


2,438 to 3,047 m: 5


1,524 to 2,437 m: 50


914 to 1,523 m: 67


under 914 m: 11 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
1,610

over 3,047 m:
1

2,438 to 3,047 m:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
65

914 to 1,523 m:
470

under 914 m:
1,073 (2000 est.)
total: 584


1,524 to 2,437 m: 34


914 to 1,523 m: 298


under 914 m: 252 (2002)
Area total:
1,972,550 sq km

land:
1,923,040 sq km

water:
49,510 sq km
total: 1,219,912 sq km


land: 1,219,912 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward Island)
Area - comparative slightly less than three times the size of Texas slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Background 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. After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments, but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902). The resulting Union of South Africa operated under a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races. The 1990s brought an end to apartheid politically and ushered in black majority rule.
Birth rate 22.77 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 18.87 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues:
$125 billion

expenditures:
$130 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
revenues: $22.6 billion


expenditures: $24.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA billion (FY 02/03)
Capital Mexico Pretoria; note - Cape Town is the legislative center and Bloemfontein the judicial center
Climate varies from tropical to desert mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights
Coastline 9,330 km 2,798 km
Constitution 5 February 1917 10 December 1996; this new constitution was certified by the Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996, was signed by then President MANDELA on 10 December 1996, and entered into effect on 3 February 1997; it is being implemented in phases
Country name conventional long form:
United Mexican States

conventional short form:
Mexico

local long form:
Estados Unidos Mexicanos

local short form:
Mexico
conventional long form: Republic of South Africa


conventional short form: South Africa


former: Union of South Africa


abbreviation: RSA
Currency Mexican peso (MXN) rand (ZAR)
Death rate 5.02 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 18.42 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $162 billion (2000) $24.7 billion (2002 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Jeffery DAVIDOW

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

mailing address:
P. O. Box 3087, Laredo, TX 78044-3087

telephone:
[52] (5) 209-9100

FAX:
[52] (5) 208-3373, 511-9980

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

consulate(s):
Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Nuevo Laredo, Nogales
chief of mission: Ambassador Cameron H. HUME


embassy: 877 Pretorius Street, Pretoria


mailing address: P. O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001


telephone: [27] (12) 342-1048


FAX: [27] (12) 342-2244


consulate(s) general: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg
Diplomatic representation in the US 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 Juan (Puerto Rico)

consulate(s):
Albuquerque, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico (California), Corpus Christi, Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Douglas (Arizona), Eagle Pass (Texas), Fresno (California), McAllen (Texas), Midland (Texas), Orlando, Oxnard (California), Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, San Jose, Santa Ana (California), Seattle, Tucson
chief of mission: Ambassador Barbara Joyce Mosima MASEKELA


chancery: 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 232-4400


FAX: [1] (202) 265-1607


consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
Disputes - international none managed dispute with Namibia over the location of the boundary in the Orange River
Economic aid - recipient $1.166 billion (1995) $487.5 million (2000)
Economy - overview Mexico has a free market economy with a mixture of modern and outmoded industry and agriculture, increasingly dominated by the private sector. The number of state-owned enterprises in Mexico has fallen from more than 1,000 in 1982 to fewer than 200 in 2000. The ZEDILLO administration privatized and expanded competition in seaports, railroads, telecommunications, electricity, natural gas distribution, and airports. A strong export sector helped to cushion the economy's decline in 1995 and led the recovery in 1996-2000. Private consumption became the leading driver of growth in 2000, accompanied by increased employment and higher real wages. Mexico still needs to overcome many structural problems as it strives to modernize its economy and raise living standards. Income distribution is very unequal, with the top 20% of income earners accounting for 55% of income. Trade with the US and Canada has tripled since NAFTA was implemented in 1994. Mexico completed free trade agreements with the EU, Israel, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala in 2000, and is pursuing additional trade agreements with countries in Latin America and Asia to lessen its dependence on the US. South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant supply of natural resources; well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors; a stock exchange that ranks among the 10 largest in the world; and a modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region. However, growth has not been strong enough to lower South Africa's high unemployment rate; and daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era, especially poverty and lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups. High crime and HIV/AIDS infection rates also deter investment. South African economic policy is fiscally conservative, but pragmatic, focusing on targeting inflation and liberalizing trade as means to increase job growth and household income.
Electricity - consumption 170.754 billion kWh (1999) 181.2 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 11 million kWh (1999) 6.91 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 1.047 billion kWh (1999) 6.2 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 182.492 billion kWh (1999) 195.6 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
74.12%

hydro:
17.75%

nuclear:
5.21%

other:
2.92% (1999)
fossil fuel: 93.5%


hydro: 1.1%


nuclear: 5.5%


other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Laguna Salada -10 m

highest point:
Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Njesuthi 3,408 m
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 lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures; growth in water usage outpacing supply; pollution of rivers from agricultural runoff and urban discharge; air pollution resulting in acid rain; soil erosion; desertification
Environment - international 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
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, 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
Ethnic groups mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1% black 75.2%, white 13.6%, Colored 8.6%, Indian 2.6%
Exchange rates Mexican pesos per US dollar - 9.7701 (January 2001), 9.4556 (2000), 9.5604 (1999), 9.1360 (1998), 7.9185 (1997), 7.5994 (1996) rand per US dollar - 10.54 (2002), 8.61 (2001), 6.94 (2000), 6.11 (1999), 5.53 (1998)
Executive branch 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%
chief of state: President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999); Executive Deputy President Jacob ZUMA (since 17 June 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999); Executive Deputy President Jacob ZUMA (since 17 June 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president


elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 2 June 1999 (next scheduled for sometime between May and July 2004)


election results: Thabo MBEKI elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 100% (by acclamation)


note: ANC-IFP is the governing coalition
Exports $168 billion (f.o.b., 2000), includes in-bond industries (assembly plant operations) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities manufactured goods, oil and oil products, silver, fruits, vegetables, coffee, cotton gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment (1998 est.)
Exports - partners US 88.6%, Canada 2%, Spain 0.9%, Germany 0.9%, Japan 0.6%, UK 0.6%, Netherlands Antilles 0.5%, Switzerland 0.3% Venezuela 0.3%, Chile 0.3% (2000 est.) UK 12.8%, US 12.7%, Germany 9%, Japan 8.8%, Italy 5.8% (2002)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
Flag description 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 two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a central green band which splits into a horizontal Y, the arms of which end at the corners of the hoist side; the Y embraces a black isosceles triangle from which the arms are separated by narrow yellow bands; the red and blue bands are separated from the green band and its arms by narrow white stripes
GDP purchasing power parity - $915 billion (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $427.7 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
5%

industry:
27%

services:
68% (2000)
agriculture: 4.4%


industry: 28.9%


services: 66.7% (2001)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $9,100 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $10,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 7.1% (2000 est.) 3% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 23 00 N, 102 00 W 29 00 S, 24 00 E
Geography - note strategic location on southern border of US South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland
Heliports 2 (2000 est.) -
Highways total:
323,977 km

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

unpaved:
227,756 km (1997)
total: 362,099 km


paved: 73,506 km (including 2,032 km of expressways)


unpaved: 288,593 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
1.8%

highest 10%:
36.6% (1996)
lowest 10%: 1.1%


highest 10%: 45.9% (1994)
Illicit drugs illicit cultivation of opium poppy (cultivation in 2000 - 1,900 hectares; potential heroin production - 2.4 metric tons) and cannabis cultivation in 2000 - 3,900 hectares; government eradication efforts have been key in keeping illicit crop levels low; major supplier of heroin and marijuana to the US market; continues as the primary transshipment country for US-bound cocaine from South America; two major drug syndicates control majority of drug trafficking throughout the country; primary supplier of methamphetamine to the US market; growing producer and distributor of ecstasy transshipment center for heroin, hashish, marijuana, and possibly cocaine; cocaine consumption on the rise; world's largest market for illicit methaqualone, usually imported illegally from India through various east African countries; illicit cultivation of marijuana; attractive venue for money launderers given the increasing level of organized criminal and narcotics activity in the region
Imports $176 billion (f.o.b., 2000), includes in-bond industries (assembly plant operations) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities metal-working machines, steel mill products, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly, repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs (2000 est.)
Imports - partners US 73.6%, Japan 3.7%, Germany 3.3%, Canada 2.3%, South Korea 2%, China 1.6%, Taiwan 1.2%, Italy 1%, Brazil 1% (2000 est.) Germany 15.4%, US 9.4%, UK 9%, Saudi Arabia 6.9%, Japan 5.8%, France 5%, China 4.9%, Iran 4.1% (2002)
Independence 16 September 1810 (from Spain) 31 May 1910 (from UK); note - South Africa became a republic in 1961 following an October 1960 referendum
Industrial production growth rate 7.5% (2000 est.) 3% (2002 est.)
Industries food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, tourism mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs
Infant mortality rate 25.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 60.84 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 64.73 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 56.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 9% (2000 est.) 9.9% (2002 est.)
International organization participation APEC, BCIE, BIS, Caricom (observer), CCC, CDB, CE (observer), EBRD, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-6, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA (observer), IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM (observer), NEA, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO ACP, AfDB, BIS, C, ECA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM, NSG, OAU, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 51 (2000) 150 (2001)
Irrigated land 61,000 sq km (1993 est.) 13,500 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are appointed by the president with consent of the Senate) Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High Courts; Magistrate Courts
Labor force 39.8 million (2000) 17 million economically active
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 20%, industry 24%, services 56% (1998) agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45% (1999 est.)
Land boundaries total:
4,538 km

border countries:
Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,326 km
total: 4,862 km


border countries: Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491 km, Namibia 967 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km
Land use arable land:
12%

permanent crops:
1%

permanent pastures:
39%

forests and woodland:
26%

other:
22% (1993 est.)
arable land: 12.13%


permanent crops: 0.77%


other: 87.1% (1998 est.)
Languages Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous languages 11 official languages, including Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
Legal system mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch 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 59, PAN 45, PRD 17, PVEM 5, PT 1, PCD 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRI 211, PAN 208, PRD 50, PVEM 16, PT 7, PCD 3, PSN 3, PAS 2
bicameral Parliament consisting of the National Assembly (400 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional representation to serve five-year terms) and the National Council of Provinces (90 seats, 10 members elected by each of the nine provincial legislatures for five-year terms; has special powers to protect regional interests, including the safeguarding of cultural and linguistic traditions among ethnic minorities); note - following the implementation of the new constitution on 3 February 1997 the former Senate was disbanded and replaced by the National Council of Provinces with essentially no change in membership and party affiliations, although the new institution's responsibilities have been changed somewhat by the new constitution


elections: National Assembly and National Council of Provinces - last held 2 June 1999 (next to be held by 2 August 2004)


election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - ANC 66.4%, DP 9.6%, IFP 8.6%, NNP 6.9%, UDM 3.4%, ACDP 1.4%, FF 0.8%, other 2.9%; seats by party - ANC 266, DP 38, IFP 34, NNP 28, UDM 14, ACDP 6, FF 3, other 11; National Council of Provinces - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ANC 61, NNP 17, FF 4, IFP 5, DP 3
Life expectancy at birth total population:
71.76 years

male:
68.73 years

female:
74.93 years (2001 est.)
total population: 46.56 years


male: 46.57 years


female: 46.54 years (2003 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
89.6%

male:
91.8%

female:
87.4% (1995 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 86.4%


male: 87%


female: 85.7% (2003 est.)
Location 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 Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa
Map references North America Africa
Maritime claims 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
contiguous zone: 24 NM


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


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine total:
43 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 590,657 GRT/920,456 DWT

ships by type:
bulk 2, cargo 1, chemical tanker 4, liquefied gas 3, petroleum tanker 28, roll on/roll off 2, short-sea passenger 3 (2000 est.)
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 30,235 GRT/35,904 DWT


ships by type: container 1, petroleum tanker 2


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Denmark 3, Netherlands 1 (2002 est.)
Military - note - with the end of Apartheid and the establishment of majority rule, former military, black homelands forces, and ex-opposition forces were integrated into the South African National Defense Force (SANDF); as of 2003 the integration process was considered complete
Military branches National Defense Secretariat (includes Army and Air Force), Navy Secretariat (includes Naval Air and Naval Infantry) South African National Defense Force (including Army, Navy, Air Force, and Medical Services), South African Police Service
Military expenditures - dollar figure $4 billion (FY99) $1.746 billion (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1% (FY99) 1.7% (FY02)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
26,703,300 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49: 11,865,280 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
19,394,184 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49: 7,211,075 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age

note:
starting in 2000, females will be allowed to volunteer for military service
18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
1,077,536 (2001 est.)
males: 471,578 (2003 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 16 September (1810) Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)
Nationality noun:
Mexican(s)

adjective:
Mexican
noun: South African(s)


adjective: South African
Natural hazards tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean coasts prolonged droughts
Natural resources petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas
Net migration rate -2.77 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) -0.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 28,200 km; petroleum products 10,150 km; natural gas 13,254 km; petrochemical 1,400 km condensate 100 km; gas 741 km; oil 847 km; refined products 1,354 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders Convergence for Democracy or CD [Dante DELGADO Ranauro]; Institutional Revolutionary Party or PRI [Dulce Maria SAURI Riancho]; Mexican Green Ecological Party or PVEM [Jorge GONZALEZ Torres]; National Action Party or PAN [Luis Felipe BRAVO Mena]; Party of the Democratic Center or PCD [Manuel CAMACHO Solis]; Party of the Democratic Revolution or PRD [Amalia GARCIA Medina]; Party of the Nationalist Society or PSN [Gustavo RIOJAIS Santana]; Social Alliance Party or PAS [Jose Antonio CALDERON Cardoso]; Workers Party or PT [Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez] African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP [Kenneth MESHOE, president]; African National Congress or ANC [Thabo MBEKI, president]; Democratic Alliance (formed from the merger of the Democratic Party or DP and the New National Party or NNP; note - NNP split from DP in 2001) [Anthony LEON]; Freedom Front or FF [Dr. Pieter MULDER, president]; Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP [Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI, president]; New National Party or NNP [Marthinus VAN SCHALKWYK]; Pan-Africanist Congress or PAC [Stanley MOGOBA, president]; United Democratic Movement or UDM [Bantu HOLOMISA]
Political pressure groups and leaders 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 Congress of South African Trade Unions or COSATU [Zwelinzima VAVI, general secretary]; South African Communist Party or SACP [Blade NZIMANDE, general secretary]; South African National Civics Organization or SANCO [Mlungisi HLONGWANE, national president]; note - COSATU and SACP are in a formal alliance with the ANC
Population 101,879,171 (July 2001 est.) 42,768,678


note: South Africa took a census October 1996 that showed a population of 40,583,611 (after an official adjustment for a 6.8% underenumeration based on a postenumeration survey); estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line 27% (1998 est.) 50% (2000 est.)
Population growth rate 1.5% (2001 est.) 0.01% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors Acapulco, Altamira, Coatzacoalcos, Ensenada, Guaymas, La Paz, Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Progreso, Salina Cruz, Tampico, Topolobampo, Tuxpan, Veracruz Cape Town, Durban, East London, Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha
Radio broadcast stations AM 865, FM about 500, shortwave 13 (1999) AM 14, FM 347 (plus 243 repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios 31 million (1997) -
Railways total:
31,048 km

standard gauge:
30,958 km 1.435-m gauge (246 km electrified)

narrow gauge:
90 km 0.914-m gauge (1998 est.)
total: 22,298 km


narrow gauge: 21,984 km 1.065-m gauge (10,436 km electrified); 314 km 0.610-m gauge


note: includes a 2,228 km commuter rail system (2002)
Religions nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5% Christian 68% (includes most whites and Coloreds, about 60% of blacks and about 40% of Indians), Muslim 2%, Hindu 1.5% (60% of Indians), indigenous beliefs and animist 28.5%
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:
0.8 male(s)/female

total population:
0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced) 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
low telephone density with about 11 main lines per 100 persons; privatized in December 1990; the opening to competition in January 1997 has brightened 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)
general assessment: the system is the best developed and most modern in Africa


domestic: consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay links, fiber-optic cable, radiotelephone communication stations, and wireless local loops; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria


international: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 9.6 million (1998) more than 5 million (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular 2.02 million (1998) 7.06 million (2001)
Television broadcast stations 236 (plus repeaters) (1997) 556 (plus 144 network repeaters) (1997)
Terrain high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain
Total fertility rate 2.62 children born/woman (2001 est.) 2.24 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate urban - 2.2% (2000); plus considerable underemployment 37% (includes workers no longer looking for employment) (2001 est.)
Waterways 2,900 km

note:
navigable rivers and coastal canals
NA
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