Head of state: Prime minister - elect : Yingluck Shinawatra
Population
114,975,406
67,091,089
Life Expectancy
76.660 years
73.830 years
Capital City
Mexico (Distrito Federal)
Bangkok
Largest city
Mexico City (population: 11,285,700)
Bangkok (population: 5,104,480)
Human Development Index
0.842
0.786
GDP per capita
$14,800 US
$9,500 US
Literacy Rate
91%
92.6%
Corruption Perception Index
3.6
3.5
Percentage of Women in Parliament
22.1%
12.7%
Wealthiest Citizens
Carlos Slim Helu & family ($35.0bn US)
Chaleo Yoovidhya ($3.7bn US)
Unemployment Rate
5.200%
0.700%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Legal
Political System
federal republic
constitutional monarchy
Independence date
16 September 1810 (declared); 27 September 1821 (recognized by Spain)
1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized)
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 94.6%, Muslim 4.6%, Christian 0.7%, other 0.1% (2000 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)
Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects
textiles and footwear, fishery products, rice, rubber, jewelry, automobiles, computers and electrical appliances
External Debt
$210,800,000,000 $
$115,600,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Mexican pesos (MXN) per US dollar - 11.016 (2008 est.), 10.8 (2007), 10.899 (2006), 10.898 (2005), 11.286 (2004)
baht per US dollar - 33.37 (2008 est.), 34.52 (2007), 37.882 (2006), 40.22 (2005), 40.222 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
0.500%
1.800%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
3
4
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, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma
Area
1,964,375 km sq
513,120 km sq
Coastline
9,330 km
3,219 km
Climate
varies from tropical to desert
tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid
