MEXICO

Missionaries to Mexico:
Jay Markey
Mike Poindexter
Victorio Robles

Religion
Nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5%.

People/Language/Ethnicity
Languages: Spanish, Indian languages. Ethnicity/race: mestizo (Indian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, Caucasian or predominantly Caucasian 9%, other 1%. Literacy rate: 89.6% (1995 est.).

Overview
Area: 761,602 sq mi. Mexico is bordered by the United States to the north, and Belize and Guatemala to the southeast. Mexico is about one-fifth the size of the United States.

Population (2003 est.): 104,907,991 (growth rate: 1.7%); Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Mexico City, 21,233,900 (metro. area), 8,681,400 (city proper).

Economy
Per capita income $9,000. Real growth rate: –0.3%. Inflation: 6.5%. Unemployment: urban—3% plus considerable underemployment. Arable land: 13%. Agriculture: corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruit, tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products. Labor force: 39.8 million (2000); agriculture 20%, industry 24%, services 56% (1998). Industries: food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, tourism. Natural resources: petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber.

Source and Copyright: InfoPlease, The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001. The World Factbook 2002.