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Political
Status
Mexico is a federal republic made up of 31 states
and a federal district. It has a presidential
regime.
The constitution was drawn up in 1857, but has been
modified three times since.
The President, who holds the executive power, can
be elected for one six-year term of office, he
cannot stand for re-election. The present President
is Mr Vicente Fox, who took office on 1st December
2000.
The legislative power is held by two chambers, the
Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
There are 500 deputies who are elected for a three
year term of office by general election (300 by
majority vote, 200 by proportional
representation).
There are 128 members in the Senate (4 for each
State and 4 representing the Federal District), who
are elected by general election for a period of six
years, half of whom are renewable every three
years.
Mexico has a pluralistic political system. The PRI
(Institutional revolutionary party) which has been
in power since 1929, lost the presidential
elections on 2nd July 2000. Vicente Fox, a member
of PAN (National action party), a central right
winger, who presented himself as "the man of
change" took over from Ernesto Zedillo on 1st
December 2000.
Short
historical outline
1519 :
Cortes landed with his conquistadores
1821 : Mexican independence. Founding of the empire
with Itubide 1st (1822-1823)
1824 : 1st Republic
1846 : Mexican war with the United States. Mexico
lost several territories (Nevada, New Mexico,
Texas, California, Arizona, Utah).
1857 : beginning of the civil war following the
action of the reformer Benito Juarez (1806-1873,
the Mexican national hero, who gave the country its
freedom and its independence. He organized the
resistance movement against the Emperor Maximilian
and managed to win with the help of the United
States. He became Mexico's first Indian
president.)
1864 : Maximilian of Austria became emperor with
the help of France. He was executed by firing squad
in 1867.
1910 : after the autocracy of General Porfirio
Diaz, followed a revolutionary period when Pancho
Villa and Emiliano Zapata became famous
1917 : a new constitution was drawn up when the PRI
(the institutional revolutionary party) came to
power. They stayed in power until 1st December
2000.
More
recently
1982-1988 :
President Miguel de la Madrid who initiated reforms
of the economic structures
1988-1994 : President Carlos Salinas
1st January 1994 : NAFTA agreement (North
American Free Trade Agreement between Mexico, the
United States and Canada).
1994 : year of crises :
- in the State of Chiapas, where the Indians led by
Zapatist revolutionaries (under the Sub Commandante
Marcos) revolted the 1st January 1994.
- Luis Colosio, the candidate delegated by the PRI
was assassinated
- the Mexican currency was devaluated following a
deep recession (1995)
August 1994 : presidential election : Ernesto
Zedillo (PRI) is elected
2nd July 2000 : legislative elections won by the
PAN after 71 years of PRI domination
1st December 2000 : Vicente Fox took over from
Ernesto Zedillo
Geographical
situation
Geographically Mexico belongs to Central America.
It is situated between the United States in the
north and Guatemala in the South. The east coast is
washed by the Mexican Gulf and the west coast by
the Pacific Ocean.
Its borders are : United States 3,326 kms,
Guatemala 962 kms, Belize 250 kms, and 9,300 kms of
coastline.
The total surface
of the country is 1,958,201 square kilometers (4
times that of France).
Mexico is the biggest Indian country on the
American continent and also the biggest Spanish
speaking country.
The geographical
relief is varied : mountains, plains, high plateaus
and desert.
The states are :
(on the west coast (Pacific Ocean ) and
interior)
Lower California (with the islands of Guadalupe and
Cedros), the main towns are Tijuana and
Mexicali
Southern Lower California, the main town is La
Paz
Sonora, the main town is Hermosillo
Chihauhua, with a main town of the same name
Sinaloa, the main town is Culiacan (Rosales)
Durango, the main town is Victoria de Durango
Nayarit, the main town is Tepic
Zacatecas, with a main town of the same name
Aguascalientes, with a main town of the same
name
Guanajuata, with a main town of the same name
Jalisco, the main town is Guadalajare
Colima, with a main town of the same name
Michoacan, the main town is Morelia
Morelos, the main town is Cuernayaca
Guerrero, the main town is Chilpancingo de los
Bravos,
Puebla, the main town is Puebla de Zaragoza
Oaxaca, the main town is Oaxaca de Juarez
Ciapas, the main town is Tuxtla Gutiérrez,
East coast
(Mexican Gulf) and interior :
Quintana Roo, the main town is Chetumal
Yucatan, the main town is Merida
Campeche, with a main town of the same name
Tabasco, the main town is Villahermoza
Veracruz, the main town is Jalapa (Enriquez)
Puebla, with a main town of the same name
Tlaxcala, with a main town of the same name
Hidalgo, the main town is Pachucuca de Soto
Queretaro, with a main town of the same name
San Luis Potosi, with a main town of the same
name
Tamaulipas, the main town is Ciudad Victoria
Nuevo Leon, the main town is Monterrey
Coahuila, the main town is Saltillo
and Mexico with Toluca de Lerdo and Mexico City
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