16 September 1810 (declared); 27 September 1821 (recognized by Spain)
19 July 1949 (from France)
Religions
Roman Catholic 76.5%, Protestant 6.3% (Pentecostal 1.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, other 3.8%), other 0.3%, unspecified 13.8%, none 3.1% (2000 census)
Buddhist 67%, Christian 1.5%, other and unspecified 31.5% (2005 census)
Languages
Spanish only 92.7%, Spanish and indigenous languages 5.7%, indigenous only 0.8%, unspecified 0.8%; note - indigenous languages include various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional languages (2005)
Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
Mexican pesos (MXN) per US dollar - 11.016 (2008 est.), 10.8 (2007), 10.899 (2006), 10.898 (2005), 11.286 (2004)
kips (LAK) per US dollar - 8,760.69 (2008 est.), 9,658 (2007), 10,235 (2006), 10,820 (2005), 10,585.5 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
0.500%
0.500%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
3
0
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
Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
Area
1,964,375 km sq
236,800 km sq
Coastline
9,330 km
0 km
Climate
varies from tropical to desert
tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
