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Mexico
is a traveler's paradise, crammed with a multitude of opposing
identities: desert landscapes, snow-capped volcanoes, ancient
ruins, teeming industrialised cities, time-warped colonial
towns, glitzy resorts, lonely beaches and a world-beating
collection of flora and fauna. The bursting megalopolis of
Mexico City is a one-hour flight from the tropical rainforests
and Mayan villages of Chiapas. Up along the northern border,
Mexico's tumult of heritages merge with the air-conditioned
cultures of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
Mexico's
profusion of people and landscapes reflects the country's
extraordinary history - part Amerindian, part Spanish. One
look at this country is enough to remind visitors that there
is nothing new about the so-called New World. Despite the
considerable colonial legacy and rampant modernization, almost
60 distinct indigenous peoples survive, largely thanks to
their rural isolation. This mix of modern and traditional,
the clichéd and the surreal, is the key to Mexico's
immense popularity as a travel destination, whether your passion
is throwing back margaritas, listening to howler monkeys,
surfing the Mexican Pipeline, scrambling over Mayan ruins
or expanding your Day of the Dead collection of posable skeletons.
Full
country name: Estados Unidos Méxicanos
Population: 100,350,000 (growth rate 1.53%)
Area: 1,958,200 sq km (758,866 sq mi)
Capital city: Mexico City (22 million people)
People: Approximately 60% mestizo (mixed European and Amerindian
descent) and 30% Amerindian (indígena - including Nahua,
Maya, Zapotecs, Mixtecs, Totonacs, and Tarascos or Purépecha)
Language: Spanish and 59 indigenous languages
Religion: 90% Roman Catholic, 6% Protestant
Government: Federal republic
Head of state: Vincente Fox Quesada
GDP:
US$915 billion
GDP per head: US$9100
Annual growth: 7%
Inflation: 9%
Major industries: Food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals,
iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor
vehicles, consumer durables, tourism
Major trading partners: USA, Canada, Japan, Germany
Mexico
Flight from UK
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