MEXICO
United Mexican States
Estados Unidos Mexicanos
CAPITAL : Mexico City (México)
FLAG : The national flag is a tricolor of green, white, and red vertical stripes; at the center of the white stripe, in brown and green, is an eagle with a snake in its beak, perched on a cactus.
ANTHEM : Mexicanos, al grito de guerra (Mexicans, to the Cry of War).
MONETARY UNIT : The peso ( P ) is a paper currency of 100 centavos. There are coins of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1,000, and 5,000 pesos and notes of 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, and 100,000 pesos. As of 1 January 1993, a new unit of currency (the new peso) was issued, worth 1,000 of the pesos that were used until 31 December 1992. P 1 = $0.0961 (or $1 = P 10.4) as of May 2003.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES : The metric system is the legal standard, but some old Spanish units are still in use.
HOLIDAYS : New Year's Day, 1 January; Constitution Day, 5 February; Birthday of Benito Juárez, 21 March; Labor Day, 1 May; Anniversary of the Battle of Puebla (1862), 5 May; Opening of Congress and Presidential Address to the Nation, 1 September; Independence Day, 16 September; Columbus Day, 12 October; Revolution Day (1910), 20 November; Christmas, 25 December. Movable religious holidays include Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. All Souls' Day, 2 November, and Our Lady of Guadalupe Day, 12 December, are not statutory holidays but are widely celebrated.
TIME : 6 AM = noon GMT.
ETHNIC GROUPS
The people of Mexico are mostly mestizos, a mixture of indigenous Amerindian and Spanish heritage. There are small numbers of persons of other European heritages, and small numbers of blacks are found in Veracruz and Acapulco. At last estimates, 60% of the population was mestizo, 30% pure Amerindian, 9% pure white, and 1% other. Amerindian influence on Mexican cultural, economic, and political life is very strong.
DEPENDENCIES
Mexico has no territories or colonies.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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