Mexico

MEXICO

Mexico has seen several invasions over the last five centuries and is testament to what the country has suffered . The turmoil and misery of 19th-century Mexico is almost beyond . There were decades where the government altered so rapidly that the strongman General Santa Anna served 11 terms as president while U .S . invasion of 1845-1848 cut off half of the country 's territory as well as Texas and California Throughout the French invasion of the 1860s , Benito Juarez (the Zapotec Indian ) who became a respected reformist president , ruled from a

horse-drawn carriage always ready to escape for safety . Soon , Mexicans welcomed Porfirio Diaz , and his 35-year dictatorship , until 1910 . By 1910 foreigners possessed 90 per cent of Mexico 's industry and nearly one-third of its land . New culture was introduced by Europe despising their fellow citizens , privileged Mexicans gave little thought about a vast rich and poor divide (Britannica Student Encyclopedia

The 10-year civil war shattered the old and created a more modern culturally assertive , supposedly left-wing country . The competing revolutionary forces , Helen Delpar on the post-1920 reimagining of Mexican culture , and accounts of the state-driven politics and economics of the mid-20th century filled the Mexican history

The size of the Mexican economy is close to 886 .4 billion according to 2007 GDP figures . It is based upon a variety of industries (CIA - The World Factbook . Agriculture is a dominant part of the economic structure of Mexico . The country is built on a free market economy and governments have encouraged further competition to promote economic growth . The composition to the GDP of the various sectors of the economy is services : 70 , industry : 26 and agriculture : 4 according to 2007 figures . The unemployment rate in Mexico is significantly lower than many developing and indeed developed countries and stands at 3 .7 . There is considerable amount of underemployment in the country which does not show up as unemployment

The main areas which power the Mexican economy are manufactured goods petroleum and related products , silver and agricultural products like coffee , cotton and fruits and vegetables (Britannica Student Encyclopedia . The oil industry in the country produces considerable output and is under state control which helps the government balance its budget . Since NAFTA was signed in the Clinton era , the Mexican economy has seen a considerable increase in trade with United States and has been a beneficiary of the agreement . It has helped create jobs in the country , increase exports and grow the economy . At the same time it also imports engineering products like machines that power industries and agriculture , electrical equipment and car parts for assembly and the automotive sector (CIA - The World Factbook

Mexico lies in the middle of the western hemisphere and bs the Caribbean Sea , Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean . It is located between the United States on one side and Belize , a small nation on the other side . Mexico also neighbors Guatemala . The coordinates of the country are 23 00 N , 102 00 W . It...