Backgrounder: Basic facts about Mexico

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping will arrive in Mexico on Monday for a three-day official visit. The following are the basic facts about the United Mexican States, commonly known as Mexico, a federal constitutional republic in North America with Mexico City being its capital.

Mexico is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico.

The country has a total area of 1,964,375 square km and a population of 103 million. Roman Catholicism is the religion of the majority of Mexicans.

Spanish is the official language of the country.

The eagle is an important symbol of Mexico. The national emblem of Mexico depicts a Mexican golden eagle perched upon a cactus devouring a snake.

Mexico is home to many ancient civilizations, including the Olmecs, Toltecs, Aztecs and Mayans.

Mexico was once under the colonial rule of the Spanish Empire for almost 300 years.

On Sept. 16, 1810, Priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla declared independence from Spain, triggering a long war that eventually led to the creation of the ephemeral First Mexican Empire.

In 1910, a democratic revolution broke out in Mexico and lasted until a force led by former President Venustiano Carranza ended the war and amended the constitution to mark the birth of the United Mexican States.

As a large economic power in the region, Mexico is industrialized in the fields of petrochemical, energy, mining, metallurgy and manufacturing. It is also rich in natural resources, being a world leader in the output of silver, arsenic, lead, and zinc.

The main crops of Mexico include corn, sorghum, wheat, soybeans, rice and cotton.

Thanks to its centuries-old civilizations, unique high-land landscape, and popular beach resorts, Mexico has one of the largest tourist industries in the world. China and Mexico established diplomatic relations on Feb. 14, 1972. Since then, Sino-Mexican relations have been developing smoothly.

In recent years in particular, a high-level exchange of visits has been frequent.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited Mexico in December 2003, during which the two countries announced the establishment of a strategic partnership.

In September 2005, Chinese President Hu Jintao visited the country.

In recent years, two-way trade between China and Mexico continues to expand. In the first 10 months of 2008, the bilateral trade volume reached 14.96 billion U.S. dollars, up 22.3 percent from the same period a year ago.