republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch
Independence date
16 September 1810 (declared); 27 September 1821 (recognized by Spain)
1 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)
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)
Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3%
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)
Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%
cotton, gold, energy products, mineral fertilizers, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, textiles, food products, machinery, automobiles
External Debt
$210,800,000,000 $
$8,570,000,000 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)
Uzbekistani soum (UZS) per US dollar - 1,317 (2008 est.), 1,263.8 (2007), 1,219.8 (2006), 1,020 (2005), 971.265 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
0.500%
3.500%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
3
6
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
Central Asia, north of Afghanistan
Area
1,964,375 km sq
447,400 km sq
Coastline
9,330 km
0 km
Climate
varies from tropical to desert
mostly midlatitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland in east
