| |||||
Capital (and largest city) |
Mexico City (20,000,000) | ||||
Language official |
Spanish | ||||
others | Native languages, English (widely spoken) | ||||
Religion | Roman Catholic and Protestant | ||||
Emperor | Fernando I de Iturbide-Habsburg | ||||
Prime Minister | Felipe de Calderón e Hinojosa | ||||
Area | 5,205,000 km² | ||||
Population | 206,447,000 | ||||
Established | 1821 | ||||
Independence | from Spain | ||||
Currency | Mexican Peso |
Mexico is a large nation that controls most of south-western North America. From its independence from Spain in 1821, it grew to become the world's dominant power, along with the Confederate States of America. It has an advanced technology, government, and military.
Government and Politics[]
Mexico is a democratic monarchy whose head of state is an Emperor from the House of Iturbide-Habsburg. The Prime Minister, the head of government, is the leader of the dominant party in Congress. Congressional elections are held every five years. There are two major parties, the Movement for Mexico (MPM) and the National Action Party (PAN).
2005 General Elections[]
Congress
Party | Total seats |
Seat percentage |
---|---|---|
Movimiento para México | 499 | 49.9% |
Partido Acción Nacional | 490 | 48.5% |
Partido Demócrata Social | 11 | 1.6% |
Totals | 1000 | 100% |
Political Parties[]
- Movimiento para México (Movement for Mexico, MPM) The dominant party in Congress with only a small majority, the party is viewed as a rightist party. Its views are often monarchist, conservative, and imperialist.
- Partido Acción Nacional (National Action Party, PAN) The former leader in Congress before the 2005 elections, it is a left-leaning party with social ideals. It contributed greatly to building better conditions for workers before World War II.
- Partido Demócrata Social (Social Democratic Party, PDS) A third party, the PDS made huge gains in Congress following the 2005 elections. It is often viewed as a centrist party, with both leftist and rightist views.
Administrative Divisions[]
Mexico is divided into 48 provinces and one district.
Provinces[]
The power of provinces have increased in the last few years. Now, after the Constitutional Reform of 1999, provinces have a governor elected by universal suffrage (and not chosen by Congress), as well as a Provincial Congress that has power to regulate province-wide trade, security (police, not armed forces), and to make provincial laws. Since 1999, provinces are allowed to choose their official languages. Utah has been the only province to choose English in addition to Spanish as an official language.
- 1. Aguascalientes – Aguascalientes
- 2. Arizona - Phoenix
- 3. Baja California – Mexicali
- 4. Baja California Sur – La Paz
- 5. Belize - Ciudad Belize
- 6. California - Los Angeles
- 7. Campeche – Campeche
- 8. Chiapas – Tuxtla Gutiérrez
- 9. Chihuahua – Chihuahua
- 10. Coahuila – Saltillo
- 11. Colima – Colima
- 12. Colorado - Denver
- 13. Costa Rica - San Jose
- 14. Durango – Durango
- 15. El Salvador - San Salvador
- 16. Florida - Miami
- 17. Guanajuato – Guanajuato
- 18. Guatemala - Ciudad Guatemala
- 19. Guerrero – Chilpancingo
- 20. Hidalgo – Pachuca
- 21. Honduras - Tegucigalpa
- 22. Iturbidia - Ciudad de Oklahoma
- 23. Jalisco – Guadalajara
- 24. Kansas - Topeka
- 25. Luisiana - Nuevo Orleans
- 26. México – Toluca
- 27. Michoacán – Morelia
- 28. Morelos – Cuernavaca
- 29. Nayarit – Tepic
- 30. Nevada - Las Vegas
- 31. Nicaragua - Managua
- 32. Nuevo León – Monterrey}
- 33. Nuevo Mexico - Santa Fe
- 34. Oaxaca – Oaxaca
- 35. Puebla – Puebla
- 36. Querétaro – Santiago de Querétaro
- 37. Quintana Roo – Cancún
- 38. San Luis Potosí – San Luis Potosí
- 39. Sinaloa – Culiacán
- 40. Sonora – Hermosillo
- 41. Tabasco – Villahermosa
- 42. Tamaulipas – Ciudad Victoria
- 43. Tejas - El Paso
- 44. Tlaxcala – Tlaxcala
- 45. Utah - Salt Lake City
- 46. Veracruz – Xalapa
- 47. Yucatán – Mérida
- 48. Zacatecas – Zacatecas
District[]
A district does not have the powers a province has, and its citizens do not have representation in Congress. However, they can vote in all elections.
- 1. Distrito Capital - Ciudad de México
Military[]
Mexico has a 1.3 million of soldiers.
Geography & Culture[]
The Highest Point in Mexico is the Mt. Citlaltepetl (5700m).
Holidays[]
Date | Name of Holiday | Remarks |
---|---|---|
1st January | New Year's Day | |
6th February | Emperor's Day | Baptism of Agustin I |
8th May | Victory Day 1945 | Defeat of the CSA, 1945 |
21st July | Accession of Agustin I | |
2nd August | Emperor's Birthday | Birth of Fernando I, no day off |
16th September | Independence Day | Anniversary of the Cry of Dolores, 1810 (National Day) |
16th November | Armed Forces Day | Capture of Norfolk, 1943. Day of mourning for lost soldiers |
12th December | Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe | |
25th December | Christmas | Birth of Jesus |
Travel[]
For those interested in traveling to Mexico, many travel guides have been written. The monarchy is helds in very high esteem, and insulting it is not very wise. The Palacio de Chapultapec (or Palacio de Iturbide) in Mexico City is open for tourism when neither the emperor nor the Prince Regent is present there.
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The Emperor | |||
The Government | |||
Mexican Congress | Elections in Mexico | Political Parties | Provincial Government | |||
The Armed Forces | |||